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Bexley, London

Hip-to-gable loft conversion drawings in Bexley

Bexley's suburbs, from Bexleyheath to Sidcup and Welling, are full of interwar semis and bungalows with hipped roofs, and the borough grants most of the householder applications it decides. We prepare hip-to-gable loft conversion drawings in Bexley as MCIAT chartered architectural technologists, with a fixed quote after a free constraints check.

Fixed quote after a free constraints check

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  • £2m PI insured
  • LABC Partnered
  • Fixed fees, VAT included

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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 hip-to-gable loft conversion drawings

    Nine 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.

    8. Building regulations

      Technical drawings are coordinated with the structural engineer's calculations, the drainage and the planning conditions.

    9. Approval and hand-over

      Building control approval, then a next-steps pack covering the commencement notice, party wall timing and CIL.

    Free redraws until approval. Every drawing set is checked independently, and the checker is never the person who drew it.

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    Converted loft bedroom with roof windows and a Juliet balcony

    What Bexley's design guide says about roof changes

    The borough's reference for alterations is the Design Guide SPD Part 2: Building Alterations and Extensions, with the principles set out in Design Guide SPD Part 1: Design Principles. Both sit under the Bexley Local Plan, adopted in 2,023. The Part 2 guide is aimed at ordinary house alterations, which is why it is the document we read first.

    Bexleyheath and Sidcup are suburbs of semi-detached houses on wide plots, and a hip-to-gable there changes the flank of the house that is visible down the side passage and from the street. We draw the flank elevation carefully, because the officer will judge the new gable wall, its materials and any windows in it.

    If the right to build without permission applies, the national exception helps: Eaves-retention and 0.2 m set-back conditions do not apply to a hip-to-gable enlargement. The volume cap is still there: 40 m³ (terrace house) / 50 m³ (any other house) additional roof volume.

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

    Local figures for Bexley

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    Conservation areas23 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Listed building entries114 list entries (Historic England, within the LPA boundary)—planning.data.gov.uk
    Green Belt share of the council area17 % of council area covered by green-belt polygons—planning.data.gov.uk
    Domestic gardens share of land (GLUD 2005)25.1 % of land that is domestic garden (GLUD 2005)2005data.london.gov.uk
    Householder decisions877 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications granted94.6 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications decided in time99.4 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Borough CIL residential rate£40/m² (Zone 1); £60/m² (Zone 2), plus indexationschedule rate (2015)bexley.gov.uk
    GPDO 2015 Sch 2 Pt 1 Class B, para B.1(d)40 m³ (terrace house) / 50 m³ (any other house) additional roof volume—legislation.gov.uk
    Class B, condition B.2(b)(i)Eaves-retention and 0.2 m set-back conditions do not apply to a hip-to-gable enlargement—legislation.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 Bexley

    Householder applications by street in Bexley

    Streets in Bexley with the most householder applications, and the share approved
    StreetApplicationsApproved
    Rydal Drive3688%
    Danson Road3578%
    Glenhurst Avenue3491%
    Westwood Lane3494%
    Wren Road3389%
    Harland Avenue3297%
    Halfway Street3167%
    Northumberland Avenue3197%
    Okehampton Crescent3090%
    Upton Road2679%
    Bellegrove Road2591%
    Latham Road25100%
    Mayplace Road East2584%
    Walton Road25100%
    Wansunt Road2596%
    Counts of householder applications by street; no individual applications are shown. Streets with fewer than five applications are left out.Source: GLA Planning London Datahub, householder applications, all years held. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.
    Loft enlargement in section: the permitted development limitsExtra roof volume allowed: 40 m³ (terrace house) / 50 m³ (any other house) additional roof volume. Set-back from the eaves: Original eaves maintained; enlargement set at least 0.2 m from the eaves measured up the roof slope, so far as practicable (not required for hip-to-gable or roofs joining a rear/side extension). Height limit: No part higher than the highest part of the existing roofABC

    Loft enlargement in section: the permitted development limits

    A dormer on the rear slope, with the limits that decide whether it needs planning permission.

