Architectural drawings in Epping Forest

Epping Forest's local plan and the guidance behind it

The development plan is the Epping Forest District Local Plan 2011 to 2033, which the council adopted in 2,023. Precedents decided before that date were judged under earlier policies, so we weigh older approvals on your street with care.

We read the current policies for the parts that bear on a home: design, neighbour amenity, parking and trees. Because the district is mostly Green Belt, the policy on extensions to existing dwellings carries more weight here than any design guide.

We note brick, tile and window choices on the elevations from the start, so the officer sees what the finished house will look like.

What our Green Belt drawing set shows

A householder set here carries the usual existing and proposed plans, elevations and sections, plus a block plan and location plan. For a Green Belt site we add a simple comparison of floor area and volume, original house against proposal, on the sheet itself.

That page saves a round of questions. The officer sees the arithmetic without having to rebuild it from the plans, and you see early whether the design leaves room for a later project such as a garden room.

A second chartered technologist checks every set before it is submitted. If the comparison does not work, we say so at the design stage and propose a smaller scheme, rather than send in a drawing that is likely to fail.

Conservation areas, listed buildings and heritage at risk

The council publishes 25 conservation areas. Inside one, permitted development is narrower and some alterations to the front or roof need consent. Our constraints check tells you whether your street is in one before you pay for design.

Historic England records 1,349 list entries in the district: 15 at Grade I, 85 at Grade II* and 1,241 at Grade II. There are also 35 scheduled monuments and 7 registered parks and gardens.

Heritage at Risk lists 9 entries here. If your house or a neighbour's is listed, the route changes and we explain it at the first call.

How Epping Forest decides household applications

In the latest twelve months the council decided 756 householder applications and granted 76.6 per cent. Of those, 96.8 per cent were decided on time or within an agreed extension.

Those figures describe past decisions across the district, not your house, and we never present them as a forecast. They do show that a share of applications are refused, which is why we test each design against the Green Belt rules before submission.

Larger home extensions can go through prior approval instead. Over the latest published year the council granted 59 of these and refused 4, so it is a well-used route when the rules fit.

Homes, prices and levy in Epping Forest

The district had 54,557 households at the last Census, and 77.1 per cent lived in a house or bungalow. Owner-occupation stood at 69.6 per cent; a leaseholder or tenant should check with the freeholder or landlord before work is designed.

The average detached house sold for £1,003,604 against £458,532 for a terraced one.

No Community Infrastructure Levy is in force in the district at the time of writing, though the council has consulted on a draft schedule. We flag any liability in the pack we hand over.

Architectural drawing services in Epping Forest

Many projects start with planning drawings for Epping Forest homes. If the work might need no application, a Lawful Development Certificate gives written proof, and prior approval drawings cover the larger rear extension route.

For the build stage, see building regulations drawings, and for a detached plot, garden room drawings. Neighbouring council pages cover Broxbourne, Enfield and Brentwood.