Architectural drawings in Tandridge

Article 4 directions, conservation areas and listed houses

The council publishes 45 Article 4 directions across 50 mapped areas, a large number. They remove rights such as altering a front elevation or enclosing a frontage, so a job that is permitted development one street away may need an application here.

There are also 19 conservation areas. Historic England lists 605 entries, including 20 at Grade I, 52 at Grade II* and 532 at Grade II, plus 24 scheduled monuments and 3 registered parks and gardens.

Trees add a further layer. The council has made 792 tree preservation orders, and a protected oak can fix the footprint of a new extension.

Open land and what it allows

With 94 per cent of the district in the green belt, nearly every rural house is subject to the rule that additions must not be disproportionate to the original building. Original means the house as first built or as it stood on the national cut-off date, so earlier extensions count against you.

We measure and record the existing floor area and volume at the start, and we tell you what remains before you commit to a design.

Who lives in Tandridge

The Census counted 35,623 households, with 77.1 per cent in a house or bungalow and 74.5 per cent owner-occupied. That suits extensions and lofts.

The average detached home sold for £868,641 and the average terraced home for £394,274. Prices moved by -5 per cent over twelve months, so some owners weigh extending against selling.

How the district decides householder cases

The council decided 424 householder applications in its latest year, granting 89.9 per cent, with 95 per cent decided within eight weeks or an agreed extension. Those are historic totals across the district.

For larger rear extensions under prior approval, the returns show 7 granted and 8 refused, and 151 lawful development certificates were issued.

The charging schedule is the Tandridge District Council CIL Charging Schedule, which sets a single district-wide residential rate of £200.84/m² (all residential development; schedule rate £120/m²) for the current year. We flag any liability in our hand-over pack.

Sloping sites, woodland and village character

Parts of the district rise on to the North Downs, so many plots slope and many houses sit among trees. A level survey is therefore more than a formality: floor levels, ridge heights and neighbours' windows all depend on it.

We include spot heights and a cross-section through the plot in most Tandridge packages. They show how much a rear extension would rise above the garden, and they answer the first question a neighbour raises.

Village design statements and the area design guidance both ask for local materials and modest scale. Our elevations list materials explicitly, so officers can see how a scheme picks up the colours and finishes nearby.

Reading a refusal before it happens

Where a district has fewer written rules, applicants often learn about the real tests only at the decision stage. We try to move that learning earlier by studying officer reports on nearby schemes in the council's online planning search.

Two or three comparable cases usually reveal what the council will tolerate on roof height, side gaps and window positions. We summarise them in plain English at the start and let them steer the first sketch.

Costs and the order of work

Most owners ask what to do first. Our usual order is the address check, the survey, a sketch scheme, the planning set and then the technical drawings for building control. You can stop after any stage.

Specialist input can add to the list. A protected tree may call for an arboricultural report, and a rural plot may need an ecology survey. We flag the likelihood at the start so the budget and the timetable are realistic.

Architectural drawings in Tandridge: how we can help

A typical project begins with planning drawings in Tandridge. Where you suspect your rights remain, a Lawful Development Certificate in Tandridge confirms them.

Many owners then add a loft conversion drawings set in Tandridge or a rear extension drawings set in Tandridge. Neighbouring areas are covered on our pages for Croydon, Bromley and Sevenoaks.