Building in a large rear garden in Tewkesbury

Before paying for drawings of a new home in your Tewkesbury garden, it helps to know whether the basics stack up. Can a car get in and turn? How far would the new home sit from your back windows and your neighbours’? Would your own house keep a decent garden and somewhere to park?

We answer those questions in a free garden plot appraisal, starting with maps, the title plan and nearby planning history, then a visit if the plot looks viable. You’ll come away knowing whether selling or building makes more sense for you, and what Tewkesbury Borough Council is likely to ask about.

Overhead view of three long, narrow back gardens with lawns, a greenhouse, vegetable beds and sheds
Planning authority
Tewkesbury Borough Council
Postcodes
GL20
Noon sun, 21 March
About 38°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 6.4 m
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
Gloucestershire

How it plays out in Tewkesbury

Look along your road and the roads behind it. If homes in Tewkesbury or in Cheltenham, Gloucester and Malvern already stand behind the original houses, that shows the council the pattern exists locally, although it never makes a new permission certain. Where back gardens are unbroken, a first home behind the street faces closer scrutiny.

How much weight that carries is set out in the council’s Local Plan and in any design guide adopted by Tewkesbury Borough Council. We read both before drawing anything, so your scheme answers the questions the planning officer is likely to ask.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in Tewkesbury: about 38 degrees on 21 March and 15 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 38°, shadow 6.4 m21 Dec, noon: sun 15°, shadow 19.2 mExistingNew home
Noon sun in Tewkesbury on 21 March sits about 38° above the horizon, so a typical two-storey eaves line (about 5 m) throws a shadow of roughly 6.4 m. In December the sun is only about 15° up and shadows stretch much further. Drawn for a garden facing north, where it matters most.

What happens next in Tewkesbury

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

  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 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.
  • A covenant, a mortgage, a public sewer or a protected tree can slow a scheme down or stop it altogether.

Tewkesbury: questions to ask

Can I sell the end of my garden in Tewkesbury 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 long does planning take for a garden home in Tewkesbury?

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 Tewkesbury?

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

Does it cost anything to have my Tewkesbury 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.

Other options in Tewkesbury

Large rear gardens near Tewkesbury

Find out what your garden could become

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