Backland Development
0800 088 6248Free to call Free plot appraisal

Building in a large rear garden in Stockwood

There are two broad ways to use spare land at the back of a house in Stockwood. The first is to sell it: outright, subject to planning, through an option, or alongside your neighbours. The second is to keep it and have a new home designed, approved and built on it for you.

Which suits you depends on how much risk and involvement you want, and on what the plot can realistically take. A single bungalow, a two-storey home, or a pair sharing one drive across two gardens are all possible on the right site. We look at yours first, free of charge, and explain the trade-offs.

Get a free appraisalCheck my garden
Overhead view of three long, narrow back gardens with lawns, a greenhouse, vegetable beds and sheds
Planning authority
Bristol City Council
Postcodes
BS14
Noon sun, 21 March
About 39°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 6.3 m
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
Bristol

How it plays out in Stockwood

Every application for a new home in a Stockwood 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.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in Stockwood: about 39 degrees on 21 March and 15 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 39°, shadow 6.3 m21 Dec, noon: sun 15°, shadow 18.5 mExistingNew home
This section is worked out for the latitude of Stockwood: around 39° of sun at midday in late March and about 15° 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

Here’s what happens after you get in touch about a garden in Stockwood. 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.

  1. 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.

  2. Measure and test the layout

    We check depth, the width of the way in, levels, trees, drains and what lies behind, then sketch what could realistically fit: one home, two, or nothing worth pursuing, before anyone pays for an application.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.
  • Cars passing beside your house to reach the new home bring noise and headlights; screening helps but doesn’t remove it.
  • A covenant, a mortgage, a public sewer or a protected tree can slow a scheme down or stop it altogether.

Your questions, answered for Stockwood

Can I sell the end of my garden in Stockwood 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 do I find out if my Stockwood 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.

How long does planning take for a garden home in Stockwood?

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.

Can I build a house in my back garden in Stockwood?

Possibly, if the garden is deep enough, has a safe way in and a new home wouldn’t harm the neighbours or the character of the street. A new separate home always needs planning permission, and Bristol City Council makes the decision. A free appraisal will tell you whether your garden is worth taking further.

Other options in Stockwood

Large rear gardens near Stockwood

Find out what your garden could become

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

Get my free appraisal 0800 088 6248