- Planning authority
- Durham County Council
- Postcodes
- DL14
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 35°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 7.1 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- County Durham
What shapes a plot in Bishop Auckland
A measured survey in Bishop Auckland records the plot exactly: boundaries, levels, trees, drains, and the positions and heights of neighbouring windows. It is the base for everything else. From it we can plot the shadow a two-storey eaves line would cast, roughly 7.1 m at noon on 21 March when the sun is near 35° here, and the distances between the new home and the houses around it. Durham County Council will expect the application drawings to be accurate to a survey like this.
From first call to decision
From first call to a clear answer, feasibility work in Bishop Auckland follows a simple order: free appraisal, written quote, measured survey, title and constraints check, access and capacity study, concept designs, and pre-application advice from Durham County Council where it helps. You get a short report setting out the options, and the choice of what happens next stays with you.
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.
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
- Title problems such as covenants, ransom strips or missing rights of way can take time and money to resolve.
- 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.
Questions about garden plots in Bishop Auckland
How much does a feasibility study cost in Bishop Auckland?
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 Bishop Auckland?
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 Durham County 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.
What if my Bishop Auckland 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.
How do I know if my garden in Bishop Auckland 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.
Other options in Bishop Auckland
- Build a new home in your garden
- Sell part of your garden
- Garage courts and yards
- Joint venture on your garden plot
- Tandem and landlocked plots
- Large rear gardens