- Planning authority
- Bristol City Council
- Postcodes
- BS14
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 39°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.3 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Bristol
The local picture in Stockwood
Daylight is one of the first things Bristol City Council will test on a garden scheme, so we test it first too. At midday on 21 March the sun over Stockwood sits about 39° above the horizon, and a typical two-storey eaves line around 5 m high throws a shadow of roughly 6.3 m. In late December the noon sun reaches only about 15°, so winter shadows run roughly three times longer. Plotting both on the measured survey shows where a new home can stand without darkening the gardens and rooms around it.
What happens next in Stockwood
Here’s how feasibility starts in Stockwood. 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.
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.
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.
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.
Worth checking early
- Some ecology surveys can only be done at certain times of year, which can affect the programme.
- A feasibility study can end in a no; finding that out early costs far less than a refused application.
- A capacity figure is not a value; what a plot is worth depends on location, size, access and planning.
Your questions, answered for Stockwood
Can you check the title deeds on my Stockwood property?
Yes. We obtain the title register and title plan from HM Land Registry and read them for restrictive covenants, rights of way, easements and any mortgage charge. If something needs a legal opinion, we flag it so your solicitor can advise. Title issues are far better found during feasibility than halfway through a planning application or a sale.
How many homes could fit in my garden in Stockwood?
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 Bristol 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.
Is my Stockwood 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 Bristol 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.
What if my Stockwood 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 Stockwood
- Tandem and landlocked plots
- Corner and side plots
- Garden plot option agreement
- Sell part of your garden
- Sell subject to planning
- Garage courts and yards