    A · Extra roof volume allowed
    40 m³ (terrace house) / 50 m³ (any other house) additional roof volume
    B · Set-back from the eaves
    Original eaves maintained; enlargement set at least 0.2 m from the eaves measured up the roof slope, so far as practicable (not required for hip-to-gable or roofs joining a rear/side extension)
    C · Height limit
    No part higher than the highest part of the existing roof

    Designations and green belt in Bexley

    Bexley has 23 conservation areas and 114 listed buildings. In a conservation area the national rule reads: Class B roof enlargements are not permitted development on article 2(3) land. The borough also records 3 Heritage at Risk entries, and we check whether any is near your house.

    Part of the borough is green belt: the share is 17 per cent of its area. A loft adds no new footprint, so it is less affected than a rear extension, but we check the boundary on each address.

    Gardens are generous. Domestic gardens make up 25.1 per cent of the borough's land, so a gable on the side wall faces neighbours at some distance, and that matters for any window in it.

    How Bexley decides householder applications

    In the latest year the council decided 877 householder applications and granted 94.6 per cent, with 99.4 per cent decided inside eight weeks or an agreed extension. These are borough-wide figures for every type of householder scheme.

    The numbers suggest that well-prepared applications are handled promptly. They cannot tell you how a gable on your street will be treated, so we read recent decisions for hip-to-gables nearby, together with the officer's reasoning.

    Where a neighbour's gable has already been approved, we cite it on the drawings so the officer can compare the two.

    Conditions we check on every Bexley loft

    The enlargement has to stay inside the original walls: No part of the enlargement may extend beyond the outside face of any external wall of the original house (except where joining a rear or side extension roof). At the front: No enlargement beyond the plane of a roof slope that forms the principal elevation and fronts a highway. On a corner plot the second condition can decide the route.

    Stairs are the other constraint. Where full headroom is out of reach: Loft conversions where 2.0 m cannot be achieved: 1.9 m at the centre of the stair, 1.8 m at the side (half width). And for the new storey: New storey above 4.5 m by loft conversion: protect the full escape route with fire-resisting doors (min E 20) and partitions (min REI 30).

    All three go on the drawings as dimensions and notes, so that building control and your builder read the same figures.

    Fees and levy

    We quote a fixed fee after a free constraints check, VAT included, and redraw free if the council asks for changes. A hip-to-gable has no list price because the roof and the route vary.

    The Mayoral levy is in band 3, at £30.3 per square metre this year. The borough's own schedule is £40/m² (Zone 1); £60/m² (Zone 2), plus indexation. The next-steps pack tells you whether a charge applies.

    The process is short. You send the address, we run the constraints check and quote, we survey the house, and you choose between options shown in plan, elevation and 3D. Drawings are normally ready about a week after the survey, and a second chartered technologist checks every sheet before it is issued.

    Many Bexley semis share a roof structure with the house next door, so a party wall notice is normally part of the programme. The rule is the same as for any loft, and we prepare the notice with the drawings, so that the builder is not held up waiting for the neighbour's consent.

    If the council asks for changes, we redraw at no charge until approval. That covers the drawings only, and it is a commitment on our fee, not a promise about the decision.

    More from Bexley and the boroughs around it

    A rear dormer pairs well with the gable: see dormer loft conversion drawings in Bexley, or loft conversion drawings in Bexley for the options. The overview is architectural drawings in Bexley.

    We also draw hip-to-gables in Dartford, Greenwich and Bromley. The service guide is hip-to-gable loft conversion drawings.

    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
    Storey by storey
    Move up and down — the car travels between floors.

    Other services in Bexley

    Hip-to-gable loft conversion drawings nearby

    Questions

    Which Bexley document covers loft alterations?

    The Design Guide SPD Part 2: Building Alterations and Extensions, read with the Bexley Local Plan.

    Do I need permission for a hip-to-gable in Bexley?

    Often not, within 40 m³ (terrace house) / 50 m³ (any other house) additional roof volume, but in a conservation area: Class B roof enlargements are not permitted development on article 2(3) land.

    How many householder applications does Bexley grant?

    94.6 per cent of 877 decisions in the latest figures. That is a borough average.

    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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