- Planning authority
- Preston City Council
- Postcodes
- PR1, PR2
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 36°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.8 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Lancashire
How it plays out in Preston
Look along your road and the roads behind it. If homes in Preston or in Penwortham, Leyland and Chorley 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 Preston City Council. We read both before drawing anything, so your scheme answers the questions the planning officer is likely to ask.
How we’d take it forward in Preston
Here’s what happens after you get in touch about a garden in Preston. 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.
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
- Cars passing beside your house to reach the new home bring noise and headlights; screening helps but doesn’t remove it.
- 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.
Preston: questions to ask
Can I build a house in my back garden in Preston?
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 Preston City Council makes the decision. A free appraisal will tell you whether your garden is worth taking further.
Does it cost anything to have my Preston 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.
Will my neighbours in Preston 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.
Who decides planning for a home in a Preston back garden?
Preston City 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 Preston
- Plot feasibility and design
- Planning permission for a garden plot
- Tandem and landlocked plots
- Combine gardens with your neighbours
- Corner and side plots
- Joint venture on your garden plot