- Nation
- England
- National planning policy
- NPPF
- Planning authorities
- 3
- City
- Bath
Before you start in Somerset
The way in usually decides whether a rear garden in Somerset can become a plot. A drive beside the house must be wide enough for cars, let drivers see the pavement as they pull out, and avoid harming neighbours with noise and headlights. Building rules add their own tests: the design must allow for fire engine access (or other measures, often sprinklers, agreed with building control and the fire service where a fire engine can’t get close enough), and bins must sit within easy reach of a collection point. A narrow side gap may still serve a smaller home, or work with help from a neighbour’s land, but it needs checking early.
Planning authorities covering Somerset include Bath and North East Somerset Council, North Somerset Council, Somerset Council.
How it works
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.
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.
Large rear gardens in towns across Somerset
- Bath
- Weston-super-Mare
- Taunton
- Yeovil
- Bridgwater
- Portishead
- Frome
- Burnham-on-Sea
- Clevedon
- Nailsea
- Keynsham
- Wells
Questions about large rear gardens in Somerset
Which councils decide garden plot applications in Somerset?
Applications go to the local planning authority for your address. Across Somerset, the authorities include Bath and North East Somerset Council, North Somerset Council and Somerset Council. Each works to its own development plan and design guidance, so the tests for a rear garden home can differ from one council to the next. We check the right ones for your plot.
Do you look at large rear gardens in Somerset?
Yes. We cover the whole of Somerset, as part of our coverage across England and Wales. Send us your address and a few details about your garden, and we’ll carry out a free desktop appraisal before suggesting a site visit.
Is planning policy for back gardens the same across Somerset?
No. National policy, the NPPF, applies everywhere, but each council adds its own plan and design guidance. Separation distances, garden sizes and parking standards can all differ. That’s why we never quote one rule for a whole county and always check the policies for your address.
How long does planning take for a garden plot in Somerset?
The council usually has eight weeks from validation to decide a small application, though extensions are often agreed, and the whole process takes longer. Surveys, design work, pre-application advice and amendments all add time, and some ecology surveys can only be done at certain times of year. We’ll give you a realistic timetable for your plot rather than a promise.