Backland Development
0800 088 6248Free to call Free plot appraisal

Build a home for family in your garden in Alton

Two households, one plot: that’s the idea behind a family home in a Alton garden. Done well, each has privacy and a front door, yet help is a few steps away. Done badly, it can strain relationships and leave a building nobody can use when circumstances change.

The difference lies mostly in the planning route and the layout. Backland Development is a new S&K Group brand offering design and build to homeowners in Alton and the surrounding area, and each project begins with a free plot appraisal that weighs an annexe against a separate home for your family.

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Single-storey garden home with wide glazed doors and a covered porch at the back of a family garden
Planning authority
East Hampshire District Council
Postcodes
GU34
Noon sun, 21 March
About 39°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 6.2 m
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
Hampshire

How it plays out in Alton

A measured survey is where a family home in Alton stops being an idea and becomes a plan. We record boundaries, levels, trees, drains and the windows of your house and the houses next door, then test where the new building can sit. With the spring equinox sun standing near 39° at midday here, a 5 m eaves line throws a noon shadow close to 6.2 m; drawing that onto the survey shows which positions keep light in the main rooms of both homes. East Hampshire District Council will expect to see the same evidence with the application.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in Alton: about 39 degrees on 21 March and 15 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 39°, shadow 6.2 m21 Dec, noon: sun 15°, shadow 18.1 mExistingNew home
Noon sun in Alton on 21 March sits about 39° above the horizon, so a typical two-storey eaves line (about 5 m) throws a shadow of roughly 6.2 m. In December the sun is only about 15° up and shadows stretch much further. Drawn for a garden facing north, where it matters most.

How we’d take it forward in Alton

The next step is a conversation, by phone or through the form, about your garden in Alton 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.

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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

  • CIL exemptions are lost if work starts before the claim is made, and can be withdrawn if the home is sold or let within three years.
  • An annexe tied by planning condition usually can’t be sold or let separately, which limits flexibility later.
  • A separate home needs its own garden, parking, bins and access, so it needs more land than an annexe.

Your questions, answered for Alton

Can you design a home in Alton 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 East Hampshire District 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.

Who owns an annexe built in my Alton garden?

You do. An annexe stays on the title of your house and usually carries a planning condition tying it to the main home, so it can’t be transferred to the relative living in it. If a family member is paying towards it, record what they’ve put in and what happens on a sale in a written agreement drawn up by a solicitor.

Do I need planning permission for a granny annexe in Alton?

Yes, almost always for a detached annexe with its own kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. East Hampshire District 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.

Is CIL payable on a family home in Alton?

Only if East Hampshire District 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.

Other options in Alton

Family home in your garden near Alton

Find out what your garden could become

Free garden plot appraisal. No cost, no obligation, and a straight answer if it won’t work.

Get my free appraisal 0800 088 6248