Lawful Development Certificate in Croydon

Suburban semis, terraces and the rear extension limit

Roughly 60.2 per cent of Croydon households live in a house or bungalow, which is why rear and side additions to semi-detached and terraced homes are the projects we expect to draw most. For a single-storey rear extension the Order reads: 3 m (attached) / 4 m (detached) beyond the original rear wall, single storey.

Height is the second test. The extension may not exceed 4 metres, and the eaves rule near the boundary reads: Eaves no higher than 3 m where within 2 m of the curtilage boundary. A pitched roof that looks modest from the garden can still fail on the boundary side, so we draw the section through the lowest point of the eaves.

Everything is measured from the original house. Some Croydon homes have been extended before, sometimes by a previous owner without paperwork, and those earlier additions count against the allowance. We trace them from the survey and old mapping before we draw anything new.

Loft conversions on Croydon roofs

A rear dormer is the usual way to add a room in the roof of a Croydon house. The volume allowance is 40 m³ (terrace house) / 50 m³ (any other house) additional roof volume, and it is the total for the house, not for each dormer.

We calculate the volume from a measured roof section and show the working on the drawing, so the case officer can follow it without writing back. The certificate covers the planning question only; the stair, fire escape and insulation are separate Building Regulations matters, which our building regulations drawings in Croydon deal with later.

When Croydon needs a planning application instead

Sometimes the honest answer is that the certificate will not work. A side extension wider than the Order allows, a rear extension that is too deep, or a house inside a conservation area with a side addition all push the project towards planning drawings in Croydon. A deep single-storey rear extension may instead suit the prior approval route.

We tell you at quote stage, before you spend on a full set. Where the project can be trimmed to fit the Order, we show you the trimmed version beside the original so you can see what the change costs in floor area.

Fee, decision period and what we submit

The council's fee for a proposed-use certificate is: Half the normal planning fee (householder: £274). You pay it to Croydon directly, and our fee of £645 including VAT is fixed before you commit. The statutory decision period is 8 weeks, although the council can take longer by agreement.

The submission is a location plan, a block plan and existing and proposed plans, elevations and sections, each with a scale bar and north point. A second chartered technologist checks the set against the Order before it leaves us. If the officer asks for an amendment, we make it without a further charge.

Related services and nearby boroughs

For the wider picture, see architectural drawings in Croydon, or read the general guide to a Lawful Development Certificate in London. If your house sits near the border, the rules and conservation areas next door can differ, so compare Bromley and Sutton.