- Nation
- England
- National planning policy
- NPPF
- Planning authorities
- 5
- City
- Leeds
How councils in West Yorkshire look at it
Old titles can hold surprises, and gardens in West Yorkshire are no exception. A restrictive covenant may limit building, a mortgage lender must agree to release the plot, and a strip of land you don’t own can sit between your garden and the lane behind it. Trees in a conservation area or under a Tree Preservation Order need consent or notice before any work. We read the title documents as part of the appraisal, so problems come to light before you spend money on design rather than after it.
Planning authorities covering West Yorkshire include Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council, City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council, Kirklees Council, Leeds City Council, Wakefield 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 West Yorkshire
- Leeds
- Bradford
- Huddersfield
- Wakefield
- Halifax
- Dewsbury
- Morley
- Keighley
- Castleford
- Pontefract
- Batley
- Yeadon
- Brighouse
- Shipley
- Cleckheaton
- Pudsey
- Ossett
- Guiseley
- Normanton
- Rothwell
- Liversedge
- Horsforth
- South Elmsall
- Mirfield
- Heckmondwike
- Bingley
- Kippax
- Baildon
- Elland
Questions about large rear gardens in West Yorkshire
What fire and drainage rules apply to garden homes in West Yorkshire?
Every new home 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). On drainage, expect a drainage plan the council will want to see. Both can affect where a home sits in a long garden and how the drive is laid out, so we check them early rather than after the design is drawn.
Which councils decide garden plot applications in West Yorkshire?
Applications go to the local planning authority for your address. Across West Yorkshire, the authorities include Calderdale Metropolitan Borough Council, City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council, Kirklees Council, Leeds City Council and Wakefield 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.
Is planning policy for back gardens the same across West Yorkshire?
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.
Do you buy garden plots in West Yorkshire?
Yes. We buy suitable garden plots across West Yorkshire directly, with or without planning permission, always subject to survey, title and contract. We also offer sales subject to planning, options, planning promotion and joint ventures. Which route fits depends on your plot, so the starting point is a free, no-obligation appraisal.