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by Sean Ronnie Hill on Aug 7, 2025
Every city has gaps: unused corners, leftover plots, the awkward edges between buildings. A lot of the housing we need could go on land like this, already inside the city, rather than on new estates at its edge.
Building on it is harder than building on a clear field, but it's also where infill makes the most sense, both for density and for keeping green space green.
A row of contemporary infill townhouses holding the street line and stepping in scale. On a small site, how a building meets the street is most of the job. RISE Design Studio.
Why small sites matter
We have a housing shortage and a finite amount of land, and the countryside can't keep absorbing our cities. Small sites are one of the more sensible ways through. They support walkable neighbourhoods where daily needs are close at hand, they avoid the embodied carbon of building new roads and services from scratch, and they use land that's already part of the city, which takes some of the pressure to sprawl outwards. The London Plan has put real weight on small sites for exactly these reasons, and it's an emphasis we share.
A design problem that rewards discipline
Designing on a constrained site isn't for the faint-hearted, because you almost never start with a blank canvas. You inherit the frame: the neighbouring houses, the tight access, the daylight and overlooking rules. Handled well, though, those constraints tend to produce better buildings, not worse ones. They force decisions you might otherwise duck: where a window goes so it brings in light without looking into a neighbour's bedroom, how a form steps back to protect someone else's daylight, how a material choice answers the street rather than ignoring it. A good small-site building doesn't just squeeze in. It improves the bit of street it sits on.
Finding a site, and getting it through planning
Finding the land is the first hurdle, and in a market dominated by volume housebuilders, smaller developers often miss out. The plots are there, though, behind garages, between terraces, alongside railway lines. Public land is worth particular attention: programmes like the Mayor's Small Sites, Small Builders have opened up council-owned plots to smaller practices and community groups, with a clear expectation of quality and affordable housing in return.
What makes the difference on these sites is preparation. A feasibility study early on, a clear-eyed read of the planning constraints, and a design developed with planning success in mind rather than as an afterthought. On a tight urban plot, a scheme that ignores the daylight rules or the neighbours' amenity won't get far, however good it looks.
How we approach a small site
There's no template for this, because every small site is different, so we start by listening to the site, the client and the neighbours. Where does the sun fall, and where does the wind come from? What do the neighbouring houses look onto, and what do they value? From there we look for forms that get the most usable volume without losing daylight, work outdoor space in wherever it will fit, a roof terrace, a small courtyard, a deep window ledge that holds planting, and build the sustainability in from the start: passive solar orientation, airtightness and MVHR, and natural, low-carbon materials. The aim is a building that fits its place rather than fighting it.
Three things small sites have taught us
Don't fight the site. The best results come from letting the constraints shape the form rather than forcing a preferred shape onto an awkward plot.
Overcommunicate. With neighbours, planning officers and clients alike, being open early tends to build the trust that smooths the path to permission. On a small site surrounded by people, the neighbours' view matters nearly as much as the officer's.
Think beyond the red line. A good building does something for its surroundings, not just its own plot, and that's often what tips a marginal application into an approval.
Cities aren't fixed by single grand projects. They change incrementally, one infill plot at a time, and small sites are where a lot of that quiet work happens. If you're looking at a small or awkward plot and wondering what it could become, we'd be glad to talk it through.
→ Email us at architects@risedesignstudio.co.uk
→ Or call the studio on 020 3947 5886
Frequently Asked Questions
What counts as a small site?
In planning terms it's a modest plot, and the London Plan generally treats sites under 0.25 hectares as small sites. In practice that means anything from a single infill plot between two houses to a short terrace of a few homes, rather than a large estate-scale development.
Can I develop a small or infill plot in London?
Often, yes, but it needs full planning permission and the application turns on the same things every time: the impact on neighbours, daylight and overlooking, access, and whether the building suits the character of the street. A small site isn't an easier route to permission, it's a more constrained design problem that has to be solved well.
How do I find a small site to develop?
The plots are there if you look past the obvious: behind garages, between terraces, on the corner of a larger plot, alongside railway lines. Public land is worth particular attention, and programmes like the Mayor's Small Sites, Small Builders have opened council-owned plots to smaller practices and community groups, with quality and affordable housing expected in return.
What's the difference between a small site and backland?
They overlap. Backland specifically means land behind the existing building line, such as a long rear garden or a plot reached down a lane, whereas a small site is any modest plot, including ones that front the street directly. A backland plot is one type of small site, and tends to carry the sharpest access and overlooking issues.
Are small sites realistic for small developers and self-builders?
Yes, and the policy emphasis on small sites is partly intended to open the market beyond the volume housebuilders. The constraints are real, but a single good infill plot is a far more manageable proposition for a small developer or a self-builder than competing for a large site.
What's the London Plan's position on small sites?
It puts significant weight on them as part of meeting London's housing need, on the basis that they make use of land already inside the city, support walkable neighbourhoods, and avoid the infrastructure and carbon cost of building at the edge. That policy support matters when you're making the case for a scheme.
What are the biggest risks on a small site?
The most common are daylight and overlooking impacts on neighbours, awkward or contested access, neighbour objections, and abnormal costs that only show up once you investigate the ground. A feasibility study early on is what surfaces these while they're still cheap to deal with.
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