- Planning authority
- Elmbridge Borough Council
- Postcodes
- KT10
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 39°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.3 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Surrey
The local picture in Esher
Take a walk round the junctions near you, in Esher and in East Molesey, Walton-on-Thames and Sunbury-on-Thames. Side gardens that already have a house on them show the kind of thing the council has accepted before, although each new application stands on its own and is judged under today’s policy. A corner that is still open will draw closer attention.
Those local tests are written into the council’s Local Plan and any design guidance Elmbridge Borough Council has adopted. Reading both before we draw means the scheme already answers the points an officer is likely to raise.
How we’d take it forward in Esher
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, Elmbridge 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.
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
- The council decides, and neighbours are consulted; a sensible design can still be refused or need changes.
- A new drive close to a junction may not be acceptable to the highway authority, which can force a different layout.
- Losing a side garden or drive changes how your house works day to day, from parking to getting bins round the back.
Your questions, answered for Esher
Could I sell just my side garden in Esher 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.
Can I attach a new home to my house in Esher?
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 Esher?
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.
Is my Esher 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.
Other options in Esher
- Large rear gardens
- Garage courts and yards
- Sell part of your garden
- Build a home for family in your garden
- Build a new home in your garden
- Combine gardens with your neighbours