Backland Development Surveys

You may be able to build in your garden if your proposed backland development can be considered ‘incidental to the enjoyment of the dwelling’. This includes buildings like a garden shed, garage, storage building or a chicken coop. It can sometimes cover other types of building, such as a garden office or cabin. Not all homes have permitted development (e.g. Listed buildings, homes in conservation areas) so it’s important to check you definitely do.

There are numerous strict guidelines around permitted developments. It must be single storey, under a certain height, occupy no more than 50% of the land around the original home, and can’t be self-contained accommodation. Even if you don’t need planning permission, you may still need building regulations certification. We can advise and guide you to ensure you have the right permissions and even have survey services for self-build backland projects.

Building a new home on a backland plot, subdividing land for backland development and other large-scale projects will need planning permission from the local authority. Developers should look at the authority’s Local Development Plan as this forms the basis of planning decisions (e.g. Cheshire East Local Plan and Cheshire West and Chester Local Plan). Ideally, your proposed backland development should align with these guidelines.

Planning permission can take around 8 weeks, but varies between councils. Successful planning applications for backland development can depend on scale, access, surroundings, and nearby amenities. Getting professional advice from surveyors, an architect or planning consultant will be beneficial as backland developments can often be challenging or subject to restrictions.

You should create a detailed plan to ensure your project is financially feasible. Backland developments are often on complex sites with unusual shapes. Combined with access and infrastructure challenges, this can make them more expensive than people initially anticipate. Get expert advice and support to be sure that your development project will remain financially viable.

Backland developments can have both a positive and negative effect on property values. Reduced privacy, increased noise and greater traffic can cause a slight drop in value. However, well-designed and well-planned projects can improve the reputation of an area, especially if it improves infrastructure like access roads. If you can demonstrate this to neighbouring properties with good visual plans and surveys, it may reduce any opposition to your proposed development.

Topographical surveys for backland plots can help you assess whether a site is suitable for your backland development plans. You can use this along with other preliminary surveys to check whether what you plan to do will be feasible in terms of location and also costs. It offers a clear and detailed overview of the current site, so you can make better decisions about your project.

A topographical survey can show you the levels and features of the land you are developing.  This information is vital to the design team so they can plan the proposed layout of the scheme. It enables them to work out the levels the new development will need to be built to and demonstrate how the proposed new development will integrate with the surrounding landscape and properties. It is also important for showing how the development will be accessed.

Whether you already own your backland development site or you’ve yet to buy your land, you should be clear about establishing the boundaries on a backland plot. If your boundaries aren’t defined properly, you could position your new development too close to a boundary and encroach upon the privacy of neighbouring properties. In the worst circumstances, you could unintentionally build on a neighbouring property.

A survey can help to identify legal boundaries and register them with the Land Registry. You should make sure all paperwork is in order before construction can start to minimise the risk of any legal issues.

Access can be one of the biggest challenges for backland developments. A survey can identify any existing access – both road access and footpaths – and help designers to plan new access solutions. Do you have legal access from a public road? Are there public rights of way?

A topographical survey will be key to planning a sustainable backland development project.  It can be used to inform many things, including identifying the location of key environmental features, how it will be accessed, the location of trees and hedges, and utilities. The survey can help the designers consider how to preserve the existing natural features and reduce the site’s environmental footprint. It can also ensure the new backland development plans include suitable connections to utilities.