- Planning authority
- North Hertfordshire District Council
- Postcodes
- SG4, SG5
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 38°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.4 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Hertfordshire
What the council will look at in Hitchin
Streets vary a great deal, in SG4 and SG5 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 Hitchin, in places such as Letchworth Garden City, Stevenage and Harpenden, the same thinking applies. We photograph and measure the street, then test which options respect it before you commit to anything.
How we’d take it forward in Hitchin
After you contact us about a side or corner plot in Hitchin, 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.
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.
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.
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.
- A new drive close to a junction may not be acceptable to the highway authority, which can force a different layout.
- Attaching a home to yours brings party wall, fire and sound separation work, and changes the feel of your own house.
Your questions, answered for Hitchin
Can I build a house on my corner plot in Hitchin?
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 Hertfordshire District Council decides. Our free appraisal tells you whether your corner is worth taking further.
Is my Hitchin 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.
Could I sell just my side garden in Hitchin 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 Hitchin?
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.
Other options in Hitchin
- Planning permission for a garden plot
- Bungalows on large plots
- Build a new home in your garden
- Large rear gardens
- Combine gardens with your neighbours
- Sell part of your garden