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Bexley, London

Lawful Development Certificate in Bexley

In Bexley a Lawful Development Certificate settles one question in writing: is your extension or loft lawful without planning permission? Our drawings and application cost from £645 including VAT, and the council has 8 weeks to respond.

From £645 (VAT included)

  • MCIAT chartered
  • £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 lawful development certificates

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

    What a Lawful Development Certificate means for Bexley houses

    Houses and bungalows make up 75.3 per cent of Bexley households, the homes the householder rights were written for. Even so, 23 conservation areas and 114 listed building entries make a street-by-street check worthwhile. The Order's rule on conservation land is: On article 2(3) land (conservation areas etc.): no side extensions, no cladding, no rear extension of more than one storey under Class A.

    The council recorded 323 certificate applications in its latest return. Its guidance, the Design Guide SPD Part 2: Building Alterations and Extensions, describes what it expects from a full application. A certificate is decided on the Order alone, so a design that departs from the guide but fits the Order still qualifies.

    That distinction helps when an owner wants a bold roof or a deep extension. We draw to the Order first, then say plainly what a planning application would add.

    Pencil resting on a dimensioned technical drawing beside a scale rule

    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
    Lawful development certificate applications (PS1)323 certificates2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Green Belt share of the council area17 % of council area covered by green-belt polygons—planning.data.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
    Larger home extension prior approvals granted7 decisions2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Larger home extension prior approvals refused8 decisions2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    GPDO 2015 Sch 2 Pt 1 Class A, para A.1(f)(i)3 m (attached) / 4 m (detached) beyond the original rear wall, single storey—legislation.gov.uk
    Class A, para A.1(i)Eaves no higher than 3 m where within 2 m of the curtilage boundary—legislation.gov.uk
    Class A, para A.1(b)Buildings (other than the original house) may not cover more than 50% of the curtilage—legislation.gov.uk
    Lawful Development Certificate: proposed use or operationHalf the normal planning fee (householder: £274)—ribblevalley.gov.uk
    DMPO 2015 art 39(10)(a)8 weeks—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
    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

    Bexley's decision record, and why it is not the whole story

    Bexley granted 94.6 per cent of its 877 householder decisions in the latest year and decided 99.4 per cent in time. Those are strong figures for owners who do need to apply.

    They do not describe certificates, which are a legal test with no judgement of taste. A high grant rate for planning permission is no reason to skip the certificate, because that paper is what a buyer's solicitor asks for years later. Larger home extension prior approvals tell a closer story: 7 granted and 8 refused.

    If your idea goes beyond the Order, a planning application in Bexley is the next step, drawn from the same survey.

    Limits that decide the outcome

    For a rear extension the Order sets the depth as: 3 m (attached) / 4 m (detached) beyond the original rear wall, single storey. Eaves near a boundary are capped too: Eaves no higher than 3 m where within 2 m of the curtilage boundary.

    Additions are limited in total, in that Buildings (other than the original house) may not cover more than 50% of the curtilage. Count what is already in the garden before you add the new work.

    About 17 per cent of the borough is Green Belt. That does not remove householder rights, but an application there is judged against Green Belt policy as well. Bexley also has an Article 4 direction for houses in multiple occupation, which matters if you plan to let rooms.

    Semis, side extensions and the half-width rule

    On a Bexley semi the usual projects are a rear extension, a loft conversion and a side extension. The side extension catches people out: Side extension: single storey, max 4 m high, max half the width of the original house.

    Half the width means half the width of the original house, not the house you see today. If an earlier owner added a garage or porch at the side, those additions may have used part of the allowance. Our survey separates what is original from what was added.

    For a loft the rule is volume, not area on plan. A dormer on a semi uses much of the allowance quickly, and a hip-to-gable change adds more. We add the volumes on one sheet before you commit. If your idea sits outside the Order, we say so and show what an application would involve.

    Fee, drawings and related routes

    The council's fee for this certificate is: Half the normal planning fee (householder: £274). We quote our own fee up front, and a second chartered technologist checks every sheet.

    If your rear extension is deeper than the Order allows, look at prior approval in Bexley. Work already built without a certificate may need retrospective planning in Bexley. Once the route is settled, our building regulations drawings in Bexley carry the construction detail.

    For the borough overview see architectural drawings in Bexley. Nearby, compare Dartford and Greenwich, or read the national guide on our Lawful Development Certificate page.

    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.
    Brick cottage with a tiled roof, chimneys and a front dormer window
    Locked in
    Bring the pointer close to the padlock.

    Other services in Bexley

    Lawful Development Certificates nearby

    Questions

    Can I get a Lawful Development Certificate for a loft in Bexley?

    Yes, if no conservation area or direction removes the right and the work stays within the volume allowance. The allowance is: 40 m³ (terrace house) / 50 m³ (any other house) additional roof volume.

    Does the Bexley Design Guide affect a certificate?

    No. The guide informs planning applications. A certificate depends on whether the work is within the Order.

    How many certificates does Bexley decide?

    The council recorded 323 certificate applications in its latest government return.

    Does a conservation area stop a certificate?

    It removes some rights, not all. Bexley has 23 conservation areas, and we check yours before any drawing.

    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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