Building on a corner plot or side garden in Hillingdon

A wide side garden or double driveway beside a Hillingdon house is one of the more straightforward places to add a home, because the new house can line up with its neighbours and have its own drive. It still needs planning permission, and the London Borough of Hillingdon will judge how it sits in the street.

Our free appraisal looks at width, the gaps between houses, side windows, parking and what lies under the ground. Then we explain both routes in plain terms: selling the land while you stay put, or keeping it and having a new home designed and built for you.

New detached brick house on a corner plot beside an older semi-detached house
Planning authority
London Borough of Hillingdon
Postcodes
HA4, UB3, UB4, UB8, UB10
Noon sun, 21 March
About 38°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 6.3 m
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
Greater London

What the council will look at in Hillingdon

A new home beside yours affects light to your side windows and your neighbour’s. Around the spring equinox, the noon sun over Hillingdon climbs to roughly 38°, and a 5 m eaves line then casts a shadow close to 6.3 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.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in Hillingdon: about 38 degrees on 21 March and 15 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 38°, shadow 6.3 m21 Dec, noon: sun 15°, shadow 18.6 mExistingNew home
This section is worked out for the latitude of Hillingdon: 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.

The next steps, locally

Give us your Hillingdon address and a sense of what you’re hoping for. Our desktop review covers the policies the London Borough of Hillingdon works to, recent applications on nearby side and corner plots, and anything in your title that might restrict building. A clear result leads to a visit when it suits you, after which we explain each route and what it would mean in practice.

  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

  • The council decides, and neighbours are consulted; a sensible design can still be refused or need changes.
  • Corners kept open by design can be harder to build on than they look; character can matter more than space.
  • 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 Hillingdon

Can I build a house on my corner plot in Hillingdon?

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 the London Borough of Hillingdon decides. Our free appraisal tells you whether your corner is worth taking further.

Is my Hillingdon side garden wide enough for a new house?

It depends on how wide homes are in your street, the gaps between them, whether the new home would be attached or detached and what the council’s design guidance says. There’s no single minimum width. We measure your plot and the street as part of a free appraisal.

Will a new drive near the corner be allowed in Hillingdon?

Only if drivers would have a clear enough view of the road and the junction stays safe. The highway authority comments on this and controls new dropped kerbs. Drives very close to a corner are often resisted, so we check the position on site before designing.

Is there a fee for checking my side plot in Hillingdon?

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.

Other options in Hillingdon

Corner and side plots near Hillingdon

Find out what your garden could become

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