- Planning authority
- Bristol City Council
- Postcodes
- BS7
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 39°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.3 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Bristol
The local picture in Horfield
Every application for a new home in a Horfield back garden is decided by Bristol City Council, which weighs it against the council’s Local Plan, national policy and any local design guidance it has adopted. Those documents often set out separation distances, minimum garden sizes and how homes behind the street should relate to it.
We read the relevant policies for your address before suggesting a layout, and where it helps we ask the council for pre-application advice. That way the scheme you see reflects what is likely to be acceptable locally, not a generic drawing.
The next steps, locally
Here’s what happens after you get in touch about a garden in Horfield. We look at maps, the title plan and nearby planning history, then call you to talk it through. If the plot looks viable we visit, measure up and check access, levels and trees. You then get a plain summary of what could fit and the routes open to you, with no obligation to take any of them.
Free plot appraisal
We look at your garden using maps, the title plan and the planning history around you, then talk it through with you. If it looks workable we arrange a site visit. There’s no cost and no obligation.
Choose your route
You decide whether to sell the plot outright, sell subject to planning, grant an option, team up with neighbours, or keep the land and have us design, get planning for and build a home on it.
Planning application
We prepare the drawings and reports, usually take pre-application advice, and submit. The council consults neighbours and decides. Small schemes often take a few months from submission, longer if surveys or amendments are needed.
Sale or build
If you sell, your solicitor handles the transfer of part and your lender’s release of the plot. If you build, we give a written quote after design and survey, then build and hand over the new home.
Worth checking early
- Neighbours are consulted and may object. The council decides, and a carefully designed scheme can still be refused.
- A covenant, a mortgage, a public sewer or a protected tree can slow a scheme down or stop it altogether.
- A shorter garden changes how your own house feels to live in and may affect what it is worth.
Horfield: questions to ask
Can I sell the end of my garden in Horfield and keep my house?
Yes. The plot is sold as a transfer of part and gets its own title at HM Land Registry. If your house is mortgaged, your lender must agree to release the plot. We can buy suitable plots with or without planning, always subject to survey, title and contract.
How long does planning take for a garden home in Horfield?
It varies. Small schemes often take a few months from submission to decision, and longer if surveys, amendments or extra consultation are needed. Pre-application advice and early surveys add time at the start but can save time later. We won’t promise a date, because the council sets the pace.
Does it cost anything to have my Horfield garden looked at?
No. The garden plot appraisal is free and carries no obligation. It starts with a desktop check and a conversation, and we arrange a site visit if your garden looks viable. You only commit to anything once you’ve chosen a route and seen the terms in writing.
How do I find out if my Horfield garden is big enough for a house?
Ask for a free garden plot appraisal. We measure depth and the width of the way in, check what lies behind, look at levels, trees and drainage, and compare your garden with your council’s separation and garden-size guidance. Size alone rarely settles it, because access and neighbours’ privacy matter just as much.
Other options in Horfield
- Planning permission for a garden plot
- Sell part of your garden
- Garage courts and yards
- Corner and side plots
- Sell subject to planning
- Planning promotion for your garden plot