- Planning authority
- Rutland County Council
- Postcodes
- LE15
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 37°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.5 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Rutland
How it plays out in Uppingham
Every application Rutland County Council receives for a Uppingham 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 Where the plan is silent or out of date, national policy carries more weight, and the statement explains how the scheme meets it.
How we’d take it forward in Uppingham
To start, send us your Uppingham address and a few photos of the garden, or give us a call. We check the title, access, constraints and nearby planning history, then talk it through with you. If the plot looks viable, we visit, explain whether an application is worth making and set out our fee and likely survey costs in writing.
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.
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.
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.
Worth checking early
- Permission doesn’t override private rights: covenants, ransom strips, sewer easements and party wall matters still need dealing with separately.
- Neighbours have a formal say during consultation, and the council must weigh any planning objections they raise.
- Conditions can add cost and work before building starts, such as approved drainage details, tree protection or a construction management plan.
Questions about garden plots in Uppingham
Is pre-application advice available in Uppingham?
Most planning authorities, including Rutland County 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.
Who decides planning applications for garden plots in Uppingham?
Rutland County Council decides applications for addresses in Uppingham. 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.
Does a garden plot application in Uppingham 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.
How close to neighbours can a new home in Uppingham be?
It depends on the council’s guidance and the window layout. Many councils use around 21 metres between facing back windows and around 12 to 15 metres between a back window and a blank side wall, but the guide used by Rutland County Council decides. Screening, levels, roof form and window positions can all change what is acceptable.
Other options in Uppingham
- Build a new home in your garden
- Tandem and landlocked plots
- Sell part of your garden
- Large rear gardens
- Build a home for family in your garden
- Corner and side plots

