- Planning authority
- Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead
- Postcodes
- SL5
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 39°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.3 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Berkshire
How it plays out in Ascot
A home placed behind another changes the light as well as the traffic. In Ascot the sun peaks at roughly 39° in late March and barely 15° at the winter solstice, so shadows from even a modest building stretch a long way across a garden in the darker months.
That is why many tandem schemes use a single-storey or low-eaves design. It keeps upstairs windows from looking over neighbours and limits shadow. The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead decides, and its own guidance on separation distances sets the gaps it expects.
How we’d take it forward in Ascot
Once you get in touch about land in Ascot, we look at the title plan and any rights of way from the desk, then talk it through with you. If the access looks workable, we visit and measure the route, including the junction with the road. You get a plain account of the options before any planning work starts.
Free plot appraisal
We start with the access, not the plot: title plans, rights of way, the width on the ground and the route to the road. It’s a desktop check and a conversation, with a site visit if it looks viable, at no cost.
Title and access check
With your solicitor we confirm who owns every strip between the plot and the road, what rights already exist and whether they cover a new home. Any ransom strip or missing right shows up at this stage.
Secure the way in
If a right of way needs widening, a strip needs buying or a neighbour needs to come in, we agree the approach with you and negotiate it, so the terms are settled before planning money is spent.
Sale or build
Depending on the route you chose, the sale completes through a transfer of part, or you keep the land and we give a written quote for building the new home after design and survey.
Worth checking early
- A right of way that has served a garage or field for years may not legally cover a new house.
- Long or narrow drives can mean extra cost for sprinklers, passing places, lighting or a bin collection point.
- Access is usually the deciding factor on these plots, so a large plot with a poor way in may not be a building plot at all.
Ascot: questions to ask
Can I build behind my house in Ascot if the only way in is my drive?
Possibly. That would be a tandem layout, with the new home behind yours sharing your drive. The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead will look at the effect of cars passing your house, privacy, garden space and whether it suits the area. Fire and bin access also need checking. The decision is the council’s, and a good design improves the odds.
Will the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead accept a shared drive for a new home in Ascot?
It can, but shared drives are looked at closely. The council will consider the width, visibility at the road, the effect on the house beside the drive, and whether fire and bin access work. A drive with a clear gap from windows and screening alongside generally fares better.
Is a sprinkler system needed for a home at the end of a long drive in Ascot?
It may be. In England, where a fire engine can’t get within 45 metres of all points inside the home, other measures, often sprinklers, may be accepted if building control and the fire service agree. In Wales, every new house needs sprinklers anyway. Building control decides what’s needed for the specific layout.
Can I get planning permission in Ascot before the access is sorted?
You can apply for planning on land you don’t own, as long as the owners are formally notified. But permission doesn’t give a right to cross anyone’s land. Most of the time it makes sense to agree access terms first, so the permission can actually be used.
Other options in Ascot
- Plot feasibility and design
- Planning permission for a garden plot
- Garden plot option agreement
- Sell subject to planning
- Garage courts and yards
- Sell part of your garden