- Planning authority
- Swale Borough Council
- Postcodes
- ME9, ME10
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 39°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.3 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Kent
Sittingbourne: light, access and policy
A new home beside yours affects light to your side windows and your neighbour’s. Around the spring equinox, the noon sun over Sittingbourne climbs to roughly 39°, and a 5 m eaves line then casts a shadow close to 6.3 m long. By December the midday sun reaches only about 15°, so the same wall shades far more ground.
On a side plot that shadow may fall across your own flank wall or the neighbour’s garden. We model it for your actual plot, and adjust the footprint, roof shape or gap at the side so the new home doesn’t take more light than it should.
What happens next in Sittingbourne
You stay in control after the appraisal. Selling means heads of terms in writing, read by your solicitor, before anything is signed. Building means survey and design ahead of a written quote. Whichever you choose, Swale Borough Council receives the application and asks your neighbours for comments, and a decision on a single home often takes a few months, longer if the design needs amending.
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.
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.
Worth checking early
- 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.
- The council decides, and neighbours are consulted; a sensible design can still be refused or need changes.
Questions about garden plots in Sittingbourne
Can I attach a new home to my house in Sittingbourne?
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.
Is there a fee for checking my side plot in Sittingbourne?
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 Sittingbourne?
The planning decision belongs to Swale 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.
Will a new drive near the corner be allowed in Sittingbourne?
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 Sittingbourne
- Sell subject to planning
- Combine gardens with your neighbours
- Bungalows on large plots
- Large rear gardens
- Planning permission for a garden plot
- Garden plot option agreement