- Planning authority
- West Lancashire Borough Council
- Postcodes
- WN8
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 36°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.8 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Lancashire
What the council will look at in Skelmersdale
Daylight is one of the first things West Lancashire Borough Council will test on a garden scheme, so we test it first too. At midday on 21 March the sun over Skelmersdale sits about 36° 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.
What happens next in Skelmersdale
Here’s how feasibility starts in Skelmersdale. You tell us about the plot, by phone or through the form, and we carry out a free desktop appraisal of access, title plan and planning context. If it looks viable we visit. If you want to go further, we send a written scope and quote for survey, constraints check and capacity study, and nothing starts until you agree.
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
- 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.
- A feasibility study can end in a no; finding that out early costs far less than a refused application.
Skelmersdale: questions to ask
Is my Skelmersdale 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 West Lancashire 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 Skelmersdale?
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.
How many homes could fit in my garden in Skelmersdale?
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 West Lancashire 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.
What if my Skelmersdale 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 Skelmersdale
- Garden plot option agreement
- Joint venture on your garden plot
- Garage courts and yards
- Large rear gardens
- Sell part of your garden
- Bungalows on large plots