- Planning authority
- Arun District Council
- Postcodes
- PO21, PO22
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 39°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.1 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- West Sussex
The local picture in Bognor Regis
Planning permission from Arun District Council and legal access are two separate things. An application can include land the applicant doesn’t own, once those owners have been served notice, yet a grant of permission still leaves the route itself unresolved. Crossing someone’s land needs a right recorded on the title.
We line those up in the right order. Access terms are agreed first, then the application is prepared against the council’s Local Plan, so you aren’t left holding a permission you can’t use.
How we’d take it forward in Bognor Regis
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 Bognor Regis, 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.
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
- Tandem layouts affect the front house’s privacy and quiet, and councils weigh that carefully.
- 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.
- Buying out a ransom strip or a neighbour’s land costs money and time, and the other owner can say no.
Bognor Regis: questions to ask
Is a sprinkler system needed for a home at the end of a long drive in Bognor Regis?
It may be. In England, where a fire engine can’t get within 45 metres of all points inside the home, other measures, often sprinklers, may be accepted if building control and the fire service agree. In Wales, every new house needs sprinklers anyway. Building control decides what’s needed for the specific layout.
Do you buy landlocked land in Bognor Regis?
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.
Could my neighbour and I in Bognor Regis 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.
How do I find out if a lane behind my Bognor Regis 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.
Other options in Bognor Regis
- Corner and side plots
- Garden plot option agreement
- Build a new home in your garden
- Planning permission for a garden plot
- Sell subject to planning
- Sell part of your garden