Building on a corner plot or side garden in St Davids

Some homeowners only realise their side garden might be a building plot when a neighbour builds on theirs. Whether yours in St Davids could follow depends on its width, how houses are spaced along the road and whether a new drive would be safe, not just on how much spare land you have.

We look at all of that for free. If the plot works, you might sell it outright, sell it subject to planning or grant an option. Or you might keep it and have a home built, perhaps for a relative who wants to live next door rather than with you.

New detached brick house on a corner plot beside an older semi-detached house
Planning authority
Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority
Postcodes
SA62
Noon sun, 21 March
About 38°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 6.4 m
Planning plan
LDP
County
Dyfed

What shapes a plot in St Davids

For a corner or side plot in St Davids, the decision rests with Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority. Its starting point is the council’s Local Development Plan (LDP), read alongside national policy and any design guidance it has adopted, which usually covers how a new home should line up with, space itself from and match the height of the houses around it.

Our designs begin with those documents rather than a standard house type. Where it helps, we seek pre-application advice, so the home we propose answers local expectations before an application goes in.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in St Davids: about 38 degrees on 21 March and 15 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 38°, shadow 6.4 m21 Dec, noon: sun 15°, shadow 19.1 mExistingNew home
This section is worked out for the latitude of St Davids: around 38° 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.

From first call to decision

You stay in control after the appraisal. Selling means heads of terms in writing, read by your solicitor, before anything is signed. Building means survey and design ahead of a written quote. Whichever you choose, Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority receives the application and asks your neighbours for comments, and a decision on a single home often takes a few months, longer if the design needs amending.

  1. 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.

  2. Choose your route

    Sell the plot outright, sell it subject to planning, or grant an option while you keep your house. Or keep the land and have us design, get planning for and build a new home on it.

  3. 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.

  4. 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

  • A new drive close to a junction may not be acceptable to the highway authority, which can force a different layout.
  • Losing a side garden or drive changes how your house works day to day, from parking to getting bins round the back.
  • Corners kept open by design can be harder to build on than they look; character can matter more than space.

Your questions, answered for St Davids

Could I sell just my side garden in St Davids and stay put?

Yes. Legally it’s a transfer of part: HM Land Registry gives the side plot a title of its own, while your house keeps the rest. A mortgage lender has to consent to releasing the plot from its charge. Where the plot suits, we buy with or without planning, subject to survey, title and contract.

Can I attach a new home to my house in St Davids?

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.

Is there a fee for checking my side plot in St Davids?

There’s no fee. The appraisal is free and you’re under no obligation. We work from maps, the title and a phone call first, and only visit if the plot seems worth it. Nothing binds you until you’ve picked a route and read the written terms.

Which body approves a new home on a side plot in St Davids?

The planning decision belongs to Pembrokeshire Coast National Park Authority. It checks the proposal against the council’s Local Development Plan (LDP), 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.

Other options in St Davids

Corner and side plots near St Davids

Find out what your garden could become

Free garden plot appraisal. No cost, no obligation, and a straight answer if it won’t work.