Tandem and landlocked plots in Macclesfield

Shared drives, side passages and back lanes are all common ways into garden plots, around Macclesfield as elsewhere. Each brings a different question: is it wide enough, is it safe where it meets the road, and does anyone else have a say over who uses it?

Answering those questions early saves money later, because drawings for a plot nobody can legally reach are wasted. Our free appraisal covers the title and rights of way, a measured look at the width, fire and bin access, and the planning view Cheshire East Council is likely to take of a home behind an existing one.

Narrow gravel drive running between two brick houses to an open gate and a garden plot behind
Planning authority
Cheshire East Council
Postcodes
SK10, SK11
Noon sun, 21 March
About 37°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 6.7 m
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
Cheshire

Before you decide in Macclesfield

Access to land behind homes in SK10 and SK11 can differ from one street to the next: a side drive, a garage with a gap beside it, a back lane, or nothing at all. That is why we measure the actual route rather than relying on a map.

Cheshire East Council will consult neighbours on any application, and the people living along the drive are the ones most affected. A layout that keeps cars away from their windows, with a fence or planting alongside, usually answers the strongest objections before they’re made.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in Macclesfield: about 37 degrees on 21 March and 13 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 37°, shadow 6.7 m21 Dec, noon: sun 13°, shadow 21.2 mExistingNew home
This section is worked out for the latitude of Macclesfield: around 37° of sun at midday in late March and about 13° at midwinter. It shows why the gap between your house and a new home behind it is about light as well as privacy. Garden assumed to face north.

The next steps, locally

Once you get in touch about land in Macclesfield, 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.

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.
  • A right of way that has served a garage or field for years may not legally cover a new house.
  • 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.

Macclesfield: questions to ask

How long does sorting access on a Macclesfield plot usually take?

It varies. Confirming an existing right of way can take a few weeks of solicitor time. Negotiating with a neighbour or a ransom strip owner often takes longer, and depends on how quickly everyone agrees and takes advice. Once we’ve seen the title and the route, we can give you a sensible estimate.

How do I find out if a lane behind my Macclesfield 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.

Do you buy landlocked land in Macclesfield?

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.

Can I get planning permission in Macclesfield 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 Macclesfield

Tandem and landlocked plots near Macclesfield

Find out what your garden could become

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