- Planning authority
- London Borough of Bexley
- Postcodes
- DA5, DA6, DA7, DA8, DA15
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 39°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.3 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Greater London
What the council will look at in Bexley
When the London Borough of Bexley looks at a tandem plot, the first questions are usually about the drive: how close cars come to the front house’s windows, whether headlights will sweep across rooms at night, and whether the junction with the road is safe. Planning policy in the council’s Local Plan sets the tests, and design guidance fills in the detail.
Daylight matters too. With the late-March sun climbing to just 39° at midday in Bexley, an eaves line 5 metres up on the new home would throw shade roughly 6.3 m across the ground beside it. Keeping the new home low or well back protects the gardens on both sides.
How we’d take it forward in Bexley
Once you get in touch about land in Bexley, 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
- Planning permission gives no right to cross land you don’t own; the legal access has to be secured separately.
- 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.
- Long or narrow drives can mean extra cost for sprinklers, passing places, lighting or a bin collection point.
Questions about garden plots in Bexley
Is a sprinkler system needed for a home at the end of a long drive in Bexley?
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 Bexley 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.
Do you buy landlocked land in Bexley?
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 build behind my house in Bexley 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 London Borough of Bexley 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.
Other options in Bexley
- Bungalows on large plots
- Planning permission for a garden plot
- Planning promotion for your garden plot
- Large rear gardens
- Plot feasibility and design
- Build a home for family in your garden