- Planning authority
- Bath and North East Somerset Council
- Postcodes
- BS31
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 39°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.3 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Somerset
Before you decide in Keynsham
Construction on a Keynsham garden plot runs to a programme agreed once Bath and North East Somerset Council has issued permission and any pre-commencement conditions have been dealt with. Groundworks and foundations come first; the shell and roof follow, then glazing, internal trades and, last of all, the drive and planting.
Weather matters. Around 21 December the sun in Keynsham climbs to only about 15° at midday, so winter days are short and wet ground slows the work. Where we can, we order the job so the house is weathertight before the worst months arrive.
From first call to decision
If your Keynsham plot already has planning permission, we begin by checking the approved drawings and conditions against the site. Some permissions need detailed design, discharge of conditions or a minor amendment before they can be built. We then prepare the technical drawings, arrange Building Regulations approval and the warranty, apply for utility connections and give you a written quote to build.
Free plot appraisal
We check the title plan, access, constraints and planning policy from our desk, talk the plot through with you, and visit if it looks viable. There’s no cost and no obligation.
Planning and approvals
We submit the planning application and manage it to a decision, then deal with conditions, Building Regulations approval, the structural warranty, any build-over agreement and the new utility connections.
Written quote and build
Once design and survey are complete you get a written quote. The build runs in stages — access and groundworks, foundations, frame and roof, fit-out and external works — with inspections at each key point.
Handover
You receive the completion certificate, warranty documents, Energy Performance Certificate, manuals and utility details, so the new home is ready to move into, let or put on the market.
Worth checking early
- A build next door means months of noise, deliveries and contractors near your home; good planning reduces the disruption but doesn’t remove it.
- Planning can be refused, and money spent on surveys, design and the application isn’t recovered if it is — which is why we start with an appraisal.
- Your own garden gets smaller and the new home will be visible from your house, so screening and separation matter for both homes.
Questions about garden plots in Keynsham
Who decides planning for a garden house in Keynsham?
Bath and North East Somerset Council decides applications for addresses in Keynsham, using the council’s Local Plan, national policy and its own design guidance. Neighbours and consultees such as highways officers can comment, and the decision is made by the council’s planning officers or, where the rules allow, its planning committee. Pre-application advice from the council can help test a scheme before the formal application is submitted.
Can I build a house in my Keynsham garden and then sell it?
Yes. You keep the land while the home is built, then sell the finished house. Before building starts, the plot should be given its own title through a transfer of part at HM Land Registry, and if your house is mortgaged your lender must agree to release the plot. Selling a home you’ve built can change your tax position, so take advice from a tax adviser first.
Can the new home in my Keynsham garden connect to the main sewer?
Usually, yes, but the route and depth decide how easily. The new home needs its own foul connection, agreed with the water company, and gravity drainage is simplest where the sewer sits lower than the new floor. If it doesn’t, a pumped connection may be needed. Where a public sewer runs under your garden, a build-over agreement or diversion may also be required.
How close can a new house be to my own in Keynsham?
There’s no single national distance. Many councils use separation guides of around 21 metres between facing back windows and around 12 to 15 metres between a back window and a blank side wall, but the guidance used by Bath and North East Somerset Council decides. Window positions, ground levels, roof shape and screening all affect what is acceptable, which is why we survey before we design.
Other options in Keynsham
- Tandem and landlocked plots
- Plot feasibility and design
- Corner and side plots
- Sell subject to planning
- Large rear gardens
- Combine gardens with your neighbours