- Planning authority
- Herefordshire Council
- Postcodes
- HR1
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 38°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.4 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Herefordshire
What the council will look at in Hereford
People living next door are consulted on every planning application, and across HR1 that applies to a family annexe just as much as to a new house. Their privacy, outlook and light carry real weight with Herefordshire 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.
How we’d take it forward in Hereford
From first call to keys, a family home in Hereford follows a clear order. Free appraisal and site visit; measured survey and design around the person moving in; a planning application to Herefordshire Council; approval under the Building Regulations and any CIL exemption claimed before work starts; then the build, with you living next door throughout. You receive a written quote after design and survey, and we keep the household updated at each stage.
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
- An annexe tied by planning condition usually can’t be sold or let separately, which limits flexibility later.
- Family plans change: agree ownership, costs and what happens if circumstances change in writing, with a solicitor.
- Planning is the council’s decision, and an annexe is not a way round the rules that apply to a new house.
Questions about garden plots in Hereford
Can you design a home in Hereford 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 Herefordshire 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.
Can I build a separate house in my Hereford garden for my son or daughter?
Possibly, if the plot can work as a home in its own right. Herefordshire 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.
Is CIL payable on a family home in Hereford?
Only if Herefordshire 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.
Who owns an annexe built in my Hereford 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.
Other options in Hereford
- Garden plot option agreement
- Sell subject to planning
- Combine gardens with your neighbours
- Large rear gardens
- Bungalows on large plots
- Plot feasibility and design