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

Reigate and Banstead, Surrey

Change of use drawings in Reigate and Banstead

Reigate and Banstead withdrew the shop-to-home right for ground-floor units in all its town and local centres, but applied it to chosen premises only. Our change of use drawings in Reigate and Banstead start from £879, and the first step is reading the council's plans against your unit.

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 removes

    The council's page records the direction as in force from 13 February 2026. It withdraws two rights: Class M, for launderettes, betting offices, pay day loan shops and hot food takeaways, and Class MA, for the wider run of commercial, business and service uses to homes.

    The council explains the aim plainly: to keep shops and services in the centres, protecting vitality and local jobs, after permitted conversions had been undermining them. A full application is the route where the direction applies, and the council can use its local policies to weigh the loss.

    The direction does not stop development. It means the loss of the shop is argued and decided, rather than notified.

    Pencil resting on a dimensioned technical drawing beside a scale rule

    Local figures for Reigate and Banstead

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    The Article 4 direction removing the Class M and Class MA rights (shops, restaurants and many other commercial uses to dwellings) for ground-floor commercial units in the borough's town and local centres came into force on 13 February 2026.in force from 13 February 2026—reigate-banstead.gov.uk, Council page: Article 4 direction in town and local centres, opening paragraphs
    The direction protects all the borough's designated centres, Banstead, Horley, Redhill and Reigate town centres and the 27 local centres, but is applied in a targeted way to applicable commercial premises, and only at ground floor level.4 town centres and 27 local centres, ground floor only—reigate-banstead.gov.uk, Council page: Article 4 direction in town and local centres, where does the direction apply
    The council is proposing a borough-wide Article 4 direction removing the right to convert a dwellinghouse (C3) to a small HMO (C4). Notification was made on 30 July 2026 and, if confirmed after the consultation (30 July to 24 September 2026), it would come into force on 30 July 2027.proposed borough-wide, in force 30 July 2027 if confirmed—reigate-banstead.gov.uk, Council page: Article 4 direction for Houses in Multiple Occupation, proposal summary
    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 house73.5 % of households living in a house or bungalow (detached, semi-detached or terraced)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Green Belt share of the council area68 % of council area covered by green-belt polygons—planning.data.gov.uk
    Minor application decisions247 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor applications granted81 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor applications decided in time89.9 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Conservation areas21 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 Reigate and Banstead
    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

    Which units are covered

    The record of coverage reads: 4 town centres and 27 local centres, ground floor only. Rather than every parcel in each centre, the plans show applicable premises, so a first-floor office above a covered shop may sit outside the direction while the shop does not.

    That makes the plan the document of record. We locate the unit on the schedule plans, note the date we checked, and tell you in writing before you rely on the permitted route.

    Outside the covered premises, the national route stands: Class E to C3 by prior approval after 2 years' continuous Class E use, with 56 days for the council to decide.

    Houses and shared houses

    The borough has 73.5 per cent of households in houses and Green Belt over 68 per cent of its area. A separate proposal would remove the right to create small HMOs borough-wide: proposed borough-wide, in force 30 July 2027 if confirmed. See HMO conversion drawings in Reigate and Banstead.

    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 Reigate and Banstead.

    Standards, record and fees

    New homes must meet the space standard: Homes created under PD must meet the nationally described space standard. Reigate and Banstead decided 247 minor applications in its latest published year, granted 81 per cent and decided 89.9 per cent in time; it has 21 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 Reigate and Banstead. A lawful development certificate can settle an unclear existing use first.

    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 Reigate and Banstead

    Change of use drawings nearby

    Questions

    When did the Reigate and Banstead town centre direction start?

    The council records it as in force from 13 February 2026.

    Which centres does it cover?

    4 town centres and 27 local centres, ground floor only.

    What if my unit is outside the covered premises?

    The national route applies: 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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