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Hillingdon, London

Change of use drawings in Hillingdon

Hillingdon's Class E direction was confirmed some years ago, then cut back by the Secretary of State, and the modified boundaries differ from the planning designations they were built on. Our change of use drawings in Hillingdon start from £879, and we trace your site on the modified maps, not the designations.

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.
Pick the council that decides your application.
A few lines: what you want to build, and anything the council has already said.
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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 direction does now

    The council's page records the position as confirmed 14 July 2022; modified direction from 27 March 2024. It removes the Class MA right for commercial, business and service uses to become dwellings in the mapped areas, and the maps cover the Hayes Opportunity Area, industrial sites, employment locations, parades, centres and shopping areas.

    The council's page warns that the modified direction has different boundaries from the designations it is based on. A parade that is a designated parade may or may not be inside the direction, so the check is against the map itself.

    Where the direction does not apply, the national route is open: Class E to C3 by prior approval after 2 years' continuous Class E use.

    Rows of brick terraced houses and gardens on a residential street

    Local figures for Hillingdon

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    On 14 July 2022 the council confirmed a non-immediate Article 4 direction removing the Class MA right (commercial, business and service uses to dwellinghouses); it originally came into force on 24 September 2022, and the Secretary of State modified it to reduce the area, the modified direction taking effect on 27 March 2024.confirmed 14 July 2022; modified direction from 27 March 2024—pre.hillingdon.gov.uk, Council page: Changes of use from commercial, business and service uses to dwellinghouses, direction summary
    An Article 4 Direction removes HMO permitted development rights in Uxbridge South and Brunel Ward.Uxbridge South and Brunel—hillingdon.gov.uk, Local Plan Part 2 DM Policies 2020, p.30, para 4.14
    In Article 4 wards, C3 to HMO changes need under 20% of properties in the neighbourhood (10% in conservation areas) and under 15% within 100 metres either side to be HMO or student-exempt (Policy DMH 5 B).20% / 10% CA / 15% within 100 m—hillingdon.gov.uk, Local Plan Part 2 DM Policies 2020, p.30, Policy DMH 5 B
    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 Sch 2 Pt 3 Class LC3 to C4 (and back) is permitted development unless removed by an Article 4 direction—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
    Households living in a house68.9 % of households living in a house or bungalow (detached, semi-detached or terraced)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Green Belt share of the council area42 % of council area covered by green-belt polygons—planning.data.gov.uk
    Minor application decisions367 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor applications granted68.7 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor applications decided in time89.4 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Conservation areas33 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Article 4 directions150 Article 4 directions 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 Hillingdon
    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 and shared houses

    Hillingdon controls small HMOs only in named wards. The council's direction applies in Uxbridge South and Brunel, with a concentration test in those wards: 20% / 10% CA / 15% within 100 m. Elsewhere the national rule applies: C3 to C4 (and back) is permitted development unless removed by an Article 4 direction.

    See HMO conversion drawings in Hillingdon for that route.

    What a conversion has to 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.

    Hillingdon has 68.9 per cent of households in houses, and Green Belt covers 42 per cent of the borough, so conversions concentrate in the town centres and around Heathrow. Splitting a house into flats is its own route: Using a single dwellinghouse as two or more dwellinghouses is a material change of use.

    The council's record and fees

    Hillingdon decided 367 minor applications in the latest published year, granted 68.7 per cent and decided 89.4 per cent in time. It has 33 conservation areas and 150 Article 4 directions of all kinds.

    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

    Compare flat conversion drawings in Hillingdon for splitting a house, and see architectural drawings in Hillingdon for the overview.

    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 Hillingdon

    Change of use drawings nearby

    Questions

    Is Hillingdon's Class E direction still in force?

    In a smaller form. The council records it as confirmed 14 July 2022; modified direction from 27 March 2024.

    Where do small HMOs need permission in Hillingdon?

    In Uxbridge South and Brunel; elsewhere C3 to C4 (and back) is permitted development unless removed by an Article 4 direction.

    How long does prior approval take where open?

    The council has 56 days to decide.

    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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