- Planning authority
- Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council
- Postcodes
- RG21, RG22, RG24, RG25
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 39°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.2 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Hampshire
What the council will look at in Basingstoke
Any capacity study for a garden in Basingstoke starts with the policies in the council’s Local Plan and any design guidance Basingstoke and Deane 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.
The next steps, locally
The next step is a free appraisal of your Basingstoke 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.
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 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.
- Title problems such as covenants, ransom strips or missing rights of way can take time and money to resolve.
Basingstoke: questions to ask
How do I know if my garden in Basingstoke 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.
Can I get pre-application advice on a garden plot in Basingstoke?
Usually, yes. Most councils offer pre-application advice, and many charge a fee for it. Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council’s website sets out its current arrangements, including how to apply, what to send and how long a response usually takes. We can prepare the information and attend any meeting for you. The advice isn’t binding, but it is a useful test before a full application.
Do I have to use you for planning after a feasibility study in Basingstoke?
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.
Is my Basingstoke 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 Basingstoke and Deane 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.
Other options in Basingstoke
- Build a home for family in your garden
- Corner and side plots
- Garden plot option agreement
- Planning permission for a garden plot
- Large rear gardens
- Joint venture on your garden plot