- Planning authority
- BCP Council
- Postcodes
- BH12, BH13, BH14, BH15, BH17
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 39°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.1 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Dorset
How it plays out in Poole
Wherever your home sits within BH12, BH13, BH14 and BH15, 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 Poole, in nearby places such as Bournemouth, Wimborne Minster and Ferndown. 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 Poole
Send us your address in Poole and a rough idea of what you’d like. We check the planning history around you and the policies BCP 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.
- Surveys and drawings cost money before any decision. On a subject-to-planning sale we normally fund them; on a build you do.
- Cars passing beside your house to reach the new home bring noise and headlights; screening helps but doesn’t remove it.
Questions about garden plots in Poole
How long does planning take for a garden home in Poole?
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 Poole?
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 BCP Council makes the decision. A free appraisal will tell you whether your garden is worth taking further.
Can I sell the end of my garden in Poole 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.
Who decides planning for a home in a Poole back garden?
BCP 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.
Other options in Poole
- Garden plot option agreement
- Bungalows on large plots
- Build a home for family in your garden
- Sell part of your garden
- Planning permission for a garden plot
- Tandem and landlocked plots