- Planning authority
- Dacorum Borough Council
- Postcodes
- HP4
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 38°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.3 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Hertfordshire
Before you decide in Berkhamsted
A bungalow plot in Berkhamsted can work well as a home for family, a smaller home for yourself, or a sale to fund a move elsewhere, perhaps towards Chesham, Hemel Hempstead and Rickmansworth or further afield. Each of those suits a different route, and the right one depends on how involved you want to be.
Whatever you choose, Dacorum Borough Council will judge the scheme on its effect on neighbours and the street rather than on who it is for. The design has to stand on its own against the council’s Local Plan, which is why we test it properly before any application goes in.
The next steps, locally
Tell us roughly where your Berkhamsted bungalow is and how the plot is laid out. We check the title plan, the planning history nearby and the street from the desk, then talk through what you want from the land. If it looks viable, we visit, measure and sketch the options for you to consider, with no cost and no obligation at any point.
Free plot appraisal
We look at the plot’s width and depth, the access, the planning history nearby and the character of the street, then talk through what you want. It’s free, with no obligation, and a site visit follows if it looks viable.
Compare the options
We sketch what could realistically fit: a home behind, a home beside, or a replacement scheme. You see the trade-offs for each, including what happens to your own garden and parking, before choosing a route.
Choose your route
You can sell a plot and stay put, sell subject to planning, grant an option, enter a joint venture, or keep the land and have us design, get planning for and build a new home on it.
Planning application
We prepare drawings and reports designed around single-storey neighbours and the street scene, usually seek pre-application advice, and submit. The council consults neighbours and makes the decision.
Worth checking early
- Covenants on older estates can limit building, and resolving one takes time and may cost money.
- A two-storey home on a road of bungalows is often resisted, so designs may need to stay low.
- Filling the gap beside a bungalow can change the look of the street, which councils weigh carefully.
Berkhamsted: questions to ask
Can I build a second home on my bungalow plot in Berkhamsted?
Possibly, if the plot is wide or deep enough and has a workable way in. The new home needs planning permission from Dacorum Borough Council, which will look at the street scene, neighbours’ privacy and light, garden space and parking. A free appraisal tells you what is realistic.
Is it worth replacing my bungalow in Berkhamsted with more homes?
Sometimes, where the plot is large and the bungalow is dated or poorly placed. Replacement can fit more homes than building behind, but you would need to move out during the work. We compare both approaches for your plot during the appraisal.
Will neighbours in Berkhamsted be able to object to a new home next to my bungalow?
They can comment on the planning application, and Dacorum Borough Council takes their views into account. They don’t have a veto. Designs that avoid overlooking and shadow usually draw fewer and weaker objections.
Do I need to sell my Berkhamsted bungalow to develop the plot?
No. You can keep the bungalow and sell a plot, have us build on the land for you, or enter a joint venture. Replacing the bungalow is only one of several options, and staying put is often simpler.
Other options in Berkhamsted
- Sell part of your garden
- Tandem and landlocked plots
- Plot feasibility and design
- Build a new home in your garden
- Build a home for family in your garden
- Sell subject to planning