- Planning authority
- New Forest District Council
- Postcodes
- SO40
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 39°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.2 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Hampshire
Before you decide in Totton
When New Forest District Council 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 Totton, an eaves line 5 metres up on the new home would throw shade roughly 6.2 m across the ground beside it. Keeping the new home low or well back protects the gardens on both sides.
What happens next in Totton
Once you get in touch about land in Totton, 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.
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
- 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.
- Buying out a ransom strip or a neighbour’s land costs money and time, and the other owner can say no.
Totton: questions to ask
Can I build behind my house in Totton if the only way in is my drive?
Possibly. That would be a tandem layout, with the new home behind yours sharing your drive. New Forest District 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 long does sorting access on a Totton 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.
Is a sprinkler system needed for a home at the end of a long drive in Totton?
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.
Will New Forest District Council accept a shared drive for a new home in Totton?
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.
Other options in Totton
- Garden plot option agreement
- Build a home for family in your garden
- Sell subject to planning
- Joint venture on your garden plot
- Large rear gardens
- Build a new home in your garden