- Planning authority
- Basildon Borough Council
- Postcodes
- SS13, SS14, SS15, SS16
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 38°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.3 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Essex
The local picture in Basildon
Overshadowing is a common objection to garden homes, so we answer it with numbers. At noon on 21 March the sun over Basildon is about 38° above the horizon, and the shadow from a 5 m eaves line reaches about 6.3 m; on 21 December the sun rises to only about 15°.
Using those angles, we model shadows across neighbouring gardens and windows and adjust the height, position or roof shape of the new home until the effect is acceptable. Basildon Borough Council can then judge the scheme on evidence rather than impressions.
The next steps, locally
After the free appraisal of your Basildon plot, work begins with a measured survey and any specialist reports. We then design the layout, test it against local guidance, prepare the drawings and statements, and, if worthwhile, seek pre-application advice. Once you’ve approved the scheme, we submit the application and manage it through to a decision.
Free plot appraisal
We review the title plan, access, constraints, policy and planning history around your address, then talk it through with you. If the plot looks viable we visit, and tell you plainly whether an application is worth making.
Pre-application advice
Where policy is tight or the plot unusual, we put a draft scheme to the council’s planners first. Their written response shows which issues to fix before you pay the full application fee.
Submit and manage
We complete the forms, ownership certificate, drawings and statements, pay the fee on your behalf and submit. During consultation we answer officers’ questions, respond to consultees and agree amendments where they help.
Decision and next steps
If permission is granted, we explain every condition and what must happen before work starts. If it’s refused, we review the reasons with you and set out the options: amend and resubmit, appeal, or stop.
Worth checking early
- Conditions can add cost and work before building starts, such as approved drainage details, tree protection or a construction management plan.
- Specialist surveys can be needed at short notice when a consultee raises an issue, adding cost and time.
- Neighbours have a formal say during consultation, and the council must weigh any planning objections they raise.
Basildon: questions to ask
Is pre-application advice available in Basildon?
Most planning authorities, including Basildon Borough Council, offer pre-application advice, usually for a fee, with their own response times. It isn’t compulsory and doesn’t bind the final decision, but for a garden plot with a tight access, strict policy or an earlier refusal, it can show which issues to resolve before you apply formally.
What documents are needed for a garden plot application in Basildon?
Basildon Borough Council publishes a local validation list, as every council does. Typically you need the forms, a location plan with the site and access edged in red, a site plan, floor plans, elevations, an ownership certificate and the fee, plus reports the plot calls for, such as trees, ecology, drainage and access. We prepare to the list for your address.
What if my Basildon garden application is refused?
You can submit a revised application that addresses the reasons for refusal, appeal within 6 months of the decision date, or decide not to go further. Appeals go to the Planning Inspectorate in England or Planning and Environment Decisions Wales. We review the refusal and the officer’s report with you before recommending a route.
Does a garden plot application in Basildon need a tree survey?
Often, yes. If trees on or near the plot could be affected, councils usually expect a tree survey showing root protection areas and how they’ll be protected during building. Trees with a Tree Preservation Order, or in a conservation area, need consent or notice before any work, and can shape where the house and drive go.
Other options in Basildon
- Combine gardens with your neighbours
- Build a home for family in your garden
- Bungalows on large plots
- Garage courts and yards
- Build a new home in your garden
- Sell subject to planning