- Planning authority
- Cheshire East Council
- Postcodes
- CW5
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 37°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.7 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Cheshire
The local picture in Nantwich
Daylight matters twice over when the new home is for a relative who spends much of the day indoors. At noon on 21 March the sun in Nantwich is about 37° above the horizon, so a two-storey eaves line around 5 m high casts a shadow of roughly 6.7 m. A single-storey annexe with eaves at half that height casts one about half as long, which is one reason low buildings often sit more easily in a garden. By late December the midday sun climbs only about 13°, so we test winter light on both homes, and on next-door gardens, before the layout is fixed.
How we’d take it forward in Nantwich
Here’s what happens next for a family home in Nantwich. You tell us about your plot and who the home is for, and we carry out a free desktop appraisal of access, space and the planning context. If it looks viable we visit, then set out the annexe and separate-home options. With your go-ahead we survey, design and give you a written quote, then prepare the application for Cheshire East Council.
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.
Survey and design
A measured survey, then a design built around the person moving in: step-free routes, a ground-floor bedroom if needed and privacy for both households. You get a written quote after design and survey.
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.
- A separate home needs its own garden, parking, bins and access, so it needs more land than an annexe.
- Family plans change: agree ownership, costs and what happens if circumstances change in writing, with a solicitor.
Nantwich: questions to ask
Can you design a home in Nantwich 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 Cheshire East 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.
How much garden do I need for a family home in Nantwich?
There’s no fixed figure. A single-storey annexe close to the house can work on a smaller plot than a separate dwelling, which needs its own garden, parking and access. What matters is whether Cheshire East Council can be satisfied on privacy, daylight and the space left for both homes. The free appraisal gives you a first view based on your plot’s actual shape and access.
Will an annexe in Nantwich put up my council tax?
It might. Annexes can be banded separately, but exemptions exist for annexes lived in by certain dependent relatives, and in some cases a discount applies where family live there or the annexe is used as part of the main home. Who qualifies depends on the relative’s circumstances and how the annexe is used. Cheshire East Council’s council tax team can tell you how the rules apply to your household.
Can I build a separate house in my Nantwich garden for my son or daughter?
Possibly, if the plot can work as a home in its own right. Cheshire East 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 Nantwich
- Bungalows on large plots
- Garden plot option agreement
- Sell subject to planning
- Planning promotion for your garden plot
- Garage courts and yards
- Plot feasibility and design