How sunny would this garden be?

[CoffeeIsBetterThanTea]

Hi we’re looking at some new build properties, this one is ready but I’m worried about the garden. Our current property’s garden is exactly in the middle between south and west and it’s gorgeous- we get so much sun right up until the evening. I love this property but I’m worried about how much sun it would get as it’s very slightly pointing towards east? Or do you think that this would this be classed as south still? And get all day sun? (We’re aware that there’s potential for building behind the property)

Thank you :-)!

Impossible to know without knowing the height of other buildings, if there are any trees, etc.

I’d be more worried about ‘potential future development access’.

I think it will be pretty sunny, but will depend on the height of the screening between you and the access road which is where your afternoon/evening sun is going to come from.

Yes, I'd want some idea of what might be going up behind in future.

Re the garden, while it's pointing something like SE or SSE, it's a path (which looks like it may be a road in future) rather than buildings due south, and the houses to the west on the other side of the road look too far away to shade it. So depends on the height of the fence and whatever you choose to plant along it, I think.

Can you arrange a visit in the afternoon so you can see? Whatever it's like now, it'll be better in summer.

Our garden faces a similar direction. It's sunny all day, but by the afternoon the back of the house is in the shade and it's the bottom end of the garden that keeps the sun.

The plan suggests it will be sunny for most of the day.
However ..
This depends on height of any fences, trees, hedges or other buildings along the bottom of your garden and the proximity and height the house at plot 56? A tall tree in their front garden could throw your back garden into shade from mid afternoon onwards.

Also anything at the bottom of your garden will cast a long shadow as the afternoon approaches.. A leylandii hedge would be disastrous. So don’t put anything tall at that end and hope that a developer or new neighbour doesn’t either.

As it stands you should be ok but like anyone who has neighbours - know that you can’t control what other people plant or build on their side of the fence.

Whatever it's like now, the 'potential future development' right behind it means you could lose light and end up being far more overlooked.

This is what would most concern me. Friends were in a similar position a few years ago and had to deal with months and months of big machinery passing a few feet from their house all day every day, added to the noise and visual mess of a new development being constructed the other side of their back wall.

It should be pretty sunny still, but more in the morning than the evening. You'll probably lose sun by late afternoon in summer. The buildings on plot 56 will cast shade too, so it depends how tall they are - if it's a three story house, say, that will shade your garden a lot. A garage, less so.

If something is built up to your back fence in any future development (or someone puts tall trees at the end of their garden) that will significantly shade your garden. I wouldn't trust it, myself.

There has been a shadow analysis app posted on here several times. Look on the tools thread.

That plot looks to me to be SSE facing. It will get a lot of sun, maybe in the early morning it will be shielded by the garage to the east, but really depends how high the garage is.

What is built to the south may have an effect if it is housing with short gardens and high houses (3 story terraces).

If the fence to the south is massive then that could shade a lot of the garden.

Looks like you'd get a lot of sun, even with standard houses behind the house when the sun is high in the sky it shouldn't be blocked by buildings.

What will the path lead to?
Will that road be extended into the future development? Or will the future development have its own separate access elsewhere? You may find you are alongside a busy road. Or a footpath with teenagers lurking. I'd be more worried about the overall picture than the sun.

So does ours.
Your current garden has my dream orientation @CoffeeIsBetterThanTea

Thank you all so much. I really appreciate the location advice - of course I’d rather it was never developed, but sadly I don’t think any house with ‘field views’ is safe from being developed anymore

The garden being sunny is my do or die when it comes to property searching - a sunny garden and lots of sunlight in the house is always at the top of my ‘must have’ list