020 7131 9703Request a fixed quote
Georgian brick terrace with sash windows, arched fanlight doorways, stone steps and iron railings in London

Merton, London

Change of use drawings in Merton

Merton publishes a short, named list of places where the office-to-homes right does not apply: Wimbledon town centre and a set of industrial estates. Our change of use drawings in Merton start from £879, and we check your unit against that list and the council's HMO rules in the same visit.

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

  • 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

    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.

    Request a fixed quote

    The named exclusions

    The council's page on office conversion says that Merton has an Article 4 direction. Its record reads: Wimbledon town centre and seven industrial areas. The estates it names are Willow Lane, Garth Road, South Wimbledon, Durnsford Road, Dundonald Road, Plough Lane and Prince George's Road.

    A unit on one of those sites, or in the town centre, needs a full application. Elsewhere in the borough an office can use prior approval, which looks at transport and highways, contamination and flood risk. The national summary is: Class E to C3 by prior approval after 2 years' continuous Class E use.

    Prior approval is quick but narrow. The council has 56 days to decide and the evidence has to be right the first time.

    Brick cottage with a tiled roof, chimneys and a front dormer window

    Local figures for Merton

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    Merton has an Article 4 direction, so the permitted office-to-residential right does not apply to Wimbledon town centre or to Merton's listed industrial estates (Willow Lane, Garth Road, South Wimbledon Morden Road Business Area, Durnsford Road, Dundonald Road, Plough Lane and Prince George's Road); elsewhere prior approval looks at transport and highways, contamination and flood risk.Wimbledon town centre and seven industrial areas—merton.gov.uk, Council page: Office to residential conversion, article 4 paragraph and list
    The council states that permitted development rights for converting a home (C3) to a small HMO (C4) have been removed across the whole borough, so converting a home to an HMO of any size anywhere in Merton requires planning permission. The seven east wards have been permanent since 19 April 2023; the other 13 wards have been covered by an immediate direction since 24 March 2026.whole borough; 13 wards from 24 March 2026—merton.gov.uk, Council page: Article 4 directions, immediate Article 4 direction for small HMOs
    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 house60.4 % of households living in a house or bungalow (detached, semi-detached or terraced)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Minor application decisions206 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor applications granted82.5 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor applications decided in time82 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Conservation areas28 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 Merton
    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

    Merton's HMO rules have expanded ward by ward: whole borough; 13 wards from 24 March 2026. See HMO conversion drawings in Merton for the current position.

    Merton has 60.4 per cent of households in houses. 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 Merton.

    What a conversion must meet

    New homes must meet the space standard: Homes created under PD must meet the nationally described space standard. Offices have deep floor plates, so the question is often light to the middle rooms, which we test early with a daylight sketch.

    The council's record and fees

    Merton decided 206 minor applications in the latest published year, granted 82.5 per cent and decided 82 per cent in time. It has 28 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 Merton. 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.
    Rear view of brick terraced houses in London with slate roofs and chimney stacks along the shared roofline
    The street around you
    Move across the plinth — the blocks rise around the pointer.

    Other services in Merton

    Change of use drawings nearby

    Questions

    Where does Merton's Article 4 direction stop offices becoming homes?

    The council records it as Wimbledon town centre and seven industrial areas.

    What does prior approval look at?

    Transport and highways, contamination and flood risk, according to the council's page.

    How long has the council to decide?

    56 days.

    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.

    Request a fixed quoteCall 020 7131 9703WhatsApp