- Nation
- England
- National planning policy
- NPPF
- Planning authorities
- 13
- City
- Canterbury
Before you start in Kent
Covenants are common on estate corner plots, in Kent as elsewhere. Some were written to keep corners open or limit each plot to one house, and they still bind the land today unless released or modified. Options include indemnity insurance, agreement with whoever benefits, or an application to the Upper Tribunal (Lands Chamber). Your lender must also agree to release the plot. We read the title documents during the appraisal, so you know about any restriction before paying for designs.
Planning authorities covering Kent include Ashford Borough Council, Canterbury City Council, Dartford Borough Council, Dover District Council, Folkestone and Hythe District Council, Gravesham Borough Council, Maidstone Borough Council, Medway Council, Sevenoaks District Council, Swale Borough Council, Thanet District Council, Tonbridge and Malling Borough Council, Tunbridge Wells Borough Council.
How it works
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.
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.
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.
Corner and side plots in towns across Kent
- Maidstone
- Gillingham
- Chatham
- Tunbridge Wells
- Folkestone
- Margate
- Ashford, Kent
- Canterbury
- Sittingbourne
- Gravesend
- Dartford
- Ramsgate
- Dover
- Tonbridge
- Strood
- Whitstable
- Deal
- Sevenoaks
- Rochester
- Herne Bay
- Broadstairs
- Faversham
- Swanley
- Longfield
- Swanscombe
Questions about corner and side plots in Kent
Will you build on my corner plot in Kent if I keep the land?
Yes. Owners who keep their land can hand us the whole project: designing the home, applying for permission, building it and arranging the 10-year structural warranty that mortgage lenders generally look for. You’d keep, let or sell it. Expect a written quote once design and survey are done; guide prices are only guides.
Are corner plots easier to develop than back gardens in Kent?
Often, because a new home on a corner or side plot usually has its own frontage and drive. But the council will look closely at the street scene, the building line and visibility at the junction. Some corners were designed to stay open, and that can count against a new home.
Do you assess corner and side plots in Kent?
Yes, anywhere in Kent; we cover the whole of England and Wales. A few photos of the side of your house and the street, plus your address, are enough for us to run a free desktop check and tell you whether a visit makes sense.
Which national rules apply to a new home in Kent?
Garden schemes here sit under the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF), with the local detail coming from the council’s Local Plan. New homes must also meet the Building Regulations. That affects things such as fire engine access (or other measures, often sprinklers, agreed with building control and the fire service where a fire engine can’t get close enough). On drainage you’ll usually need a drainage plan the council will want to see, and land purchases fall under Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT). We check which rules apply to your plot as part of the free appraisal.