Garden plot feasibility and design in Woodley

The cheapest time to find a problem with a garden plot in Woodley is before anyone draws a house on it. Covenants, sewers, protected trees, flood risk and narrow drives all turn up in a proper feasibility check, and most are far easier to deal with when they are known up front.

Our feasibility service covers the survey, title and constraints check, access options and a capacity study, followed by concept designs and pre-application advice from Wokingham Borough Council where it helps. It all begins with a free first appraisal, and every later stage has a written price that you approve before work starts, so you can stop at any point.

Surveyor in a hi-vis vest taking GPS measurements in a long suburban back garden
Planning authority
Wokingham Borough Council
Postcodes
RG5
Noon sun, 21 March
About 39°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 6.3 m
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
Berkshire

The local picture in Woodley

Pre-application advice from Wokingham Borough Council is often the last step of a feasibility study in Woodley, and one of the most useful. Once the survey, constraints check and concept designs are done, we can put the strongest option to a planning officer and ask for a written view on the principle and the details. It isn’t binding, but it shows how the scheme measures up against the council’s Local Plan and what an application would need. Any council fee is set by the council and shown in our written quote.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in Woodley: about 39 degrees on 21 March and 15 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 39°, shadow 6.3 m21 Dec, noon: sun 15°, shadow 18.5 mExistingNew home
Noon sun in Woodley on 21 March sits about 39° above the horizon, so a typical two-storey eaves line (about 5 m) throws a shadow of roughly 6.3 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 Woodley

Here’s how feasibility starts in Woodley. You tell us about the plot, by phone or through the form, and we carry out a free desktop appraisal of access, title plan and planning context. If it looks viable we visit. If you want to go further, we send a written scope and quote for survey, constraints check and capacity study, and nothing starts until you agree.

  1. Free plot appraisal

    A desktop look at your plot, access, title plan and the planning picture, plus a conversation about what you want. If it looks viable we visit. There’s no cost and no obligation at this stage.

  2. Scope and written quote

    If you want to go further, we set out which surveys and checks your plot needs and what they will cost, in writing. Nothing is commissioned until you have agreed the scope and the price.

  3. Concept designs and pre-application

    Sketch layouts and simple elevations for the strongest options. Where it will help, we take one to the council for pre-application advice before anything is submitted.

  4. Feasibility report and options

    A clear yes, no or maybe, the reasons behind it, and the routes open to you: apply for planning, build, sell or partner. You decide what happens next, with no obligation to use us for it.

Worth checking early

  • Pre-application advice is not binding, and the council’s decision on a formal application can still differ.
  • A capacity figure is not a value; what a plot is worth depends on location, size, access and planning.
  • Some ecology surveys can only be done at certain times of year, which can affect the programme.

Questions about garden plots in Woodley

How much does a feasibility study cost in Woodley?

It depends on the plot. A simple garden with a clear drive needs less work than one with protected trees, a flood zone or a complicated title. The first appraisal is free. After that we set out the scope and the price in writing, and you choose whether to go ahead before anything is commissioned.

How many homes could fit in my garden in Woodley?

That is what a capacity study answers. It tests options against separation distances from neighbours, garden space for each home, parking, bins and access, as well as the policies Wokingham Borough Council applies. For many gardens the answer is one home; larger or combined plots can sometimes take more. We show the options on drawings so you can see why.

Do I have to use you for planning after a feasibility study in Woodley?

No. The survey, report and concept designs are yours to use as you choose. You can take the scheme forward with us, through our planning permission or design and build services, or sell or partner on the plot with us, or use another firm. We would rather you made the decision that suits you.

What if my Woodley garden plot fails the feasibility check?

Then you know before spending money on a planning application, and you know why. Sometimes a smaller scheme, an annexe, or working with the neighbours next door changes the answer, and we will say if so. If nothing does, you keep the survey and the report for the future. You are under no obligation to us either way.

Other options in Woodley

Feasibility and design near Woodley

Find out what your garden could become

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