- Planning authority
- Sevenoaks District Council
- Postcodes
- TN13
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 39°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.2 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Kent
What shapes a plot in Sevenoaks
Neighbours matter twice on a landlocked plot. They may own the strip you need to cross, and they’ll be consulted when the application goes in. In Sevenoaks, as in Tonbridge, Swanley and Longfield, a calm, early conversation about a shared access usually goes better than a letter arriving out of the blue.
We can make that approach with you. Any deal on the access is written down first, then the planning case is built to suit the council’s Local Plan and the guidance the council uses.
What happens next in Sevenoaks
Once you get in touch about land in Sevenoaks, 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
- A right of way that has served a garage or field for years may not legally cover a new house.
- Buying out a ransom strip or a neighbour’s land costs money and time, and the other owner can say no.
- Long or narrow drives can mean extra cost for sprinklers, passing places, lighting or a bin collection point.
Questions about garden plots in Sevenoaks
Will Sevenoaks District Council accept a shared drive for a new home in Sevenoaks?
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 Sevenoaks if the only way in is my drive?
Possibly. That would be a tandem layout, with the new home behind yours sharing your drive. Sevenoaks 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.
Can I get planning permission in Sevenoaks 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 Sevenoaks?
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.
Other options in Sevenoaks
- Sell part of your garden
- Planning promotion for your garden plot
- Build a new home in your garden
- Joint venture on your garden plot
- Bungalows on large plots
- Planning permission for a garden plot