Building on a corner plot or side garden in Shoreham-by-Sea

A wide side garden or double driveway beside a Shoreham-by-Sea house is one of the more straightforward places to add a home, because the new house can line up with its neighbours and have its own drive. It still needs planning permission, and Adur District Council will judge how it sits in the street.

Our free appraisal looks at width, the gaps between houses, side windows, parking and what lies under the ground. Then we explain both routes in plain terms: selling the land while you stay put, or keeping it and having a new home designed and built for you.

New detached brick house on a corner plot beside an older semi-detached house
Planning authority
Adur District Council
Postcodes
BN42, BN43
Noon sun, 21 March
About 39°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 6.1 m
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
West Sussex

Shoreham-by-Sea: light, access and policy

Streets vary a great deal, in BN42 and BN43 as elsewhere. Some have semi-detached pairs where a home attached to the end of a pair would look natural; others have detached houses with generous gaps that the council will want kept. The right answer for your plot depends on what your street looks like.

If you live near Shoreham-by-Sea, in places such as Lancing, Worthing and Hove, the same thinking applies. We photograph and measure the street, then test which options respect it before you commit to anything.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in Shoreham-by-Sea: about 39 degrees on 21 March and 16 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 39°, shadow 6.1 m21 Dec, noon: sun 16°, shadow 17.8 mExistingNew home
This section is worked out for the latitude of Shoreham-by-Sea: around 39° of sun at midday in late March and about 16° at midwinter. It shows why the gap between your house and a new home behind it is about light as well as privacy. Garden assumed to face north.

From first call to decision

Give us your Shoreham-by-Sea address and a sense of what you’re hoping for. Our desktop review covers the policies Adur District Council works to, recent applications on nearby side and corner plots, and anything in your title that might restrict building. A clear result leads to a visit when it suits you, after which we explain each route and what it would mean in practice.

  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. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.
  • Losing a side garden or drive changes how your house works day to day, from parking to getting bins round the back.
  • Attaching a home to yours brings party wall, fire and sound separation work, and changes the feel of your own house.

Your questions, answered for Shoreham-by-Sea

Which body approves a new home on a side plot in Shoreham-by-Sea?

The planning decision belongs to Adur District 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.

Is my Shoreham-by-Sea 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.

Is there a fee for checking my side plot in Shoreham-by-Sea?

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.

Can I attach a new home to my house in Shoreham-by-Sea?

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 Shoreham-by-Sea

Corner and side plots near Shoreham-by-Sea

Find out what your garden could become

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