Architectural drawings in Kingston upon Thames

Green Belt, conservation areas and listed buildings

About 17 per cent of the borough is covered by Green Belt polygons in the national dataset. Houses on that land face a tighter test on size, because Green Belt policy limits disproportionate additions to the original building.

The council publishes 28 conservation areas, and a further 3 Article 4 directions cover 114 separate mapped areas. Inside them, changes to a front elevation, a roof or a boundary often need consent.

Historic England records 163 listed entries here: 3 at Grade I, 13 at Grade II* and 145 at Grade II. Another 9 entries are on the Heritage at Risk Register.

The policy behind Kingston decisions

Kingston's development plan is the Core Strategy (with Kingston Town Centre Area Action Plan 2008), adopted in 2,012. Design questions for house alterations are answered mainly in the Residential Design SPD.

The council's page for that guide does not say whether it covers roofs or extensions in detail, so we read the plan policies alongside it and keep each drawing note specific to the case officer's likely questions.

Trees are also a design factor. A protected tree in a rear garden can decide where an extension may sit, so we ask for a tree survey early when one is likely.

How Kingston has handled householder cases

In the latest published twelve months the council decided 742 householder applications and granted 83 per cent, with 92.5 per cent decided in time.

Those are borough-wide results from the past, and they do not forecast any single application. They do show a council that decides most householder cases on schedule.

Prior approval for larger rear extensions tells a different story: 3 granted against 35 refused in the same statistics. We brief clients on that gap before they choose the route.

Prices and the levy in Kingston

A terraced house here averaged £591,784 in the latest Land Registry figures, and a semi-detached house £812,491. Many owners weigh that against the cost of moving up a size.

Kingston is in band 2 of the Mayor of London's levy, at £72.73 per square metre this year. The borough also runs its own schedule, the RBK CIL Charging Schedule (KCIL), which splits into zones. Any liability is flagged in your hand-over pack.

From first call to submission in Kingston

We begin with a free constraints check that covers conservation areas, Article 4 directions, listing, Green Belt and protected trees. You get a short written answer on which route fits your house, before any design fee is agreed.

Next we agree the brief and measure the building, or work from your own survey. Existing and proposed plans, elevations and sections are drawn to one set of dimensions, with a site plan and a location plan to the standard the council expects.

An independent member of the practice checks every set before it reaches you. We then submit the application on your behalf, or hand you the pack if you prefer to file it yourself, and we answer officer questions on the drawings as they arise.

If the scheme is to be built, the technical sheets for Building Regulations follow, so one team carries the project from planning to site.

Drawing services we offer in Kingston

Most owners start with planning drawings in Kingston upon Thames, or with house extension drawings in Kingston upon Thames for a larger project. A Lawful Development Certificate in Kingston upon Thames records that a permitted scheme is lawful.

For the roof, see loft conversion drawings in Kingston upon Thames, and for the technical sheets see building regulations drawings in Kingston upon Thames.

Nearby council pages cover Richmond upon Thames, Merton and Sutton.