- Planning authority
- Somerset Council
- Postcodes
- TA8
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 39°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.2 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Somerset
Burnham-on-Sea: light, access and policy
When Somerset 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 Burnham-on-Sea, 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.
The next steps, locally
Once you get in touch about land in Burnham-on-Sea, 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.
- Long or narrow drives can mean extra cost for sprinklers, passing places, lighting or a bin collection point.
- A right of way that has served a garage or field for years may not legally cover a new house.
Burnham-on-Sea: questions to ask
Can I get planning permission in Burnham-on-Sea 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.
Can I build behind my house in Burnham-on-Sea if the only way in is my drive?
Possibly. That would be a tandem layout, with the new home behind yours sharing your drive. Somerset 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.
Could my neighbour and I in Burnham-on-Sea share one new access?
Often, yes. If both your gardens are long, combining them can give one shared drive and a better layout than either garden alone. Each owner keeps their house, and a written agreement sets out how the value is shared fairly.
What if a neighbour in Burnham-on-Sea 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.
Other options in Burnham-on-Sea
- Plot feasibility and design
- Bungalows on large plots
- Planning permission for a garden plot
- Build a home for family in your garden
- Build a new home in your garden
- Sell part of your garden