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Croydon, London

Change of use drawings in Croydon

Croydon's list of Article 4 directions covers shared houses and several small conservation and access areas, and nothing on shops or offices. Our change of use drawings in Croydon start from £879, and because the permitted route is open, our job is to make a prior approval hard to refuse.

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

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  • 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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    What the council's list shows

    The council's Article 4 directions page sets out what is in place. The record reads: no Class E direction listed. That leaves the national route available for most commercial buildings: Class E to C3 by prior approval after 2 years' continuous Class E use.

    The council has 56 days to decide, and may consider only the matters the Order lists. Its record on planning generally is firm: it granted 57.6 per cent of 641 minor applications in the latest published year, a lower share than householder cases, and decided 86.9 per cent in time.

    So a prior approval is won on completeness. We assemble the use history, vacancy evidence and unit layouts to the standard the Order requires, and we check the building for a listing, a planning condition or a lease clause that could still stop it.

    Rows of brick terraced houses and gardens on a residential street

    Local figures for Croydon

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    The council's Article 4 directions page lists small HMO conversions, conservation-area directions (Chatsworth Road, The Waldrons, Kenley Lane and Hawkhirst Road, Mitchley Hill and Dunmail Drive), a caravan direction at Dipsley's Shaw and an access direction in Warminster Road; it lists no direction removing the Class E to dwellings right.no Class E direction listed—croydon.gov.uk, Council page: Article 4 directions, list of directions
    A borough-wide Article 4 direction is in place: any HMO of 3 to 6 people created after 28 January 2020 (Class C4) must have planning consent. HMOs for 7 or more people already needed it.borough-wide from 28 January 2020—croydon.gov.uk, Council page: Planning permission and HMOs, Article 4 section
    The council takes planning status into account when deciding a licence and may grant a licence for a term reduced from the five-year maximum, commonly one year; licence fees are non-refundable even if planning consent is later refused.commonly a one-year licence without consent—croydon.gov.uk, Council page: Planning permission and HMOs, licensing and planning section
    HMOs of 3 or 4 people fall under the Additional HMO Licensing Scheme, which the council says came into force on 25 September 2026; mandatory licensing applies to HMOs of 5 or more people sharing facilities.Additional scheme from 25 September 2026—croydon.gov.uk, Council page: Which HMOs need to be licensed, 3 or 4 people section
    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
    Approved Document E 2003 incl. 2015, Table 0.1aSeparating walls 43 dB DnT,w+Ctr (min); floors and stairs 43 dB airborne (min), 64 dB L'nT,w impact (max) for dwellings formed by material change of use—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
    Minor application decisions641 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor applications granted57.6 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor applications decided in time86.9 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Households living in a house60.2 % of households living in a house or bungalow (detached, semi-detached or terraced)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Green Belt share of the council area25 % of council area covered by green-belt polygons—planning.data.gov.uk
    Conservation areas19 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Listed building entries180 list entries (Historic England, within the LPA boundary)—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 Croydon
    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

    Houses to shared houses

    For houses, the control is borough-wide: borough-wide from 28 January 2020. A licence without consent is likely to be short: commonly a one-year licence without consent. The additional licensing scheme is Additional scheme from 25 September 2026. See HMO conversion drawings in Croydon for the detail.

    Splitting a house into flats is a different route: Using a single dwellinghouse as two or more dwellinghouses is a material change of use. See flat conversion drawings in Croydon.

    Standards the layout must meet

    New homes must meet the space standard: Homes created under PD must meet the nationally described space standard. Between floors, Separating walls 43 dB DnT,w+Ctr (min); floors and stairs 43 dB airborne (min), 64 dB L'nT,w impact (max) for dwellings formed by material change of use.

    Croydon has 60.2 per cent of households in houses and Green Belt over 25 per cent of the borough, so conversion work divides between town-centre offices and suburban shops with flats above.

    Heritage and fees

    The borough has 19 conservation areas and 180 list entries; listed buildings need consent for internal works.

    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 Croydon. The prior approval drawings page lists what a submission contains.

    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.
    Georgian brick terrace with sash windows, arched fanlight doorways, stone steps and iron railings in London
    The street around you
    Move across the plinth — the blocks rise around the pointer.

    Other services in Croydon

    Change of use drawings nearby

    Questions

    Does Croydon have a Class E to homes Article 4 direction?

    The council's page shows no Class E direction listed.

    How long has the council to decide a prior approval?

    56 days.

    Does a small HMO need consent in Croydon?

    Yes: borough-wide from 28 January 2020.

    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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