- Planning authority
- North Yorkshire Council
- Postcodes
- YO22
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 36°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 7.0 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- North Yorkshire
The local picture in Whitby
Daylight is one of the first things North Yorkshire Council will test on a garden scheme, so we test it first too. At midday on 21 March the sun over Whitby sits about 36° above the horizon, and a typical two-storey eaves line around 5 m high throws a shadow of roughly 7.0 m. In late December the noon sun reaches only about 12°, 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 Whitby
Here’s how feasibility starts in Whitby. 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.
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 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.
Questions about garden plots in Whitby
Do I have to use you for planning after a feasibility study in Whitby?
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 Whitby 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 North Yorkshire 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.
What if my Whitby 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.
How do I know if my garden in Whitby 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 Whitby
- Planning permission for a garden plot
- Combine gardens with your neighbours
- Joint venture on your garden plot
- Sell part of your garden
- Garage courts and yards
- Garden plot option agreement