Building on a corner plot or side garden in Hemel Hempstead

A wide side garden or double driveway beside a Hemel Hempstead 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 Dacorum Borough Council 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
Dacorum Borough Council
Postcodes
HP1, HP2, HP3, WD4
Noon sun, 21 March
About 38°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 6.3 m
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
Hertfordshire

The local picture in Hemel Hempstead

Streets vary a great deal, in HP1, HP2, HP3 and WD4 as elsewhere. Some have semi-detached pairs where a home attached to the end of a pair would look natural; others have detached houses with generous gaps that the council will want kept. The right answer for your plot depends on what your street looks like.

If you live near Hemel Hempstead, in places such as Berkhamsted, St Albans and Harpenden, the same thinking applies. We photograph and measure the street, then test which options respect it before you commit to anything.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in Hemel Hempstead: 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 18.9 mExistingNew home
Noon sun in Hemel Hempstead on 21 March sits about 38° above the horizon, so a typical two-storey eaves line (about 5 m) throws a shadow of roughly 6.3 m. In December the sun is only about 15° up and shadows stretch much further. Drawn for a garden facing north, where it matters most.

What happens next in Hemel Hempstead

After you contact us about a side or corner plot in Hemel Hempstead, we start with a desktop check: maps, the title plan, street views and nearby planning history. We then call to talk through what you want. If the plot looks viable, we visit, measure the street and check the drive position. You get a plain summary of the options, with no obligation.

  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. 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

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

Questions about garden plots in Hemel Hempstead

Will a new drive near the corner be allowed in Hemel Hempstead?

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.

Which body approves a new home on a side plot in Hemel Hempstead?

The planning decision belongs to Dacorum Borough 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.

Could I sell just my side garden in Hemel Hempstead 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.

Is there a fee for checking my side plot in Hemel Hempstead?

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 Hemel Hempstead

Corner and side plots near Hemel Hempstead

Find out what your garden could become

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