Planning a garden around Ossett's ground
Ossett sits on fairly flat land that slopes gently south towards the River Calder and the Calder and Hebble Navigation, and the town stands on Pennine Middle Coal Measures sandstone, according to the council's conservation area appraisal. The appraisal mentions long views towards the Calder Valley from Prospect Road and from Back Lane near West Wells Road, and plenty of gardens on the south side of town have a fall to them. A garden with a slope, or a view, is worth designing around rather than fighting. A level patio close to the house, with a path running down at an easy angle to a lawn, often makes a sloping plot much easier to use, and placing the seating to face the view gives the whole garden a focus.
Long plots, Victorian gardens and newer homes
Behind Bank Street, the appraisal notes long, thin plots that are remnants of the medieval burgage strips, and the Victorian streets beyond the centre have generous gardens of their own. Long gardens can feel like a corridor if everything is lawn. Splitting the space into zones, say a paved area for sitting, a lawn in the middle and a gravelled or planted area at the far end, makes it feel bigger and gives each part a purpose. A path running the length of the garden ties it together and keeps your feet dry on the way to the shed in winter.
Newer homes are a different starting point. The appraisal notes recent detached houses with gardens in the Back Lane and West Wells area, and much of the town's other new building has gone up in South Ossett. If you've moved into a newer house and the garden is little more than a lawn and a small patio, it's worth living with it through a season before making changes. Note where the evening sun falls, which corner stays wet after rain and where you actually like to sit. Then the new layout, whether that's a larger patio, a gravel path or a planted border, works with the plot rather than against it.
Paving, stone and materials
Ossett's older houses are mostly stone. The appraisal describes pitch-faced sandstone as the main walling material, with slate and stone slate roofs. If your home is one of these, an Indian stone patio in a warm buff or grey tone can sit comfortably alongside it, and you can talk through riven or sawn finishes depending on how traditional you want it to look. Newer brick homes in South Ossett give you more freedom, and block paving, gravel or a mix of paving and planting can all work. We'll show you the options and leave the choice to you.
Lawns, turf and artificial grass
Ossett is a wet town by most measures. The Met Office averages quoted for it come to just over 1,000 mm of rain a year over about 154 rainy days. That's good news for new turf, which needs moisture to root, and autumn and spring are generally the easiest times to lay it. In a small, shady back yard where grass struggles, artificial grass can be a better answer, giving a green space that doesn't turn to mud every time it rains. A gravelled area with a few tough plants is another low-upkeep choice for a corner that never gets much sun.
Front gardens and driveways
If you're thinking of turning a front garden into parking, the Planning Portal's guidance is worth reading first. A new driveway of any size doesn't need planning permission if it uses a permeable surface, or if rainwater runs off to a lawn or border to drain naturally. Covering more than five square metres with a traditional hard surface that does neither will need permission. You'll also need to apply to Wakefield Council for a dropped kerb before driving over the pavement. Inside the conservation area, think carefully before taking down a stone front wall, as the guidance notes that you might need permission to remove one there, and the council's appraisal counts those walls among the area's key features.
Fences, makeovers and getting a quote
Landscaping often goes hand in hand with new boundaries, so if your fence is past its best you can plan fencing in Ossett as part of the same project. For a garden that needs rethinking from scratch, we offer complete garden makeovers, bringing together patios, pathways, turf, artificial grass, gravel and block paving in one plan. Call 07347 572509 to talk through what you have in mind and ask for a quote. We're a family run, fully insured business based in Knottingley, working Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm. Read more on our landscaping page or see all our services in the town on the Ossett area page.
