- Planning authority
- Dartford Borough Council
- Postcodes
- DA3
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 39°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.3 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Kent
Longfield: light, access and policy
Light is a real test on side plots because the new home sits so close to existing ones. In midwinter the noon sun in Longfield is only around 15° above the horizon, so even a modest roof can shade a neighbour’s side windows or garden for long periods.
Councils, including Dartford Borough Council, look at daylight and sunlight to existing homes when deciding applications. A lower eaves line, a hipped roof or a slightly wider gap at the side can make the difference, and we test those options before the drawings are finalised.
What happens next in Longfield
An enquiry about a side plot in Longfield 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.
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.
Worth checking early
- Attaching a home to yours brings party wall, fire and sound separation work, and changes the feel of your own house.
- 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.
Longfield: questions to ask
Is there a fee for checking my side plot in Longfield?
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.
Which body approves a new home on a side plot in Longfield?
The planning decision belongs to Dartford 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.
Can you build a home beside my house in Longfield for my family?
Yes. A home next door can give a parent or grown-up child their own front door while keeping them close. You keep the land; we draw the house, apply for permission, build it and arrange the structural warranty or other cover lenders accept. The written quote comes after design and survey.
Can I attach a new home to my house in Longfield?
Yes, where it suits the street, for example on the end of a semi-detached pair. It needs planning permission as a separate home, fire and sound separation under Building Regulations, and possibly a party wall agreement. We check whether attached or detached fits your road better.
Other options in Longfield
- Sell part of your garden
- Bungalows on large plots
- Tandem and landlocked plots
- Garage courts and yards
- Build a new home in your garden
- Large rear gardens