- Planning authority
- Havant Borough Council
- Postcodes
- PO10
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 39°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.1 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Hampshire
What the council will look at in Emsworth
Look along your road and the roads behind it. If homes in Emsworth or in Havant, Hayling Island and Waterlooville 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 Havant Borough Council. We read both before drawing anything, so your scheme answers the questions the planning officer is likely to ask.
The next steps, locally
Send us your address in Emsworth and a rough idea of what you’d like. We check the planning history around you and the policies Havant Borough 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.
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
- 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.
- A shorter garden changes how your own house feels to live in and may affect what it is worth.
Questions about garden plots in Emsworth
Who decides planning for a home in a Emsworth back garden?
Havant Borough 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.
Does it cost anything to have my Emsworth 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.
How long does planning take for a garden home in Emsworth?
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 Emsworth 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.
Other options in Emsworth
- Build a home for family in your garden
- Planning permission for a garden plot
- Plot feasibility and design
- Sell part of your garden
- Bungalows on large plots
- Garden plot option agreement