- Planning authority
- Guildford Borough Council
- Postcodes
- GU1, GU2, GU3, GU4
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 39°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.2 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Surrey
What shapes a plot in Guildford
Sometimes the best scheme in Guildford 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 Guildford and nearby places such as Godalming, Woking and Cobham, and in each case we show the owners how one shared access could serve several homes. Whether Guildford Borough Council would support it depends on the design, the effect on the street and its policies.
How we’d take it forward in Guildford
Here’s how feasibility starts in Guildford. 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.
Your questions, answered for Guildford
Can I get pre-application advice on a garden plot in Guildford?
Usually, yes. Most councils offer pre-application advice, and many charge a fee for it. Guildford 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 Guildford 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.
Is my Guildford 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 Guildford 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 many homes could fit in my garden in Guildford?
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 Guildford 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.
Other options in Guildford
- Garden plot option agreement
- Build a new home in your garden
- Corner and side plots
- Planning permission for a garden plot
- Planning promotion for your garden plot
- Combine gardens with your neighbours