- Planning authority
- East Suffolk Council
- Postcodes
- IP11
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 38°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.4 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Suffolk
What the council will look at in Felixstowe
When East Suffolk 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 38° at midday in Felixstowe, an eaves line 5 metres up on the new home would throw shade roughly 6.4 m across the ground beside it. Keeping the new home low or well back protects the gardens on both sides.
The next steps, locally
Call us or use the form and tell us roughly where the land is and how you reach it now. We check the title and the planning history around Felixstowe, then come back to you. If the access can’t be secured on sensible terms, we’ll say so plainly and early, and there is nothing to pay for the appraisal.
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
- Buying out a ransom strip or a neighbour’s land costs money and time, and the other owner can say no.
- 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.
Felixstowe: questions to ask
Will East Suffolk Council accept a shared drive for a new home in Felixstowe?
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.
What if a neighbour in Felixstowe 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.
Can I build behind my house in Felixstowe if the only way in is my drive?
Possibly. That would be a tandem layout, with the new home behind yours sharing your drive. East Suffolk 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 Felixstowe 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.
Other options in Felixstowe
- Joint venture on your garden plot
- Planning promotion for your garden plot
- Planning permission for a garden plot
- Build a home for family in your garden
- Garden plot option agreement
- Sell part of your garden