- Planning authority
- St Albans City and District Council
- Postcodes
- AL1, AL2, AL3, AL4
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 38°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.3 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Hertfordshire
What shapes a plot in St Albans
A bungalow plot in St Albans can work well as a home for family, a smaller home for yourself, or a sale to fund a move elsewhere, perhaps towards Harpenden, Hatfield and Hemel Hempstead 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, St Albans City and District 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.
From first call to decision
Once you’ve chosen a route, we prepare the planning case for St Albans City and District Council, usually starting with pre-application advice. Neighbours are consulted when the application goes in, we answer any queries from the planning officer, and the council decides. If you’re selling, your solicitor handles the transfer; if we’re building, you receive a written quote after design and survey, before any construction is agreed.
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.
Sale or build
If you sell, your solicitor handles the transfer and any lender release. If we build, you receive a written quote after design and survey, and the new home is built and handed over to you.
Worth checking early
- A two-storey home on a road of bungalows is often resisted, so designs may need to stay low.
- Replacing the bungalow means moving out during demolition and building, which suits some owners and not others.
- Filling the gap beside a bungalow can change the look of the street, which councils weigh carefully.
Questions about garden plots in St Albans
Can I build a second home on my bungalow plot in St Albans?
Possibly, if the plot is wide or deep enough and has a workable way in. The new home needs planning permission from St Albans City and District Council, which will look at the street scene, neighbours’ privacy and light, garden space and parking. A free appraisal tells you what is realistic.
Will neighbours in St Albans be able to object to a new home next to my bungalow?
They can comment on the planning application, and St Albans City and District Council takes their views into account. They don’t have a veto. Designs that avoid overlooking and shadow usually draw fewer and weaker objections.
Could I build a home for a relative on my bungalow plot in St Albans?
Yes, through our design and build route. You keep the land, and we design, get planning for and build the new home. A separate home needs planning permission; an annexe used as part of the main house is treated differently.
Do I need to sell my St Albans 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 St Albans
- Garage courts and yards
- Large rear gardens
- Joint venture on your garden plot
- Build a home for family in your garden
- Sell part of your garden
- Build a new home in your garden