Garage conversion plans in Bromley

Green belt, gardens and detached houses

Around 51 per cent of the borough is green belt, and 68.6 per cent of households live in a house or bungalow. Some garages here are detached or set back from the house. A garage conversion adds no floor area to a footprint, but a garage linked to the house by a new extension can, so we check whether green-belt tests apply to the whole project.

The national land-use survey put 23.4 per cent of the borough's land in domestic gardens. Where a garage faces a drive and a street, the front elevation and the materials rule carry the weight: Exterior materials must be of similar appearance to the existing house (conservatories excepted).

How Bromley decides householder applications

Bromley decided 1,609 householder applications in its latest published year, and granted 78.6 per cent. Of those decisions, 89.1 per cent came within eight weeks or an agreed extension.

Some applications run past eight weeks, so allow for an extension of time. For larger home extensions under prior approval the council granted 3 and refused 15 in the latest statistics year. A garage conversion does not use that route, but the figures show prior approval is no formality here.

Choosing the route: nothing, certificate or application

Where no condition, direction or listing applies and the outside is unchanged, a garage conversion is not development and needs no planning application. The national position is: Works affecting only the interior, or not materially affecting external appearance, are not development.

Bromley dealt with 512 certificate applications in its latest statistics year. A Lawful Development Certificate in Bromley puts a no-permission position in writing. Where an application is needed, the council fee is £548 and our planning drawings in Bromley carry it.

Insulation, escape and ventilation

Building Regulations apply in every case. The energy rule is: New elements in existing dwellings, limiting U-values W/(m²·K): roof 0.15, wall 0.18, floor 0.18, windows 1.4 (or WER Band B), doors 1.4. The bedroom escape rule is: Escape window: unobstructed openable area at least 0.33 m², at least 450 mm high and 450 mm wide, bottom of opening no more than 1100 mm above floor.

We draw both on the section and elevation. A garage door opening usually becomes a window, and the sill height has to meet the escape rule and still look right from the street, which is why the two sheets are drawn together. See our building regulations drawings in Bromley.

Price, checks and nearby boroughs

Send us the decision notice for the house if you have it, the address and a note of how the room will be used. We check the designations first, then survey the garage, the drive and the floor level against the house. For a detached or set-back garage we also record the route for drains and services, and any boundary or tree that the new work must stay clear of.

Garage conversion plans in Bromley start at £695 with VAT included, fixed before you commit. A second chartered technologist checks every sheet and drawings are normally ready about a week after the survey. If the council asks for changes, we redraw at no charge until approval.

For the whole borough, see architectural drawings in Bromley. Next door, compare Croydon, Bexley and Sevenoaks, or read the overview of garage conversion plans.