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Garden plot feasibility and design in York

If you’re wondering whether your garden in York could take a new home, a feasibility study is the honest way to find out. It checks access, title, planning constraints and space, then shows what could realistically fit, before you commit to the cost of a planning application.

City of York Council makes the planning decision, so our work is built around the policies and design guidance it applies to homes in gardens. The first stage is a free plot appraisal, carried out from the desk and followed by a visit if the plot shows promise. Anything more detailed comes with a written price, and you decide whether to go ahead.

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Surveyor in a hi-vis vest taking GPS measurements in a long suburban back garden
Planning authority
City of York Council
Postcodes
YO1, YO10, YO23, YO24, YO31
Noon sun, 21 March
About 36°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 6.9 m
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
North Yorkshire

What the council will look at in York

Daylight is one of the first things City of York Council will test on a garden scheme, so we test it first too. At midday on 21 March the sun over York sits about 36° above the horizon, and a typical two-storey eaves line around 5 m high throws a shadow of roughly 6.9 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.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in York: about 36 degrees on 21 March and 13 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 36°, shadow 6.9 m21 Dec, noon: sun 13°, shadow 22.4 mExistingNew home
Noon sun in York on 21 March sits about 36° above the horizon, so a typical two-storey eaves line (about 5 m) throws a shadow of roughly 6.9 m. In December the sun is only about 13° up and shadows stretch much further. Drawn for a garden facing north, where it matters most.

From first call to decision

Here’s how feasibility starts in York. 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.

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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

  • Pre-application advice is not binding, and the council’s decision on a formal application can still differ.
  • A capacity figure is not a value; what a plot is worth depends on location, size, access and planning.
  • Title problems such as covenants, ransom strips or missing rights of way can take time and money to resolve.

Your questions, answered for York

Is my York 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 City of York 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 York?

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.

What if my York 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 many homes could fit in my garden in York?

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 City of York 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.

Other options in York

Feasibility and design near York

Find out what your garden could become

Free garden plot appraisal. No cost, no obligation, and a straight answer if it won’t work.

Get my free appraisal 0800 088 6248