- Planning authority
- Dorset Council
- Postcodes
- DT1
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 39°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.1 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Dorset
Dorchester: light, access and policy
Sometimes the best scheme in Dorchester takes in more than one garden. If your plot is short of access or depth, a feasibility study can test a combined layout with the gardens next door, as well as yours alone. We cover Dorchester and nearby places such as Weymouth, Portland and Poole, and in each case we show the owners how one shared access could serve several homes. Whether Dorset Council would support it depends on the design, the effect on the street and its policies.
What happens next in Dorchester
Getting a straight answer about a garden plot in Dorchester costs nothing at the first stage. Send us a few photos and a rough idea of the plot, or call, and we’ll check it from the desk. If it’s not worth pursuing, we’ll say so and explain why. If it is, we’ll set out the next steps and their cost in writing.
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.
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
- A capacity figure is not a value; what a plot is worth depends on location, size, access and planning.
- 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 Dorchester
How many homes could fit in my garden in Dorchester?
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 Dorset 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 Dorchester 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 Dorchester 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 Dorset 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.
Do I have to use you for planning after a feasibility study in Dorchester?
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.
Other options in Dorchester
- Planning promotion for your garden plot
- Joint venture on your garden plot
- Planning permission for a garden plot
- Sell part of your garden
- Sell subject to planning
- Garden plot option agreement