- Planning authority
- Stevenage Borough Council
- Postcodes
- SG1
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 38°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.4 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Hertfordshire
How it plays out in Stevenage
Sometimes the best scheme in Stevenage 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 Stevenage and nearby places such as Hitchin, Letchworth Garden City and Welwyn Garden City, and in each case we show the owners how one shared access could serve several homes. Whether Stevenage Borough Council would support it depends on the design, the effect on the street and its policies.
From first call to decision
From first call to a clear answer, feasibility work in Stevenage follows a simple order: free appraisal, written quote, measured survey, title and constraints check, access and capacity study, concept designs, and pre-application advice from Stevenage Borough Council where it helps. You get a short report setting out the options, and the choice of what happens next stays with you.
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.
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.
Worth checking early
- Title problems such as covenants, ransom strips or missing rights of way can take time and money to resolve.
- A capacity figure is not a value; what a plot is worth depends on location, size, access and planning.
- Some ecology surveys can only be done at certain times of year, which can affect the programme.
Your questions, answered for Stevenage
How do I know if my garden in Stevenage 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.
How much does a feasibility study cost in Stevenage?
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.
Can I get pre-application advice on a garden plot in Stevenage?
Usually, yes. Most councils offer pre-application advice, and many charge a fee for it. Stevenage 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.
What if my Stevenage 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.
Other options in Stevenage
- Garden plot option agreement
- Tandem and landlocked plots
- Planning promotion for your garden plot
- Joint venture on your garden plot
- Sell subject to planning
- Build a new home in your garden