- Planning authority
- Wokingham Borough Council
- Postcodes
- RG2, RG6, RG41
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 39°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.3 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Berkshire
The local picture in Earley
Back lanes behind homes in RG2, RG6 and RG41 can be public roads, private tracks or a mix of both. If the lane is maintained at public expense, it will be on the list of streets the highway authority keeps, which anyone can check. If it’s private, you need a right to use it with vehicles for a new home.
We check that before planning anything, then look at how Wokingham Borough Council is likely to judge a home reached from the back rather than past the front.
How we’d take it forward in Earley
We take a Earley plot with tricky access forward in three stages. First the legal access, confirmed with your solicitor. Then a layout that answers the questions Wokingham Borough Council asks about tandem and backland homes. Then the route you chose, whether that’s a sale, an option or a build. You can stop at any stage before signing.
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.
Planning application
We design a layout that answers the access, privacy and neighbour questions councils ask about tandem and backland plots, then apply. The council consults neighbours and decides, and the decision is always the council’s.
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
- Tandem layouts affect the front house’s privacy and quiet, and councils weigh that carefully.
- Buying out a ransom strip or a neighbour’s land costs money and time, and the other owner can say no.
- A right of way that has served a garage or field for years may not legally cover a new house.
Your questions, answered for Earley
Do you buy landlocked land in Earley?
We can, where the access problem looks solvable. Any purchase is subject to survey, title and contract. If securing access would cost more than it’s worth, or the owner of the strip won’t deal, we tell you that early rather than wasting your time.
Will Wokingham Borough Council accept a shared drive for a new home in Earley?
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.
Can I build behind my house in Earley if the only way in is my drive?
Possibly. That would be a tandem layout, with the new home behind yours sharing your drive. Wokingham Borough Council 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.
How do I find out if a lane behind my Earley home is a public road?
The highway authority keeps a list of streets maintained at public expense, and anyone can inspect it free of charge. If the lane isn’t on it, it’s probably private, and you’ll need to know who owns it and whether your title gives a vehicle right of way that would cover a new home.
Other options in Earley
- Large rear gardens
- Plot feasibility and design
- Sell part of your garden
- Build a home for family in your garden
- Planning promotion for your garden plot
- Garage courts and yards