Backland Development
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Garden plot feasibility and design in Didcot

Not every garden in Didcot that looks big enough will make a building plot, and not every awkward one is hopeless. What counts is how the plot is reached, what the title says, how close the neighbours’ windows are and what South Oxfordshire District Council will accept.

We test each of those in turn, then work out how many homes, of what size and height, could sit comfortably on the land. You see the evidence behind every conclusion, from measured distances to the policy wording that applies. The first appraisal is free, and anything beyond it carries a fixed written fee agreed with you in advance.

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Surveyor in a hi-vis vest taking GPS measurements in a long suburban back garden
Planning authority
South Oxfordshire District Council
Postcodes
OX11
Noon sun, 21 March
About 38°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 6.3 m
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
Oxfordshire

Before you decide in Didcot

Daylight is one of the first things South Oxfordshire District Council will test on a garden scheme, so we test it first too. At midday on 21 March the sun over Didcot sits about 38° above the horizon, and a typical two-storey eaves line around 5 m high throws a shadow of roughly 6.3 m. In late December the noon sun reaches only about 15°, 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 Didcot: about 38 degrees on 21 March and 15 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 38°, shadow 6.3 m21 Dec, noon: sun 15°, shadow 18.7 mExistingNew home
This section is worked out for the latitude of Didcot: around 38° of sun at midday in late March and about 15° at midwinter. It shows why the gap between your house and a new home behind it is about light as well as privacy. Garden assumed to face north.

How we’d take it forward in Didcot

The next step is a free appraisal of your Didcot 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.

  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

  • 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.
  • A feasibility study can end in a no; finding that out early costs far less than a refused application.

Your questions, answered for Didcot

Is my Didcot 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 South Oxfordshire District 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 Didcot?

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 do I know if my garden in Didcot 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 many homes could fit in my garden in Didcot?

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 South Oxfordshire District 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 Didcot

Feasibility and design near Didcot

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