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Greater Manchester: the planning picture
Councils in Greater Manchester 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 and the council’s highway advice. For a new home that includes fire engine access (or other measures, often sprinklers, agreed with building control and the fire service where a fire engine can’t get close enough). If the access doesn’t work, little else matters, which is why we check it first.
Planning authorities covering Greater Manchester include Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council, Bury Metropolitan Borough Council, Manchester City Council, Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council, Rochdale Borough Council, Salford City Council, Stockport Metropolitan Borough Council, Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council, Trafford Council, Wigan 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 Greater Manchester
- Manchester
- Oldham
- Wigan
- Bolton
- Stockport
- Salford
- Rochdale
- Sale
- Bury
- Altrincham
- Middleton
- Ashton-under-Lyne
- Leigh
- Stretford
- Urmston
- Chadderton
- Eccles
- Tyldesley
- Hyde
- Walkden
- Prestwich
- Radcliffe
- Cheadle Hulme
- Heywood
- Denton
- Stalybridge
- Ashton-in-Makerfield
- Westhoughton
- Farnworth
- Saddleworth
- Hindley
- Golborne
- Droylsden
- Whitefield
- Swinton
- Royton
- Atherton
- Dukinfield
- Failsworth
- Hazel Grove
- Irlam
- Horwich
- Bramhall
- Ramsbottom
- Bredbury
- Hale
Questions about feasibility and design in Greater Manchester
What happens after a feasibility study in Greater Manchester?
You choose. With a clear yes or a promising maybe, you might apply for planning, build a home on the plot, or sell or partner on it. With a no, you have the reasons and the evidence. Whichever way you go, the report, survey and concept designs remain yours to use.
Which councils decide garden schemes in Greater Manchester?
The local planning authority for your address decides. In this area that includes Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council, Bury Metropolitan Borough Council, Manchester City Council, Oldham Metropolitan Borough Council, Rochdale Borough Council and other councils. Each applies the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) alongside its own Local Plan and design guidance, so the tests for a garden scheme can differ from one council to the next. We check the policies that apply to your plot.
Is pre-application advice available in Greater Manchester?
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.
How much is a garden plot in Greater Manchester worth?
It depends on location, size, access, title and, above all, planning. Two similar gardens in the same street can be worth very different amounts if one has easy access and the other doesn’t. We don’t quote figures before we’ve looked at a plot properly; the free appraisal is the way to find out.
Other options in Greater Manchester
- Combine gardens with your neighbours in Greater Manchester
- Corner and side plots in Greater Manchester
- Build a new home in your garden in Greater Manchester
- Tandem and landlocked plots in Greater Manchester
- Planning promotion for your garden plot in Greater Manchester
- Garden plot option agreement in Greater Manchester