- Planning authority
- Milton Keynes City Council
- Postcodes
- MK1, MK2, MK3, MK17
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 38°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.4 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Buckinghamshire
How it plays out in Bletchley
Access is where most garden plots stand or fall, in Bletchley as anywhere. We measure every possible route in, whether a side drive, a gap left by a garage, a back lane or a shared way, and check its width, the sightlines onto the street, and the bin and emergency routes. Plots differ from one street to the next, so there is no standard answer for homes in MK1, MK2, MK3 and MK17. If the way in passes over someone else’s land, the title check shows whether a right of way exists, and Milton Keynes City Council’s highway advice shows what standard the route must meet.
How we’d take it forward in Bletchley
The next step is a free appraisal of your Bletchley garden. We look at the access, the shape of the plot, the title plan and the main planning constraints, then talk it through with you. Where the plot shows promise, we set out the surveys and design work it needs, with a written price for each stage, and you decide how far to take it.
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.
Survey and constraints check
A measured survey of the plot and its surroundings, then a check of the title, services, trees, flood risk and heritage designations, so the design starts from facts rather than guesses.
Access and capacity study
We test each workable route in and the number, size and position of homes the plot could hold, against separation distances, garden space, parking, bins and daylight for neighbours.
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.
Worth checking early
- A feasibility study can end in a no; finding that out early costs far less than a refused application.
- Some ecology surveys can only be done at certain times of year, which can affect the programme.
- Title problems such as covenants, ransom strips or missing rights of way can take time and money to resolve.
Questions about garden plots in Bletchley
How many homes could fit in my garden in Bletchley?
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 Milton Keynes City 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.
How do I know if my garden in Bletchley is big enough for a house?
Size alone won’t tell you. What matters is whether there is a workable access, enough distance from neighbours’ windows, room for gardens, parking and bins for both homes, and nothing on the title or in policy that rules it out. A feasibility study checks each of those for your plot. The first stage, a free plot appraisal, gives you an early view.
What if my Bletchley 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.
Is my Bletchley garden in a flood zone or conservation area?
Both are public information. Flood zones are shown on the flood maps for planning in England, and Milton Keynes City Council publishes its conservation area boundaries and the listed buildings in its area. We check these as part of the free appraisal, along with Tree Preservation Orders, because each one changes what a scheme needs to show.
Other options in Bletchley
- Large rear gardens
- Bungalows on large plots
- Corner and side plots
- Joint venture on your garden plot
- Sell part of your garden
- Build a home for family in your garden