- Planning authority
- North Devon Council
- Postcodes
- EX31
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 39°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.2 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Devon
How it plays out in Barnstaple
A new home beside yours affects light to your side windows and your neighbour’s. Around the spring equinox, the noon sun over Barnstaple climbs to roughly 39°, and a 5 m eaves line then casts a shadow close to 6.2 m long. By December the midday sun reaches only about 15°, so the same wall shades far more ground.
On a side plot that shadow may fall across your own flank wall or the neighbour’s garden. We model it for your actual plot, and adjust the footprint, roof shape or gap at the side so the new home doesn’t take more light than it should.
The next steps, locally
An enquiry about a side plot in Barnstaple can begin with a quick call and a couple of photos of the side of your house and the street. We follow up with a desktop appraisal and, if it’s promising, a site visit. If you sell, heads of terms come next and your solicitor takes over. If you build, we move to survey and design, then a written quote.
Free plot appraisal
We look at your plot on maps, the title plan and street views, check planning history nearby and talk it through with you. If a home beside yours looks possible we visit. No cost, no obligation.
Read the street
We measure the plot and record the building line, the gaps between houses, roof heights, materials and boundary walls, then check where a new drive could go and what drivers would be able to see from it.
Design and planning
We draw a home that sits in the street rather than fighting it, usually take pre-application advice, and submit the application. The council consults neighbours and decides; small schemes often take a few months.
Sale or build
For a sale, your solicitor handles the transfer of part and any release from your lender. For a build, a written quote follows design and survey, then we build, arrange the warranty and hand over.
Worth checking early
- The council decides, and neighbours are consulted; a sensible design can still be refused or need changes.
- Losing a side garden or drive changes how your house works day to day, from parking to getting bins round the back.
- A new drive close to a junction may not be acceptable to the highway authority, which can force a different layout.
Questions about garden plots in Barnstaple
Can I build a house on my corner plot in Barnstaple?
Possibly, if a new home would respect the building lines, keep the corner feeling open enough and allow safe visibility for drivers. It needs planning permission, and North Devon Council decides. Our free appraisal tells you whether your corner is worth taking further.
Which body approves a new home on a side plot in Barnstaple?
The planning decision belongs to North Devon Council. It checks the proposal against the council’s Local Plan, national policy and its own design guidance, and asks neighbours and the highway authority for their views first. Our role is to prepare and submit a strong application; approval or refusal is the council’s call alone.
Can I attach a new home to my house in Barnstaple?
Yes, where it suits the street, for example on the end of a semi-detached pair. It needs planning permission as a separate home, fire and sound separation under Building Regulations, and possibly a party wall agreement. We check whether attached or detached fits your road better.
Can you build a home beside my house in Barnstaple for my family?
Yes. A home next door can give a parent or grown-up child their own front door while keeping them close. You keep the land; we draw the house, apply for permission, build it and arrange the structural warranty or other cover lenders accept. The written quote comes after design and survey.
Other options in Barnstaple
- Planning promotion for your garden plot
- Large rear gardens
- Sell subject to planning
- Combine gardens with your neighbours
- Plot feasibility and design
- Tandem and landlocked plots