- Planning authority
- Durham County Council
- Postcodes
- DH8
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 35°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 7.1 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- County Durham
Before you decide in Consett
Wherever your home sits within DH8, the street around it shapes what’s possible. Some roads already have houses built behind the originals, while elsewhere the gardens stay unbroken from end to end. Councils read that pattern when judging a new home, so we look at your surroundings as well as your plot.
The same applies if you live just outside Consett, in nearby places such as Stanley, Prudhoe and Chester-le-Street. The first step doesn’t change: a free look at depth, access, levels and what a new home would mean for the people next door.
How we’d take it forward in Consett
Send us your address in Consett and a rough idea of what you’d like. We check the planning history around you and the policies Durham County Council applies, and look for anything in the title that could get in the way. If the garden passes those checks, we arrange a visit at a time that suits you and explain each route in plain terms.
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.
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.
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.
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
- A shorter garden changes how your own house feels to live in and may affect what it is worth.
- Neighbours are consulted and may object. The council decides, and a carefully designed scheme can still be refused.
- Surveys and drawings cost money before any decision. On a subject-to-planning sale we normally fund them; on a build you do.
Consett: questions to ask
How long does planning take for a garden home in Consett?
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.
Will my neighbours in Consett get a say?
Yes. The council consults neighbours on planning applications, and they can comment or object. Their comments are weighed alongside policy, but objections alone don’t decide the outcome. A layout that respects privacy, light and access usually gives neighbours less to worry about, so we design with them in mind.
How do I find out if my Consett 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.
Can you build a home for my family in my garden in Consett?
Yes. If you keep the land, we can design the home, apply for planning permission, build it once permission is granted and arrange the structural warranty lenders usually expect. You receive a written quote after design and survey. If the home is for a relative who will share your kitchen and front door, an annexe may suit better.
Other options in Consett
- Combine gardens with your neighbours
- Build a home for family in your garden
- Planning promotion for your garden plot
- Bungalows on large plots
- Tandem and landlocked plots
- Garden plot option agreement

