- Planning authority
- Milton Keynes City Council
- Postcodes
- MK1, MK2, MK3, MK17
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 38°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.4 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Buckinghamshire
Bletchley: light, access and policy
Access usually decides what a Bletchley garden can take. An annexe can often share your drive because it is used with the house, but a separate home needs an access Milton Keynes City Council will accept for a dwelling in its own right, with room for cars, bin collection and emergency vehicles. We cover homes in Bletchley and around Milton Keynes, Leighton Buzzard and Newport Pagnell, and on every plot we measure the drive width, the view along the road where the access joins it, and how far bins would need to travel, before anyone draws a plan.
From first call to decision
The next step is a conversation, by phone or through the form, about your garden in Bletchley and who the new home is for. We check access, title, the main planning constraints and any CIL position for your address, then tell you whether an annexe, a separate home or neither looks realistic. If neither does, we’ll say so and explain why.
Free plot appraisal
We look at your plot, access and the planning picture from the desk, talk through who will live in the new home, and visit if it looks viable. There’s no cost and no obligation.
Annexe or separate home
We set out both routes for your plot, covering what each means for planning, ownership, council tax, CIL and VAT, so you can decide with your family and advisers before design starts.
Planning and approvals
We prepare and submit the planning application and manage it with the council, which makes the decision. Before work starts, approval under the Building Regulations is in place and any CIL exemption has been claimed.
Build and handover
We build while you carry on living next door, with access, deliveries and working hours agreed up front. At handover you get the completion certificate and the paperwork you’ll need for council tax, lenders and any VAT claim.
Worth checking early
- Planning is the council’s decision, and an annexe is not a way round the rules that apply to a new house.
- Family plans change: agree ownership, costs and what happens if circumstances change in writing, with a solicitor.
- VAT savings available on a separate dwelling often don’t apply to an annexe; take advice from a tax adviser before choosing.
Your questions, answered for Bletchley
Can you design a home in Bletchley for a relative who uses a wheelchair?
Yes. The design can include a level approach and threshold, turning space in each room, a wet room, wider doors and worktops at a usable height. Where Milton Keynes City Council requires a particular access standard through planning, the design meets it; otherwise it’s your choice how far to go. Input from your relative’s occupational therapist is well worth having.
Is CIL payable on a family home in Bletchley?
Only if Milton Keynes City Council has adopted the Community Infrastructure Levy, which its website will confirm, and we check it for you during the appraisal. Where it applies, self-build and residential annexe exemptions exist, but both must be claimed before work starts and can be withdrawn if the home is sold or let within three years of completion.
Do I need planning permission for a granny annexe in Bletchley?
Yes, almost always for a detached annexe with its own kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. Milton Keynes City Council will treat it as accommodation linked to your home and will usually add a condition so it can’t be let or sold separately. A garden building used only as a home office or gym is a different matter, but sleeping and cooking take it beyond those allowances.
Can I build a separate house in my Bletchley garden for my son or daughter?
Possibly, if the plot can work as a home in its own right. Milton Keynes City Council will look at access, parking, garden space for both houses, privacy and the character of the street, as it would for any new house. If permission is granted, the plot can be transferred to your child with its own title, with your lender’s consent if the house is mortgaged.
Other options in Bletchley
- Large rear gardens
- Garage courts and yards
- Bungalows on large plots
- Corner and side plots
- Joint venture on your garden plot
- Combine gardens with your neighbours