- Nation
- Wales
- National planning policy
- Planning Policy Wales
- Planning authorities
- 5
- City
- Newport
Gwent: the planning picture
Most garden plots in Gwent are reached in one of three ways: down a side drive beside the house, from a lane or road at the back, or across someone else’s land. An annexe can often share the existing drive, because it is used with the house. A separate dwelling needs a route in that the council will accept for an independent home, with room for cars to pass, bins to be collected and emergency vehicles to get close enough. If the route is shared with neighbours or crosses land you don’t own, the title needs checking early.
Planning authorities covering Gwent include Blaenau Gwent County Borough Council, Caerphilly County Borough Council, Monmouthshire County Council, Newport City Council, Torfaen County Borough Council.
How it works
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 as they apply in Wales 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.
Family home in your garden in towns across Gwent
- Newport, Gwent
- Cwmbran
- Pontypool
- Ebbw Vale
- Caerphilly
- Risca
- Gelligaer
- Blackwood
- Brynmawr
- Tredegar
- Abergavenny
- Bargoed
- Nelson, Gwent
- Chepstow
- Abertillery
- Abercarn
- Monmouth
Questions about family home in your garden in Gwent
Do you build family homes across all of Gwent?
Yes, we cover garden plots throughout Gwent, including in and around Newport, Cwmbran, Pontypool and Ebbw Vale. Every enquiry starts with a free desktop appraisal of the plot and the planning context, and we arrange a site visit if the scheme looks viable. Design, planning and build follow only if you decide to go ahead.
Is CIL charged on family homes in Gwent?
Some councils charge the Community Infrastructure Levy and some don’t, so it depends where your house is. Where it applies, a self-build exemption and an exemption for residential annexes are available, but they must be claimed before work starts on site, together with a commencement notice. We check the position for your address during the free appraisal.
What rules apply to a family home in Gwent?
National policy in Wales sets the framework through Planning Policy Wales (PPW). Each council then applies its own LDP policies, along with the council’s supplementary planning guidance and Technical Advice Note 12 on design where relevant. The building must also meet the Building Regulations as they apply in Wales, and you need to plan for sprinklers, which every new home in Wales must have. If the home is for an older relative, it is worth designing to a higher access standard from the start.
Can neighbours in Gwent combine their gardens?
Yes. Putting two or more adjoining back gardens together can allow one shared access and a better layout than separate plots. Each owner keeps their house. The owners usually sign a collaboration agreement, with an equalisation clause so that value is shared fairly even though only one garden provides the access. Each household should take its own legal advice.