Backland Development
0800 088 6248Free to call Free plot appraisal

Planning permission for a garden plot in Bexley

If you have already had a garden application refused in Bexley, a fresh look can help. We read the decision notice and officer’s report, check them against local policy and the plot itself, and tell you plainly whether a revised scheme, an appeal or stepping back makes most sense.

For new applications the approach is the same, just earlier: identify the issues that decide garden schemes locally and deal with them in the design before anything is submitted. Permission is always the council’s decision, but a well-prepared application gives it the clearest basis to make one.

Get a free appraisalCheck my garden
Architect’s desk with a site plan, floor plan, sections and elevations for a small new house
Planning authority
London Borough of Bexley
Postcodes
DA5, DA6, DA7, DA8, DA15
Noon sun, 21 March
About 39°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 6.3 m
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
Greater London

Before you decide in Bexley

Every application the London Borough of Bexley receives for a Bexley address is tested against the council’s Local Plan. Policies on housing, design, residential amenity, parking and trees will all be relevant to a garden plot, and some councils have specific policies or guidance on garden and backland development.

We read the policies that apply to your address before designing anything, and write the planning statement around them. Where the plan is silent or out of date, national policy carries more weight, and the statement explains how the scheme meets it.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in Bexley: about 39 degrees on 21 March and 15 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 39°, shadow 6.3 m21 Dec, noon: sun 15°, shadow 18.5 mExistingNew home
This section is worked out for the latitude of Bexley: around 39° 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 Bexley

After the free appraisal of your Bexley 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.

  1. 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.

  2. Surveys and design

    A measured survey comes first, followed by the specialist surveys the plot needs, such as trees or ecology. The layout is designed around access, privacy, daylight, parking, bins and garden space for both homes.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

Worth checking early

  • Neighbours have a formal say during consultation, and the council must weigh any planning objections they raise.
  • Permission doesn’t override private rights: covenants, ransom strips, sewer easements and party wall matters still need dealing with separately.
  • Planning is the council’s decision; even a well-prepared application can be refused, and the costs of preparing it aren’t recovered.

Questions about garden plots in Bexley

Who decides planning applications for garden plots in Bexley?

The London Borough of Bexley decides applications for addresses in Bexley. Small applications are usually decided by planning officers under delegated powers, and national and council rules set out when one can go to the planning committee instead. The decision is based on the council’s Local Plan, national policy and other material considerations, including neighbours’ and consultees’ comments.

What if my Bexley 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.

Is pre-application advice available in Bexley?

Most planning authorities, including the London Borough of Bexley, 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.

Can I sell my Bexley garden plot once it has planning permission?

Yes. Planning permission stays with the land, so the plot can be sold with it and the buyer can build the approved scheme, subject to any conditions. The plot will need its own title through a transfer of part at HM Land Registry, and any mortgage lender will need to release it. Take advice from a tax adviser before selling.

Other options in Bexley

Garden plot planning near Bexley

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