Backland Development
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Building in a large rear garden in Loughborough

There are two broad ways to use spare land at the back of a house in Loughborough. The first is to sell it: outright, subject to planning, through an option, or alongside your neighbours. The second is to keep it and have a new home designed, approved and built on it for you.

Which suits you depends on how much risk and involvement you want, and on what the plot can realistically take. A single bungalow, a two-storey home, or a pair sharing one drive across two gardens are all possible on the right site. We look at yours first, free of charge, and explain the trade-offs.

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Overhead view of three long, narrow back gardens with lawns, a greenhouse, vegetable beds and sheds
Planning authority
Charnwood Borough Council
Postcodes
LE11, LE12
Noon sun, 21 March
About 37°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 6.6 m
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
Leicestershire

What the council will look at in Loughborough

The right layout for a long Loughborough garden depends on depth, width and light. With the noon sun only about 14° up in December, a two-storey home placed close to a neighbour’s boundary can darken their garden for much of the winter. A single-storey home, or rooms in the roof with carefully placed roof lights, often sits more comfortably.

Wider plots sometimes take two homes, and two long gardens side by side can share a single drive. We test each option against Charnwood Borough Council’s likely concerns, then show you which are realistic and which aren’t worth pursuing.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in Loughborough: about 37 degrees on 21 March and 14 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 37°, shadow 6.6 m21 Dec, noon: sun 14°, shadow 20.4 mExistingNew home
Noon sun in Loughborough on 21 March sits about 37° above the horizon, so a typical two-storey eaves line (about 5 m) throws a shadow of roughly 6.6 m. In December the sun is only about 14° up and shadows stretch much further. Drawn for a garden facing north, where it matters most.

The next steps, locally

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

  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. 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.

  4. 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.

Worth checking early

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

Loughborough: questions to ask

Does it cost anything to have my Loughborough 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 you build a home for my family in my garden in Loughborough?

Yes. If you keep the land, we can design the home, apply for planning permission, build it once permission is granted and arrange the structural warranty lenders usually expect. You receive a written quote after design and survey. If the home is for a relative who will share your kitchen and front door, an annexe may suit better.

Will my neighbours in Loughborough 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.

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

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

Other options in Loughborough

Large rear gardens near Loughborough

Find out what your garden could become

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

Get my free appraisal 0800 088 6248