Building on a corner plot or side garden in Wigan

Some homeowners only realise their side garden might be a building plot when a neighbour builds on theirs. Whether yours in Wigan 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
Wigan Council
Postcodes
WN1, WN3, WN6
Noon sun, 21 March
About 36°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 6.8 m
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
Greater Manchester

What shapes a plot in Wigan

For a corner or side plot in Wigan, the decision rests with Wigan Council. Its starting point is the council’s Local Plan, 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 Wigan: about 36 degrees on 21 March and 13 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 36°, shadow 6.8 m21 Dec, noon: sun 13°, shadow 21.6 mExistingNew home
Noon sun in Wigan on 21 March sits about 36° above the horizon, so a typical two-storey eaves line (about 5 m) throws a shadow of roughly 6.8 m. In December the sun is only about 13° up and shadows stretch much further. Drawn for a garden facing north, where it matters most.

How we’d take it forward in Wigan

An enquiry about a side plot in Wigan 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.

  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. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.

Worth checking early

  • Losing a side garden or drive changes how your house works day to day, from parking to getting bins round the back.
  • Attaching a home to yours brings party wall, fire and sound separation work, and changes the feel of your own house.
  • The council decides, and neighbours are consulted; a sensible design can still be refused or need changes.

Your questions, answered for Wigan

Could I sell just my side garden in Wigan 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.

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

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 my Wigan 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.

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

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 Wigan

Corner and side plots near Wigan

Find out what your garden could become

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