Lawful Development Certificate in Harrow

Semis, detached houses and the rear extension

In Harrow, 65.4 per cent of households live in a house or bungalow. The single-storey rear limit reads: 3 m (attached) / 4 m (detached) beyond the original rear wall, single storey.

The height cap is 4 metres, and a pitched roof near the boundary is the usual cause of trouble. We show the eaves and ridge on the section and measure them from natural ground level.

Garden buildings and the coverage limit

Gardens attract outbuildings, and every one counts toward a single sum: Buildings (other than the original house) may not cover more than 50% of the curtilage.

We list each existing structure with its footprint, add the proposed work and give the total as a percentage on the block plan. Where the garden backs onto green belt land, we confirm the boundary of the residential curtilage from the title and mapping, because land outside it does not count as garden.

How busy Harrow's certificate desk is

Harrow recorded 461 certificate applications of all kinds in the latest full year of its returns to government. That is a steady volume.

It is not a predictor of your outcome. We use it as a reminder that the officer will read the sheet quickly, so each key dimension appears where the officer expects to find it.

Preparing for a Harrow certificate application

Before we measure, we ask for a few things: the address, recent photographs of every elevation, the title plan if you have it, the dates of any earlier extensions and the reference numbers of earlier planning applications. Most owners can send these in one email.

We then visit to survey the house and garden. The survey fixes the original footprint, the eaves and ridge heights, and the position of every outbuilding. From it we prepare the existing and proposed sheets and the Order notes.

When the sheets reach you, you check every dimension, we adjust anything that is wrong, and only then do we submit to the council.

Fee, timing and what we submit

The council's fee for a proposed-use certificate is: Half the normal planning fee (householder: £274). It is paid to Harrow; our fee is fixed at £645 including VAT. The statutory period is 8 weeks.

We submit location and block plans plus existing and proposed floor plans, elevations and a section, after a second chartered technologist has checked them. Requests for amendment are handled without a further fee.

If you already have drawings from a previous owner or builder, send them as well. We never rely on them for dimensions, because the Order is tested against what is on site, but they help us to date earlier work and to ask the right questions at the survey. We also note the position of mature trees and drains near the proposed footprint, since the builder will need to know about them before work begins.

Next steps and nearby councils

If a certificate is not possible, see planning drawings in Harrow. For the borough overview, read architectural drawings in Harrow. Close by, compare Brent, Hillingdon and Three Rivers.