- Planning authority
- Medway Council
- Postcodes
- ME2
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 39°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.3 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Kent
What the council will look at in Strood
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 Strood is about 39° above the horizon, so a two-storey eaves line around 5 m high casts a shadow of roughly 6.3 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 15°, so we test winter light on both homes, and on next-door gardens, before the layout is fixed.
What happens next in Strood
Getting started in Strood costs nothing. Send us a few photos of your garden and the way in, or simply call, and we’ll look at the plot from the desk and talk through your family’s plans. If there’s a realistic scheme, we arrange a site visit. Survey and design are quoted in writing before you commit, and the build price follows once the design is settled.
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.
- An annexe tied by planning condition usually can’t be sold or let separately, which limits flexibility later.
- CIL exemptions are lost if work starts before the claim is made, and can be withdrawn if the home is sold or let within three years.
Questions about garden plots in Strood
How much garden do I need for a family home in Strood?
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 Medway 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 Strood 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. Medway Council’s council tax team can tell you how the rules apply to your household.
Do I need planning permission for a granny annexe in Strood?
Yes, almost always for a detached annexe with its own kitchen, bathroom and bedroom. Medway 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.
How long will building work disrupt my home in Strood?
A single garden home usually takes several months on site, with the noisiest work, such as groundworks, drainage and heavy deliveries, concentrated near the start. We agree working hours, access and parking with you up front, and with the people next door where it affects them, so your household knows what each week will look like.
Other options in Strood
- Tandem and landlocked plots
- Plot feasibility and design
- Planning promotion for your garden plot
- Build a new home in your garden
- Planning permission for a garden plot
- Garden plot option agreement