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Sutton, London

Biodiversity net gain plans in Sutton

Sutton asks for a BNG statement, a habitat plan and the metric calculation, with habitat plans supplied as a GIS shapefile to the London data standard, and bat checks for roof or loft changes. Householder works are exempt, but a new home must still finish 10 per cent better. We prepare it all on a fixed quote after a free constraints check.

Fixed quote after a free constraints check

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    Architectural model of a four-storey London stucco townhouse in its terrace, with a portico, area railings, sash windows, a cornice and chimney stacks
    The house as it stands: four storeys over a lower ground floor.Existing Proposed worksAn illustrative model, built for this page.

    How we work on biodiversity net gain plans

    Seven steps from first call to approval.

    The same model cut through the middle: every floor, the stair, the chimney breasts, the new mansard, rear extension and basement in section
    Section through the model: every floor on one datum.

    1. Enquiry and constraints check

      We check the property against conservation areas, listed status, Article 4 directions, tree preservation orders, flood zone and planning history. We choose the right route and send a fixed quote.

    2. Measured survey

      We survey the house on one datum: rooms, levels, boundaries, drains, trees and the neighbours' windows that the 45° and 25° tests depend on.

    3. Design options

      We model the house in Revit and show you options in 3D and plan, with the planning strategy and the precedents in your street.

    4. Design frozen

      You choose an option in writing. Nothing changes after this without your say.

    5. Independent check

      A second chartered technologist checks every sheet against the council's validation checklist and the policy. A senior review signs it off before anything is submitted.

    6. Submission

      We prepare the forms, certificates, fee and documents and submit through the Planning Portal.

    7. Officer liaison

      We answer the planning officer and make any amendments within five working days, at no charge until approval.

    Free redraws until approval. Every drawing set is checked independently, and the checker is never the person who drew it.

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    Rear view of brick terraced houses in London with slate roofs and chimney stacks along the shared roofline

    What Sutton asks for beyond the national rule

    The council sets out its list as GIS shapefile to GiGL; PRA for lofts. It asks for a BNG statement, a habitat plan and the metric calculation tool, and additionally for on-site and off-site habitat plans as GIS shapefiles, showing the red line and habitats, to the data standards of the capital's environmental records centre.

    The GIS file is a practical hurdle. A PDF habitat plan is not enough: the shapefile must carry the parcel boundaries and habitat codes in the required format, so the data can be added to the borough record. We produce it from the same survey that drives the metric, so the two cannot disagree.

    The council also expects swift bricks and bat roosts in new buildings, which we show on the elevations rather than leaving to a condition.

    If the shapefile is wrong, the council will not accept the plan as complete. We check projection, parcel closure and habitat codes before issue, so a technical fault in a file does not become a validation delay.

    Pencil resting on a dimensioned technical drawing beside a scale rule

    Local figures for Sutton

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    Sutton asks for a BNG Statement, Habitat Plan and Metric Calculation Tool, and additionally requests on-site and off-site Habitat Plans as a GIS shapefile (redline and habitats) to GiGL Data Standards G021 and G081; ecological assessment and Preliminary Roost Assessment for roof or loft changes that may affect bats; swift bricks and bat roosts expected.GIS shapefile to GiGL; PRA for lofts—sutton.gov.uk, London Borough of Sutton Local Validation List (adopted 24 August 2026), p.25-26, p.29
    Households living in a house62.9 % of households living in a house or bungalow (detached, semi-detached or terraced)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Domestic gardens share of land (GLUD 2005)34.5 % of land that is domestic garden (GLUD 2005)2005data.london.gov.uk
    Green Belt share of the council area14 % of council area covered by green-belt polygons—planning.data.gov.uk
    Householder applications granted91.8 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor applications granted76.5 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor application decisions196 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor applications decided in time87.8 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Environment Act 2021 Sch 14 para 2, inserting Sch 7A TCPA 1990: 'relevant percentage' 10%10 %—legislation.gov.uk
    'Developments of 0.2 hectares or below': from 6 August 2026 BNG does not apply where the site area within the red line boundary is 0.2 ha or below0.2 ha—gov.uk
    'Developments subject to the de minimis rule': impact on less than 25 m2 (5 m by 5 m) of on-site habitat25 m2—gov.uk
    Sch 7A para 9(3) as inserted: enhancement maintained for at least 30 years after completion30 years—legislation.gov.uk

    A blank value means the figure has not been published, not that there are none. Check your own address with the council.

