- Planning authority
- Elmbridge Borough Council
- Postcodes
- KT7, KT8
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 39°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.3 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Surrey
How it plays out in East Molesey
Back lanes behind homes in KT7 and KT8 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 Elmbridge Borough Council is likely to judge a home reached from the back rather than past the front.
How we’d take it forward in East Molesey
Once you get in touch about land in East Molesey, 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.
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
- Planning permission gives no right to cross land you don’t own; the legal access has to be secured separately.
- 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.
- Long or narrow drives can mean extra cost for sprinklers, passing places, lighting or a bin collection point.
East Molesey: questions to ask
How do I find out if a lane behind my East Molesey 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 East Molesey 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.
Could my neighbour and I in East Molesey 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.
Will Elmbridge Borough Council accept a shared drive for a new home in East Molesey?
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.
Other options in East Molesey
- Build a home for family in your garden
- Planning promotion for your garden plot
- Corner and side plots
- Bungalows on large plots
- Sell part of your garden
- Plot feasibility and design