- Planning authority
- High Peak Borough Council
- Postcodes
- SK12, SK22
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 37°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.7 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Derbyshire
Before you decide in New Mills
People living next door are consulted on every planning application, and across SK12 and SK22 that applies to a family annexe just as much as to a new house. Their privacy, outlook and light carry real weight with High Peak Borough Council. A design that keeps upper windows away from adjoining gardens, uses obscure glazing where it has to, and leaves a planted margin along the boundary gives the council fewer reasons to refuse. A quiet word with the people either side before the application goes in is often worthwhile too.
The next steps, locally
Here’s what happens next for a family home in New Mills. 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 High Peak Borough 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.
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.
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.
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.
- An annexe tied by planning condition usually can’t be sold or let separately, which limits flexibility later.
Your questions, answered for New Mills
Can you design a home in New Mills 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 High Peak Borough 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 New Mills?
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 High Peak Borough 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.
Is CIL payable on a family home in New Mills?
Only if High Peak Borough 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 New Mills?
Yes, almost always for a detached annexe with its own kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. High Peak Borough 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.
Other options in New Mills
- Sell part of your garden
- Garden plot option agreement
- Garage courts and yards
- Sell subject to planning
- Joint venture on your garden plot
- Build a new home in your garden