    Councils bordering Sutton
    Which application your project needsLawful Development Certificate decision: 8 weeks. Prior approval decision: 42 days. Householder decision: 8 weeksYour projectWithin permitted development?Lawful Development CertificatePrior approvalHouseholder applicationYesLarger rear extensionNoABC

    Which application your project needs

    The usual route for a house; flats and listed buildings follow other rules.

    A · Lawful Development Certificate decision
    8 weeks
    B · Prior approval decision
    42 days
    C · Householder decision
    8 weeks

    Lofts and bats in a suburban borough

    The same list asks for an ecological assessment and a preliminary roost assessment where roof or loft changes may affect bats. That reaches householder work: a loft conversion is exempt from net gain, but not from the bat question.

    Sutton is mostly suburban, with 62.9 per cent of households living in a house and gardens covering 34.5 per cent of land. Older roofs near mature trees and parkland are the typical bat setting.

    A preliminary roost assessment is a daytime inspection of the roof void and eaves by a qualified ecologist. We arrange it early because any follow-up emergence survey can only run in the bat season, and a missed window can add months.

    If a survey finds a roost, the project does not stop, but the design changes: access points, the timing of works and a licence application may follow. Knowing this before drawings are fixed is the reason we raise the bat question at the first site visit.

    Swift bricks are the simplest measure to offer. They are built into the wall, cost little against the build and answer the council's expectation directly, so we place them on the elevation drawings from the start.

    Which Sutton projects need a full plan

    Householder applications are exempt from the gain, and a site of 0.2 hectares or less is exempt unless priority habitat is affected. Impacts under 25 square metres of habitat are de minimis.

    Green Belt covers 14 per cent of the borough, so sites on its fringe are likelier to hold grass or scrub. The full plan is typically needed for a new house in a long garden, a block of flats or a conversion of an outbuilding to a home.

    Delivered habitat must then be kept up for at least 30 years.

    Sutton's long suburban plots make garden infill the commonest route into a full plan. The size of the red line, not the size of the house, decides whether the small-site exemption holds, so we measure it from the survey first.

    Decisions and the file we prepare

    Householder applications are granted 91.8 per cent of the time, and minor applications 76.5 per cent across 196 decisions. With 87.8 per cent decided in time, an incomplete ecology file is the simplest way to lose weeks.

    We assemble the statement, habitat plan, metric and shapefile together with our planning drawings, and a loft conversion set carries the roost assessment into the design. A second chartered technologist checks the set before it goes.

    Roof detail needs care: a flat roof proposed for habitat gain and a pitched loft proposed for bats can pull in opposite directions. Fixing both in one drawing set avoids the contradiction.

    Price and next step

    There is no list price. Cost follows the parcels, the GIS work and any bat survey, so you get a fixed quote after a free constraints check.

    Send the address and what you plan to build. We will say whether Sutton will want a full plan, a bat assessment, or both.

    Our free check also covers the cost picture: whether a GIS file, a roost visit or off-site units are likely, so the quote you receive already allows for them.

    What you receive

    Planning drawing sheet for a rear extension with plans, elevations and sections
    Sample drawing. Planning drawings for a rear extension: plans, elevations and sections on one sheet set.
    Rows of brick terraced houses and gardens on a residential street
    The street around you
    Move across the plinth — the blocks rise around the pointer.

    Other services in Sutton

    Biodiversity net gain plans nearby

    Questions

    Does Sutton need a GIS file with the habitat plan?

    Yes, its list asks for on-site and off-site habitat plans as GIS shapefiles to the London data standards.

    Do loft conversions need bat checks in Sutton?

    They can. The council asks for a preliminary roost assessment where roof or loft changes may affect bats.

    Does Sutton expect swift bricks?

    Swift bricks and bat roosts are expected in new buildings.

    What gain is required?

    At least 10 per cent for non-exempt schemes.

    Sources and dates

    City of London skyline glowing at dusk across the Thames under a dramatic orange sky

    Tell us about your property.

    We check the constraints, then send a fixed fee. Messages before 3pm get a reply the same working day.

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