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

Bexley, London

Change of use drawings in Bexley

Bexley closed the shop-and-office-to-home route in two steps: first on its industrial land, then in its thirteen town centres. Our change of use drawings in Bexley start from £879, and we check a building against both maps before suggesting a route.

From £679 drawings + £200 survey (£879 total), no VAT to add

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

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We use it to check conservation areas and constraints.
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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 change of use drawings

    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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    Industrial land first

    The council's Article 4 page records the first direction as industrial locations, from 8 January 2025. It came in response to growing concern about offices and other commercial buildings on industrial sites being converted to homes, and it applies to selected existing buildings in the designated areas, as shown on the maps.

    Industrial estates in the borough sit close to housing, so a conversion proposal there needs to answer a loss-of-employment question as well as a standards question.

    Pencil resting on a dimensioned technical drawing beside a scale rule

    Local figures for Bexley

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    A non-immediate Article 4 direction for the borough's 13 designated town centres comes into force on 10 December 2025, after a 13-week consultation from 6 November 2024 to 5 February 2025; it applies to selected existing buildings, as mapped, and planning permission is required for Class E to dwellings (Class MA) there.13 town centres, from 10 December 2025—bexley.gov.uk, Council page: Article 4 Directions, Use Class E to residential in the borough's 13 designated town centres
    A separate non-immediate Article 4 direction for designated industrial locations came into force on 8 January 2025, after a 13-week consultation from 1 December 2023 to 29 February 2024, in response to concern about offices and commercial buildings on industrial sites being converted to dwellings.industrial locations, from 8 January 2025—bexley.gov.uk, Council page: Article 4 Directions, Use Class E to residential in industrial locations
    The council made a borough-wide Article 4 direction on small HMOs which came into force on 24 September 2017; it removes the permitted development right for a change from a dwellinghouse (C3) to an HMO (C4).borough-wide from 24 September 2017—bexley.gov.uk, Council page: Article 4 Directions, HMO paragraph
    Sch 2 Pt 3 Class MA, para MA.1(1)(b)Class E to C3 by prior approval after 2 years' continuous Class E use—legislation.gov.uk
    Sch 2 Pt 3 para W(11)(c)56 days—legislation.gov.uk
    GPDO 2015 art 3(9A)Homes created under PD must meet the nationally described space standard—legislation.gov.uk
    TCPA 1990 s55(3)(a)Using a single dwellinghouse as two or more dwellinghouses is a material change of use—legislation.gov.uk
    Change of use of a building to one or more separate dwellinghouses, not more than 10: per dwellinghouse, from 1 Apr 2026610 GBP per dwelling—ribblevalley.gov.uk
    Households living in a house75.3 % of households living in a house or bungalow (detached, semi-detached or terraced)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Minor application decisions238 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor applications granted82.4 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor applications decided in time94.1 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Conservation areas23 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.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 Bexley
    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

    Then the town centres

    The second direction covers the thirteen designated town centres and is recorded as 13 town centres, from 10 December 2025. The council consulted for thirteen weeks and the direction applies to selected existing buildings in the centres, as mapped.

    A building in a covered centre needs a full application. A building outside both maps keeps the national route: Class E to C3 by prior approval after 2 years' continuous Class E use, and the council has 56 days to decide.

    Because the town centre direction is relatively recent, some sale particulars may still describe the permitted route as open. We read the map, not the brochure.

    Houses and shared houses

    Bexley has 75.3 per cent of households in houses, and its small-HMO control is borough-wide: borough-wide from 24 September 2017. See HMO conversion drawings in Bexley. Splitting a house into flats is its own route: Using a single dwellinghouse as two or more dwellinghouses is a material change of use. See flat conversion drawings in Bexley.

    Standards and the council's record

    New homes must meet the space standard: Homes created under PD must meet the nationally described space standard. Bexley decided 238 minor applications in the latest published year, granted 82.4 per cent and decided 94.1 per cent in time. It has 23 conservation areas.

    The fee to change a building to separate dwellings is £610 each in a scheme of not more than ten, paid to the council.

    Next steps

    For the borough overview see architectural drawings in Bexley. A lawful development certificate can settle an uncertain existing use.

    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 Bexley

    Change of use drawings nearby

    Questions

    When did Bexley's town centre direction take effect?

    The council records it as 13 town centres, from 10 December 2025.

    What about industrial buildings?

    A separate direction covers designated industrial locations, recorded as industrial locations, from 8 January 2025.

    What if no direction applies?

    The national route stands: Class E to C3 by prior approval after 2 years' continuous Class E use.

    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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