- Planning authority
- Breckland Council
- Postcodes
- NR19
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 37°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.6 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Norfolk
Before you decide in Dereham
Back lanes behind homes in NR19 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 Breckland Council is likely to judge a home reached from the back rather than past the front.
How we’d take it forward in Dereham
The first step is a free, no-obligation appraisal. For a Dereham 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.
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.
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
- Long or narrow drives can mean extra cost for sprinklers, passing places, lighting or a bin collection point.
- 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.
- A right of way that has served a garage or field for years may not legally cover a new house.
Dereham: questions to ask
How long does sorting access on a Dereham 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 Dereham if the only way in is my drive?
Possibly. That would be a tandem layout, with the new home behind yours sharing your drive. Breckland 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.
What if a neighbour in Dereham owns the strip I need to cross?
Then you need their agreement, either to buy the strip or to grant a right of way over it. Terms are negotiated, often as a one-off payment or a share of the value the access creates. Both sides should take legal advice. We can make the approach with you.
Do you buy landlocked land in Dereham?
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 Dereham
- Garage courts and yards
- Sell part of your garden
- Plot feasibility and design
- Corner and side plots
- Build a new home in your garden
- Planning promotion for your garden plot