- Planning authority
- Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council
- Postcodes
- OL6, OL7
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 37°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.8 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Greater Manchester
What the council will look at in Ashton-under-Lyne
Daylight is one of the first things Tameside Metropolitan Borough Council will test on a garden scheme, so we test it first too. At midday on 21 March the sun over Ashton-under-Lyne sits about 37° above the horizon, and a typical two-storey eaves line around 5 m high throws a shadow of roughly 6.8 m. In late December the noon sun reaches only about 13°, 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.
How we’d take it forward in Ashton-under-Lyne
The next step is a free appraisal of your Ashton-under-Lyne garden. We look at the access, the shape of the plot, the title plan and the main planning constraints, then talk it through with you. Where the plot shows promise, we set out the surveys and design work it needs, with a written price for each stage, and you decide how far to take it.
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 capacity figure is not a value; what a plot is worth depends on location, size, access and planning.
- Pre-application advice is not binding, and the council’s decision on a formal application can still differ.
Questions about garden plots in Ashton-under-Lyne
Do I have to use you for planning after a feasibility study in Ashton-under-Lyne?
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.
How much does a feasibility study cost in Ashton-under-Lyne?
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.
Is my Ashton-under-Lyne 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 Tameside Metropolitan Borough 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.
How do I know if my garden in Ashton-under-Lyne 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 Ashton-under-Lyne
- Build a home for family in your garden
- Planning promotion for your garden plot
- Large rear gardens
- Bungalows on large plots
- Planning permission for a garden plot
- Build a new home in your garden

