- Planning authority
- Canterbury City Council
- Postcodes
- CT6
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 39°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.3 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Kent
Before you decide in Herne Bay
Back lanes behind homes in CT6 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 Canterbury City Council is likely to judge a home reached from the back rather than past the front.
How we’d take it forward in Herne Bay
The first step is a free, no-obligation appraisal. For a Herne Bay plot with a difficult way in, that means checking who owns each part of the route, what rights exist and how wide it is on the ground. If a neighbour or a ransom strip is involved, we agree an approach with you before contacting anyone.
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.
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.
Worth checking early
- Long or narrow drives can mean extra cost for sprinklers, passing places, lighting or a bin collection point.
- Tandem layouts affect the front house’s privacy and quiet, and councils weigh that carefully.
- 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.
Herne Bay: questions to ask
How do I find out if a lane behind my Herne Bay 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.
Can I get planning permission in Herne Bay 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.
How long does sorting access on a Herne Bay 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.
Can I build behind my house in Herne Bay if the only way in is my drive?
Possibly. That would be a tandem layout, with the new home behind yours sharing your drive. Canterbury City 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.
Other options in Herne Bay
- Sell part of your garden
- Sell subject to planning
- Planning permission for a garden plot
- Corner and side plots
- Garden plot option agreement
- Build a new home in your garden