Corner plots and side gardens in Nottinghamshire

Some of the simplest new-home sites in Nottinghamshire sit right beside an existing house: a wide side garden, a double driveway, or the long flank of a corner plot running along a second road. A home there can line up with the street rather than hide behind it.

Backland Development started recently as part of the S&K Group to help owners put land like this to use. A free appraisal shows whether your side or corner plot could take a home. After that, you decide: sell it and stay in your house, or keep it and have the home designed and built for you.

New detached brick house on a corner plot beside an older semi-detached house
Nation
England
National planning policy
NPPF
Planning authorities
8
City
Nottingham

How councils in Nottinghamshire look at it

Side plots in Nottinghamshire often hide services. Drains, gas pipes and cables tend to run down the side of houses, and a public sewer under the plot may need a build-over agreement with the water company. New homes also need a drainage plan the council will want to see, and wildlife on the plot has to be considered under biodiversity net gain rules. These checks rarely stop a good side plot, but they can shape where the new home sits and how close it comes to your house.

Planning authorities covering Nottinghamshire include Ashfield District Council, Bassetlaw District Council, Broxtowe Borough Council, Gedling Borough Council, Mansfield District Council, Newark and Sherwood District Council, Nottingham City Council, Rushcliffe Borough Council.

How it works

  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. 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.

  4. 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.

  5. 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 Nottinghamshire

Questions about corner and side plots in Nottinghamshire

Will you build on my corner plot in Nottinghamshire 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.

What design rules apply to side plot homes in Nottinghamshire?

National policy, the NPPF, sets the broad tests, and each council adds its own plan and design guidance. Expect questions on building lines, spacing, roof height, materials, parking, bins and light to neighbouring windows. The detail varies by council, so we always check locally.

Are corner plots easier to develop than back gardens in Nottinghamshire?

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.

How long does planning take for a garden plot in Nottinghamshire?

The council usually has eight weeks from validation to decide a small application, though extensions are often agreed, and the whole process takes longer. Surveys, design work, pre-application advice and amendments all add time, and some ecology surveys can only be done at certain times of year. We’ll give you a realistic timetable for your plot rather than a promise.

Other options in Nottinghamshire

Everything we cover in Nottinghamshire

Find out what your garden could become

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