- Planning authority
- Wiltshire Council
- Postcodes
- SN10
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 39°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.3 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Wiltshire
How it plays out in Devizes
Back lanes behind homes in SN10 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 Wiltshire Council is likely to judge a home reached from the back rather than past the front.
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 Devizes, 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
- A right of way that has served a garage or field for years may not legally cover a new house.
- Buying out a ransom strip or a neighbour’s land costs money and time, and the other owner can say no.
- Planning permission gives no right to cross land you don’t own; the legal access has to be secured separately.
Your questions, answered for Devizes
Can I get planning permission in Devizes 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.
Do you buy landlocked land in Devizes?
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 Devizes 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 Devizes 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 Devizes
- Joint venture on your garden plot
- Bungalows on large plots
- Garage courts and yards
- Plot feasibility and design
- Corner and side plots
- Garden plot option agreement