Building in a large rear garden in Cardigan

If you have a long rear garden in Cardigan, the first question is usually the obvious one: is there really room for a house down there? The honest answer comes from measuring, not guessing. Separation from existing back windows, garden space for both homes and a drive that works for cars, bins and emergency access all have to fit.

Once we know what could realistically go there, you pick the route that suits you. Some owners prefer a clean sale of the plot, with or without planning. Others want the new home itself, for a parent, a grown-up child or to let. We handle the design and the planning application either way.

Overhead view of three long, narrow back gardens with lawns, a greenhouse, vegetable beds and sheds
Planning authority
Ceredigion County Council
Postcodes
SA43
Noon sun, 21 March
About 38°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 6.4 m
Planning plan
LDP
County
Dyfed

What the council will look at in Cardigan

Access is where many garden schemes succeed or fail, in Cardigan as anywhere. A drive squeezed past the side of a house has to be wide enough for cars, give drivers a clear view as they pull out, and keep noise and headlights from bothering the people next door. A new or wider dropped kerb also needs the highway authority’s consent.

Homes in SA43 with a garage or a wide side passage often start ahead here. Where the gap is tight, a smaller home, a shared drive with a neighbour or access from a lane behind may still work. Because Ceredigion County Council will look closely at the detail, we design the access before the house.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in Cardigan: about 38 degrees on 21 March and 14 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 38°, shadow 6.4 m21 Dec, noon: sun 14°, shadow 19.4 mExistingNew home
This section is worked out for the latitude of Cardigan: around 38° of sun at midday in late March and about 14° 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.

How we’d take it forward in Cardigan

Send us your address in Cardigan and a rough idea of what you’d like. We check the planning history around you and the policies Ceredigion 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.

  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. 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.

  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

  • 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.
  • Neighbours are consulted and may object. The council decides, and a carefully designed scheme can still be refused.

Questions about garden plots in Cardigan

Can I sell the end of my garden in Cardigan 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.

Does it cost anything to have my Cardigan 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.

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

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 Ceredigion County Council makes the decision. A free appraisal will tell you whether your garden is worth taking further.

Will my neighbours in Cardigan 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.

Other options in Cardigan

Large rear gardens near Cardigan

Find out what your garden could become

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