- Planning authority
- Redditch Borough Council
- Postcodes
- B97
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 38°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.5 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Worcestershire
How it plays out in Redditch
Daylight is one of the first things Redditch Borough Council will test on a garden scheme, so we test it first too. At midday on 21 March the sun over Redditch sits about 38° above the horizon, and a typical two-storey eaves line around 5 m high throws a shadow of roughly 6.5 m. In late December the noon sun reaches only about 14°, 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.
How we’d take it forward in Redditch
The next step is a free appraisal of your Redditch 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
- Title problems such as covenants, ransom strips or missing rights of way can take time and money to resolve.
- 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.
Redditch: questions to ask
Can you check the title deeds on my Redditch 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 Redditch 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 Redditch?
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 Redditch 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.
Is my Redditch 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 Redditch 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.
Other options in Redditch
- Garage courts and yards
- Large rear gardens
- Bungalows on large plots
- Planning promotion for your garden plot
- Garden plot option agreement
- Joint venture on your garden plot