- Planning authority
- Sevenoaks District Council
- Postcodes
- BR8
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 39°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.3 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Kent
How it plays out in Swanley
Wherever your home sits within BR8, 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 Swanley, in nearby places such as Dartford, Bexley and Longfield. 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
Send us your address in Swanley and a rough idea of what you’d like. We check the planning history around you and the policies Sevenoaks District 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.
- A covenant, a mortgage, a public sewer or a protected tree can slow a scheme down or stop it altogether.
- Surveys and drawings cost money before any decision. On a subject-to-planning sale we normally fund them; on a build you do.
Your questions, answered for Swanley
Does it cost anything to have my Swanley 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 Swanley?
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 Sevenoaks District Council makes the decision. A free appraisal will tell you whether your garden is worth taking further.
Who decides planning for a home in a Swanley back garden?
Sevenoaks District 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 Swanley?
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.
Other options in Swanley
- Sell subject to planning
- Garden plot option agreement
- Planning promotion for your garden plot
- Bungalows on large plots
- Joint venture on your garden plot
- Sell part of your garden