Single new homes and replacement dwellings.

The highway authority looks at the access onto the road, the visibility either side of it and whether cars can turn on site and leave in forward gear. On narrow lanes it will ask about passing and the effect of extra trips. The planning officer will also ask whether the site is a sustainable location for a new home.

For most single homes a short technical note is enough: a measured access drawing, visibility splays to the right standard, parking dimensions and a turning check.

• Visibility splays based on the speed limit or measured speeds.
• Parking and turning for the number of bedrooms.
• Refuse collection and emergency access.
• Walking routes and distances to local services where location is in question.

A replacement dwelling often keeps an existing access, which helps, but a larger house or a new access position can still need visibility to current standards. An annexe is usually treated as part of the main house if it shares the access and parking and stays ancillary. If it could be let or sold separately, the council will assess it as a new home.

• A site plan showing the access, parking and turning area.
• Visibility splays drawn to the measured or posted speed.
• Parking to the council’s residential standard, including any garage.
• Bin collection and storage points.
• A short highways note where the access is onto a busy or classified road.

A typical case is a bungalow on a rural road replaced by a larger family house, with a new detached garage and an annexe. The council’s concern is usually the existing access, which has hedges either side. A speed survey shows actual speeds below the limit, the splays are drawn to that speed, and the hedge is set back within the owner’s land. Because a home already uses the access, the replacement adds little or no traffic, and the note says so clearly.

Visibility is assessed using Manual for Streets where speeds are lower, and DMRB stopping sight distances on faster roads. On classified roads many highway authorities ask for turning within the plot so cars can leave in forward gear. Driveway gradients, gates set back from the carriageway and surface water drainage are all checked at the same time. For an annexe, we explain how it stays ancillary to the main house and shares its parking.

The most common concern on a single home is visibility at the access. Officers usually work from the speed limit unless they have better evidence, so a speed survey is often the quickest way to resolve it. Where hedges or walls block the splay, we check whether the land is within the applicant’s control or part of the highway.

If a refusal has already been issued, we review the reason, identify what evidence was missing, and prepare a short note for a resubmission or appeal.

Send us the location and a sketch. We will tell you whether the access works, what the council is likely to ask for, and prepare the drawings and note that answer it.

The same questions arise in Scotland and Wales, where they are assessed against NPF4 and Scottish guidance or Planning Policy Wales and TAN 18 rather than the NPPF.

To get a quote, send us:

• The site address or a location plan.
• A sketch or architect’s layout of the house, garage and drive.
• A photo of the access looking each way along the road.
• Any pre-application advice or highways comments you already have.