- Planning authority
- Mole Valley District Council
- Postcodes
- KT18, KT21, KT22, KT23
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 39°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.2 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Surrey
What the council will look at in Leatherhead
A measured survey in Leatherhead records the plot exactly: boundaries, levels, trees, drains, and the positions and heights of neighbouring windows. It is the base for everything else. From it we can plot the shadow a two-storey eaves line would cast, roughly 6.2 m at noon on 21 March when the sun is near 39° here, and the distances between the new home and the houses around it. Mole Valley District Council will expect the application drawings to be accurate to a survey like this.
How we’d take it forward in Leatherhead
The next step is a free appraisal of your Leatherhead 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.
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.
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.
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 feasibility study can end in a no; finding that out early costs far less than a refused application.
- Title problems such as covenants, ransom strips or missing rights of way can take time and money to resolve.
- A capacity figure is not a value; what a plot is worth depends on location, size, access and planning.
Leatherhead: questions to ask
Do I have to use you for planning after a feasibility study in Leatherhead?
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.
Can you check the title deeds on my Leatherhead property?
Yes. We obtain the title register and title plan from HM Land Registry and read them for restrictive covenants, rights of way, easements and any mortgage charge. If something needs a legal opinion, we flag it so your solicitor can advise. Title issues are far better found during feasibility than halfway through a planning application or a sale.
How do I know if my garden in Leatherhead 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.
Is my Leatherhead 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 Mole Valley 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.
Other options in Leatherhead
- Planning promotion for your garden plot
- Sell subject to planning
- Corner and side plots
- Planning permission for a garden plot
- Combine gardens with your neighbours
- Build a home for family in your garden