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Blog: planning

How much do location and block plans cost in London?

By Property Architecture drawing team, chartered architectural technologists (MCIAT). Published . 3 minute read.

Location and block plans for a London planning application cost £42 from us on their own, with no VAT to add, and nothing extra inside any of our planning packages. They are the sheets that locate the site and show what sits where, and the law is blunt about the first: as a minimum, applicants need a location plan showing the application site in relation to the surrounding areaGOV.UK planning practice guidance, Making an application.

From £42 total

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  • LABC Partnered
  • Fixed fees, no VAT to add

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    Key takeaways

    What the plans cost, and when they are free

    Our fee is £42 for location and block plans on their own. Inside any planning package they cost nothing extra, so you never pay twice for the same sheet. A second person checks each plan before it is issued. See our location and block plans page for what you send.

    Stand-alone plans suit owners who are preparing an application themselves, or who need the plans for a lawful development certificate or a prior approval. In every case the red line is drawn from a measured survey where we have one, because that is the most defensible boundary.

    What the fee includesA location plan with the red and blue lines; A block plan with distances to neighbours; A current licensed map base, credited; Scale bar and north point on each sheet; Checked by a second personWhat the fee includesA location plan with the red and bluelinesA block plan with distances toneighboursA current licensed map base, creditedScale bar and north point on each sheetChecked by a second personFixed fee from £42, no VAT to add
    What our location and block plans include.

    Two plans, two jobs

    A location plan answers where. based on an up-to-date map, at a scale typically of 1:1250 or 1:2500GOV.UK planning practice guidance, Making an application. It puts the site against its surroundings so the council and neighbours can find it. A block plan answers what sits where: the house, its extension, the boundaries and the access, with distances to neighbours.

    The council checks both before an application is valid, and the officer returns to the block plan when judging the effect on adjoining homes. A block plan that shows a different extension footprint from the floor plans is a common reason for a query.

    Terrace of yellow-brick Victorian cottages with white sash windows and red door surrounds on a London street
    On a terrace the block plan shows exactly how close each extension sits to its neighbours. Photo: trailerfullofpix, CC BY-SA 2.0

    The red line and the blue line

    The red line edges the application site. The guidance says: edged clearly with a red line, including all land needed to carry out the developmentGOV.UK planning practice guidance, Making an application. Other land you own nearby gets a different colour: a blue line drawn around any other land owned by the applicant, close to or adjoining the siteGOV.UK planning practice guidance, Making an application. The usual mistake is a red line that stops at the front door and leaves out the path or drive to the road, or one drawn from memory that takes in a strip of the neighbour's garden.

    Either can make the ownership certificate wrong. We draw from the measured survey and compare it with the deeds you hold. Where the boundary is uncertain we say so before you sign anything.

    Scale, north and the base map

    Both plans follow the same basic rule: plans and drawings must be drawn to an identified scale, and plans must show the direction of northGOV.UK planning practice guidance, Making an application. A plan at an odd scale can be marked invalid, and the clock for a decision does not start until the application is valid. We keep one scale convention, north arrow and legend across every sheet, so the plans agree with the rest of the drawings.

    The guidance asks for an up-to-date map, which a free online screenshot rarely is. We use a current licensed map base and credit it on the sheet.

    How the job runs, step by stepSend the address and a short description of the project Then: Boundary taken from a survey or your deeds Then: Location plan drawn on a current map base Then: Block plan drawn with distances to neighbours Then: Second person checks both against the validation list Then: Plans issued with a scale bar and north pointSend the address and a shortdescription of the projectBoundary taken from a survey or yourdeedsLocation plan drawn on a current mapbaseBlock plan drawn with distances toneighboursSecond person checks both against thevalidation listPlans issued with a scale bar andnorth point
    From address and survey to checked plans.

    Where the plans go next

    The plans go into the application with the drawings. If you want the full set, our planning drawings include them, and the cost post on planning drawings explains the council's fee. For a prior approval, the plan is part of the notification: see our prior approval drawings.

    If the site changes during design, for example when an extension is reduced, we redraw the plans to match.

    The figures, with sources

    The minimum plan with an application
    as a minimum, applicants need a location plan showing the application site in relation to the surrounding areaGOV.UK planning practice guidance, Making an applicationChecked 25 October 2026
    Location plan scale
    based on an up-to-date map, at a scale typically of 1:1250 or 1:2500GOV.UK planning practice guidance, Making an applicationChecked 25 October 2026
    The application site on the location plan
    edged clearly with a red line, including all land needed to carry out the developmentGOV.UK planning practice guidance, Making an applicationChecked 25 October 2026
    Other land owned by the applicant
    a blue line drawn around any other land owned by the applicant, close to or adjoining the siteGOV.UK planning practice guidance, Making an applicationChecked 25 October 2026
    What plans must show
    plans and drawings must be drawn to an identified scale, and plans must show the direction of northGOV.UK planning practice guidance, Making an applicationChecked 25 October 2026

    Questions

    Do I need a block plan for a small porch?

    Usually yes. The officer has to see the porch against the boundary and the neighbours. We confirm what your council expects at the constraints check.

    Can I use a free online map?

    The guidance asks for an up-to-date map at a recognised scale, and screenshots rarely meet it. We use a current map base.

    What if I am not sure where my boundary is?

    We compare the survey with your deeds and the mapping, and tell you where the boundary is uncertain before you sign an ownership certificate.

    Are the plans included in your planning packages?

    Yes. They cost nothing extra inside any planning package.

    Header photo: An aerial view of rows of brick terraced houses with rear outriggers and roof windows along a suburban street at sunset by Altaf Shah, Pexels License.

    The fixed fee for location and block plans

    Fixed fee
    from £42
    Total you pay
    from £42
    Council fee
    paid to the council separately

    No VAT to add. The fee is fixed in writing after a free constraints check of your address.

    What you get

    • A location plan with the red and blue lines
    • A block plan with distances to neighbours
    • A current licensed map base, credited
    • Scale bar and north point on each sheet
    • Checked by a second person
    • More about our location and block plans
    Request your fixed quoteCall 020 7131 9703
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    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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