- Planning authority
- Caerphilly County Borough Council
- Postcodes
- NP11
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 38°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.3 m
- Planning plan
- LDP
- County
- Gwent
Abercarn: light, access and policy
Overshadowing is one of the first things a planning officer checks on a garden scheme. In Abercarn, the spring equinox sun reaches only about 38° at midday, which means a 5 m eaves line lays down a shadow around 6.3 m long. Come the shortest day, the sun climbs no higher than roughly 15° and the shade stretches far beyond that.
We model those shadows when we design the scheme, because a home that keeps light off your windows and the neighbours’ gardens is easier for Caerphilly County Borough Council to approve. Sometimes that means a lower roof or a home set further back.
How we’d take it forward in Abercarn
Here is what to expect in Abercarn. First a phone call, then a desk check of the title and the council’s Local Development Plan (LDP), then a visit if the plot looks promising. If we both want to go ahead, heads of terms set out what we would agree, without obligation, before solicitors draft the conditional contract. The appraisal costs nothing.
Free plot appraisal
We check your title, access, planning history and local policy from our desk, then talk it through with you. If a new home looks realistic, we visit the garden and tell you which route we think suits it best.
Exchange of conditional contracts
Both solicitors agree the contract and the plan of the plot. On exchange, both sides are bound, subject to the planning condition, and our contract is noted on your title so the plot can’t be sold elsewhere.
Planning application
We commission the surveys, prepare the drawings, seek pre-application advice where useful and submit the application, normally at our cost. You see the plans before they go in, and the council makes the decision.
Completion, or you keep your land
Once a satisfactory permission is granted and any challenge period has passed, the sale completes within the agreed time and the plot gets its own title. If permission is refused and the contract ends, the land stays yours.
Worth checking early
- Once contracts are exchanged you are committed to sell if a satisfactory permission is granted.
- The plot can’t be sold to anyone else while the contract runs, even if another offer comes along.
- You wait for a planning decision, and possibly an appeal, before you are paid.
Questions about garden plots in Abercarn
Who decides the planning application on a conditional sale in Abercarn?
That is Caerphilly County Borough Council’s decision as the local planning authority, made under the council’s Local Development Plan (LDP) and Planning Policy Wales (PPW). We prepare the application, submit it and answer the council’s questions, but the outcome isn’t ours to control. That’s why the contract has a long-stop date and says what happens if permission is refused.
Is a sale subject to planning in Abercarn better than an option?
It depends on the plot. A conditional sale binds both sides from exchange and suits a single plot with a clear scheme. An option gives us a right to buy rather than an obligation, and suits plots where the outcome is less certain or the timescale is longer. We’ll recommend one after the appraisal.
What if I want to sell my Abercarn house during a conditional sale?
Tell us as early as you can. The conditional contract is noted on your title, so your house buyer’s solicitor will see it. The two sales can usually be arranged together, but the order matters for the legal work and possibly for Capital Gains Tax, so take advice from a tax adviser too.
Do I keep my garden in Abercarn if planning is refused?
Yes. Nothing is transferred until a satisfactory permission is granted, so a refusal leaves the land in your ownership. Depending on the contract, we may revise the scheme and reapply, or appeal, before the long-stop date. If that doesn’t succeed, the contract ends and our notice comes off your title.
Other options in Abercarn
- Build a new home in your garden
- Tandem and landlocked plots
- Sell part of your garden
- Planning promotion for your garden plot
- Joint venture on your garden plot
- Combine gardens with your neighbours

