- Planning authority
- Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council
- Postcodes
- BL1, BL2, BL7
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 36°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.8 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Greater Manchester
What shapes a plot in Bolton
Any capacity study for a garden in Bolton starts with the policies in the council’s Local Plan and any design guidance Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council has adopted for homes in gardens. Those documents set the tests the scheme will be judged against: character, separation, garden size, parking and access. Some councils also have specific policies on backland or tandem development. We read the current versions for your address and draw the concept options to meet them, which makes a later application far easier to defend.
What happens next in Bolton
The next step is a free appraisal of your Bolton 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.
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.
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.
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.
- Pre-application advice is not binding, and the council’s decision on a formal application can still differ.
Your questions, answered for Bolton
How many homes could fit in my garden in Bolton?
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 Bolton Metropolitan Borough 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.
How do I know if my garden in Bolton 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.
Is my Bolton 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 Bolton 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 much does a feasibility study cost in Bolton?
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.
Other options in Bolton
- Build a home for family in your garden
- Planning promotion for your garden plot
- Planning permission for a garden plot
- Tandem and landlocked plots
- Large rear gardens
- Garage courts and yards