020 7131 9703Request a fixed quote
Georgian brick terrace on Bedford Square in Bloomsbury with arched doorways and sash windows

Blog: planning

How much does a planning constraints report cost in London?

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

A planning constraints report for a London address costs £19 from us, with no VAT to add. It checks the address against the designations that change what you may build and says what each means in plain English. A single finding can change a plan: it only means development cannot be carried out under permitted development and needs a planning applicationGOV.UK planning practice guidance, When is permission required?.

From £19 total

  • MCIAT chartered
  • £2m PI insured
  • LABC Partnered
  • Fixed fees, no VAT to add

Request a fixed quote

We use it to check conservation areas and constraints.
Pick the council that decides your application.
A few lines: what you want to build, and anything the council has already said.
Add photos or drawings

Drop files here or choose from your device

PDF, JPG, PNG, DWG · up to 10 files, 90 MB in total

    Key takeaways

    What the report costs, and why it is the first step

    Our fee is £19. For that we search the address and its immediate neighbours, confirm any finding that matters against the council's own pages, and write a short report. See our planning constraints report page for an outline.

    It is the first step because it is the least expensive way to avoid paying for a scheme the site cannot take. Drawings assume a set of rights; the report checks you have them. If it finds a restriction, you learn it at this price rather than at the price of a refused application.

    What the fee includesA search of the main planning designations; Confirmation against the council's own pages; Each finding explained for your plan; A plain-English summary; A fixed quote for the next step if you want oneWhat the fee includesA search of the main planningdesignationsConfirmation against the council's ownpagesEach finding explained for your planA plain-English summaryA fixed quote for the next step if youwant oneFixed fee from £19, no VAT to add
    What our constraints report includes.

    What gets checked

    Public datasets cover the main designations: conservation areas, article 4 direction areas, listed buildings, flood risk zones and moreplanning.data.gov.uk, Datasets. We search each for your address and the houses beside it, since a boundary can sit one house away. We then confirm what matters with the council, because there is a warning on the data itself: the data may be incomplete and not yet cover all of Englandplanning.data.gov.uk, Datasets.

    The report says what each finding usually means for a house in your position, not just what it is. A listed neighbour matters differently from a listed house, and a flood zone matters differently for an extension than for a basement.

    Brick period houses on Downshire Hill in Hampstead with sash windows and a front garden wall
    In a street like this, every house sits inside a designated area. Photo: Images George Rex, CC BY-SA 2.0

    Conservation areas change the rules

    Councils must designate them: a council shall designate areas of special architectural or historic interest as conservation areasPlanning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, section 69. Inside one, permitted development is narrower, because conservation areas belong to a wider category: article 2(3) land includes national parks, areas of outstanding natural beauty and conservation areasGeneral Permitted Development Order 2015, article 2(3). A rear dormer, a side extension or cladding that would otherwise need no application can need one there.

    Trees add a second layer: 6 weeks' notice to the council before certain work, unless an exception appliesGOV.UK planning practice guidance, Tree Preservation Orders and trees in conservation areas. If your garden has a mature tree, this affects when you can start work.

    Article 4 directions: rights taken away street by street

    A council can remove permitted development rights from an area. The government's guidance on what that means: it only means development cannot be carried out under permitted development and needs a planning applicationGOV.UK planning practice guidance, When is permission required?. It is often the finding that changes a plan: a loft you thought needed no application may need one, and the report says so before you pay for drawings.

    If you are deciding what to buy, our pre-purchase report goes on to test the extension itself, and our heritage statement work follows where a conservation area applies.

    How the job runs, step by stepTell us the address and what you plan Then: Public datasets searched for the address and its neighbours Then: Findings confirmed against the council's own pages Then: Each finding explained for your plan Then: Report issued in plain English Then: A fixed quote for the next step if you want oneTell us the address and what you planPublic datasets searched for theaddress and its neighboursFindings confirmed against thecouncil's own pagesEach finding explained for your planReport issued in plain EnglishA fixed quote for the next step if youwant one
    From address to a plain-English report.

    For landlords and investors

    A report on a shortlist costs far less than drawings on the wrong site. Run it on every address you are seriously weighing, compare the constraints, and spend on drawings only where the plot allows what you intend.

    Tell us what you plan, whether a loft, an extension, flats or a shared house, and we write the report with that use in mind.

    The figures, with sources

    Public planning datasets
    conservation areas, article 4 direction areas, listed buildings, flood risk zones and moreplanning.data.gov.uk, DatasetsChecked 25 October 2026
    Warning on the datasets
    the data may be incomplete and not yet cover all of Englandplanning.data.gov.uk, DatasetsChecked 25 October 2026
    Duty to designate conservation areas
    a council shall designate areas of special architectural or historic interest as conservation areasPlanning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990, section 69Checked 25 October 2026
    Land where permitted development is limited
    article 2(3) land includes national parks, areas of outstanding natural beauty and conservation areasGeneral Permitted Development Order 2015, article 2(3)Checked 25 October 2026
    Effect of an article 4 direction
    it only means development cannot be carried out under permitted development and needs a planning applicationGOV.UK planning practice guidance, When is permission required?Checked 25 October 2026
    Notice for work to trees in a conservation area
    6 weeks' notice to the council before certain work, unless an exception appliesGOV.UK planning practice guidance, Tree Preservation Orders and trees in conservation areasChecked 25 October 2026

    Questions

    Is the report free with other work?

    We begin every job with a free constraints check of the address. The paid report is a written, sourced document you can keep and show to others.

    Can I do the check myself?

    Yes, the datasets are public. The report saves the time and explains what each finding means for your plan, which is the part most owners find hard.

    How reliable is the data?

    The national service warns that its data may be incomplete, so we confirm anything that matters against the council's own pages and say where we could not.

    Does it cover listed buildings?

    The check shows whether the house or a neighbour is listed, and the report says what that means for your plan.

    Header photo: Georgian brick terrace on Bedford Square in Bloomsbury, with arched doorways, sash windows and black iron railings by Steve Cadman from London, U.K., CC BY-SA 2.0.

    The fixed fee for planning constraints reports

    Fixed fee
    from £19
    Total you pay
    from £19
    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 search of the main planning designations
    • Confirmation against the council's own pages
    • Each finding explained for your plan
    • A plain-English summary
    • A fixed quote for the next step if you want one
    • More about our planning constraints reports
    Request your fixed quoteCall 020 7131 9703
    Back of a semi-detached house with a single-storey rear extension being built in grey blockwork, with scaffolding alongside

    Planning

    How much do CIL forms cost in London?

    The Community Infrastructure Levy is a charge on new building, and a missed form can turn an exemption into a bill. Here is what our forms cost, who pays the levy, and the step that catches people out.

    From £493 minute read

    Aerial view of rows of brick terraced houses with rear outriggers and roof windows along a suburban London street

    Planning

    How much do location and block plans cost in London?

    Every planning application needs a location plan and most need a block plan. Here is what they cost on their own, why they are free inside a package, and the red-line mistakes that make an application invalid.

    From £423 minute read

    Pencil sketch of a house on drawing paper with a set square, scale rule and pencils laid beside it

    Planning

    How much do planning drawings cost in London?

    A householder planning application has two costs: the council's application fee and the drawings. Here is what each one is, which extras can apply in London, and what you can leave out.

    From £7294 minute read

    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.

    Request a fixed quoteCall 020 7131 9703WhatsApp