- Planning authority
- Durham County Council
- Postcodes
- DH1
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 35°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 7.1 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- County Durham
What the council will look at in Durham
Wherever your home sits within DH1, 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 Durham, in nearby places such as Spennymoor, Chester-le-Street and Stanley. 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.
The next steps, locally
Once you’ve had the free appraisal, nothing moves without your say-so. For a sale, terms are agreed in writing before you sign anything. For a build, design and survey come first and the quote follows. In both cases the planning application goes to Durham County Council, which consults your neighbours before deciding. Small schemes often take a few months from submission, and surveys or design changes can add more.
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
- Surveys and drawings cost money before any decision. On a subject-to-planning sale we normally fund them; on a build you do.
- A covenant, a mortgage, a public sewer or a protected tree can slow a scheme down or stop it altogether.
- Cars passing beside your house to reach the new home bring noise and headlights; screening helps but doesn’t remove it.
Durham: questions to ask
Who decides planning for a home in a Durham back garden?
Durham County Council decides, using the council’s Local Plan, national policy and any local design guidance. It consults neighbours and other bodies before reaching a decision. We prepare the application and deal with the planning officer, but the outcome is always the council’s call.
How long does planning take for a garden home in Durham?
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.
How do I find out if my Durham 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 I build a house in my back garden in Durham?
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 Durham County Council makes the decision. A free appraisal will tell you whether your garden is worth taking further.
Other options in Durham
- Planning permission for a garden plot
- Build a new home in your garden
- Combine gardens with your neighbours
- Joint venture on your garden plot
- Plot feasibility and design
- Tandem and landlocked plots