Backland Development
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Tandem and landlocked plots in Epsom

Shared drives, side passages and back lanes are all common ways into garden plots, around Epsom as elsewhere. Each brings a different question: is it wide enough, is it safe where it meets the road, and does anyone else have a say over who uses it?

Answering those questions early saves money later, because drawings for a plot nobody can legally reach are wasted. Our free appraisal covers the title and rights of way, a measured look at the width, fire and bin access, and the planning view Epsom and Ewell Borough Council is likely to take of a home behind an existing one.

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Narrow gravel drive running between two brick houses to an open gate and a garden plot behind
Planning authority
Epsom and Ewell Borough Council
Postcodes
KT17, KT19
Noon sun, 21 March
About 39°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 6.2 m
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
Surrey

Before you decide in Epsom

When Epsom and Ewell Borough 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 Epsom, 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.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in Epsom: about 39 degrees on 21 March and 15 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 39°, shadow 6.2 m21 Dec, noon: sun 15°, shadow 18.4 mExistingNew home
This section is worked out for the latitude of Epsom: around 39° of sun at midday in late March and about 15° at midwinter. It shows why the gap between your house and a new home behind it is about light as well as privacy. Garden assumed to face north.

How we’d take it forward in Epsom

We take a Epsom plot with tricky access forward in three stages. First the legal access, confirmed with your solicitor. Then a layout that answers the questions Epsom and Ewell Borough Council asks about tandem and backland homes. Then the route you chose, whether that’s a sale, an option or a build. You can stop at any stage before signing.

  1. 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.

  2. 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.

  3. 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.

  4. 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.
  • Tandem layouts affect the front house’s privacy and quiet, and councils weigh that carefully.
  • Planning permission gives no right to cross land you don’t own; the legal access has to be secured separately.

Epsom: questions to ask

What if a neighbour in Epsom 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.

How long does sorting access on a Epsom 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 Epsom if the only way in is my drive?

Possibly. That would be a tandem layout, with the new home behind yours sharing your drive. Epsom and Ewell Borough 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 Epsom 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 Epsom

Tandem and landlocked plots near Epsom

Find out what your garden could become

Free garden plot appraisal. No cost, no obligation, and a straight answer if it won’t work.

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