Architectural drawings in Harrow

Conservation areas, Green Belt and listed homes in Harrow

The council publishes 31 conservation areas. Inside one, permitted development is cut back, and a loft conversion that changes the roof slope on the front or side needs a full application.

Green Belt covers 22 per cent of the borough. Extensions to a Green Belt house are judged against how much larger the building becomes, so the size of what is already there sets your ceiling.

Historic England records 295 listed entries inside the boundary: 4 at Grade I, 20 at Grade II* and 265 at Grade II. Owners of a listed home need listed building consent for most work, which is a separate application.

Larger home extensions: the prior approval route in Harrow

A deeper single-storey rear extension can go through the larger home extension prior approval instead of a full application. Over the latest published year Harrow granted 27 of these and refused 108.

Refusals outnumber grants by a wide margin, and the council weighs the effect on neighbours closely. That is why we draw the neighbour's windows and boundary on the sheets before we advise which route to take.

If the work is plainly permitted development, a lawful development certificate in Harrow gives you proof. The council received 461 certificate applications in the same year, so it is a well-used step here.

What Harrow's decision record says

Harrow decided 917 householder applications in the latest twelve months and granted 81.7 per cent. About 93.7 per cent were decided in eight weeks or an agreed extension.

Those figures describe the borough as a whole and promise nothing for your house. They do show that complete, well-drawn householder applications are usually granted, and that eight weeks is a realistic planning horizon.

Many applicants find the council's online planning search useful before they commit. We read the neighbouring decisions for you during the constraints check.

Money and tenure: what to budget in Harrow

Harrow is in band 2 of the Mayor of London's levy, at £72.73 per square metre for permissions granted this year. The borough adds its own levy, shown as £196.43/m² (Residential, Use Class C3, borough-wide). Any liability is noted in the pack we give you at the end.

Of Harrow's households, 58.8 per cent own their home, and the average terraced house sold for £536,748 in the latest Land Registry figures. At that price, many owners weigh extending against moving.

The borough has an Article 4 direction for houses in multiple occupation, so turning a family house into a small shared house needs its own application.

How a Harrow job runs with us

You send the address and a short description. Within the free constraints check we look up the conservation area, Green Belt, listing and Article 4 position, and read recent decisions on your road.

You then get a fixed quote. After a measured survey of the house we draw the existing and proposed sheets, and a second chartered technologist checks every one against the council's validation list before a senior review signs the set off.

We submit through the Planning Portal. If the council asks for changes, we redraw at no charge.

Services we draw in Harrow

Most Harrow jobs begin with planning drawings in Harrow. Two popular ones are rear extension drawings in Harrow and loft conversion drawings in Harrow.

When the design is settled, building regulations drawings in Harrow cover the technical sheets. Over the border, we also draw for Brent, Hillingdon and Ealing.