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- National planning policy
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- Wrexham
Before you start in Clwyd
Councils in Clwyd look closely at how a garden home would be reached, because the access affects the neighbours as much as the new occupants. A feasibility study measures the drive width, the sightlines where it meets the highway, the distance to the bin collection point and the route for emergency services, then tests that against the Building Regulations as they apply in Wales and the council’s highway advice. For a new home that includes sprinklers, which every new home in Wales must have. If the access doesn’t work, little else matters, which is why we check it first.
Planning authorities covering Clwyd include Conwy County Borough Council, Denbighshire County Council, Flintshire County Council, Wrexham County Borough Council.
How it works
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.
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.
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.
Feasibility and design in towns across Clwyd
- Wrexham
- Deeside
- Colwyn Bay
- Flint
- Rhyl
- Hawarden
- Rhosllannerchrugog
- Prestatyn
- Connah's Quay
- Llandudno
- Buckley
- Abergele
- Mold
- Ruthin
- St Asaph
Questions about feasibility and design in Clwyd
Is pre-application advice available in Clwyd?
Most councils offer it, usually for a fee, and publish their arrangements online. It gives you a planning officer’s written view on the principle and design of a scheme before you apply. It isn’t binding, but on a finely balanced garden plot it often shows what the council will focus on.
What constraints usually affect garden plots in Clwyd?
Access is usually the biggest, followed by the distance from neighbours’ windows and the space left for the existing house. Title issues such as covenants and rights of way, public sewers, protected trees, flood risk and heritage designations can also apply. A feasibility study checks each one for your plot rather than relying on general rules.
How long does feasibility take for a plot in Clwyd?
Often a few weeks, sometimes a couple of months. It depends on surveyor availability, whether title documents or specialist surveys are needed, and how long the council takes to respond if you ask for pre-application advice. Some ecology surveys can only be done at certain times of year.
Which council decides planning for a garden plot in Clwyd?
The council for your address decides. The planning authorities covering Clwyd include Conwy County Borough Council, Denbighshire County Council, Flintshire County Council and Wrexham County Borough Council. Each judges applications against its own LDP and Planning Policy Wales (PPW), together with its design guidance. We prepare and submit the application and deal with the council’s questions, but the decision is always the council’s, never ours.