Lawful Development Certificate in Havering

Busy certificate desk, mostly houses

Havering recorded 578 certificate applications of all kinds in the latest full year of its returns to government. Here 76.7 per cent of households live in a house or bungalow, and houses are the homes that can use the route.

We treat the figure as context, not a forecast. Each case is still decided on its own drawings.

Bungalows, lofts and dormers

Bungalows and chalet-style homes suit loft work. The volume allowance is 40 m³ (terrace house) / 50 m³ (any other house) additional roof volume, and the house type decides which figure applies.

We measure the roof, calculate the existing volume and show the working on the sheet. For a bungalow, the added volume of a dormer can be large compared with the allowance, so we test it before you design the interior.

Rear and side extensions

Where the plot is wide, a side extension is possible within this limit: Side extension: single storey, max 4 m high, max half the width of the original house. For the rear, the single-storey rule reads: 3 m (attached) / 4 m (detached) beyond the original rear wall, single storey.

We draw both on one plan so the combined effect is visible. If you want a wraparound, the two limits interact, and the drawing shows where each one is reached.

Checking the curtilage on green belt edges

The curtilage is the land that belongs with the house, and it sets the limit for outbuildings and extensions. Some Havering gardens back onto open land, and a fence is not always the boundary of the residential curtilage.

We compare the title plan with aerial photographs and the evidence of how the land has been used. Mown lawn, planting and paths point to garden; rough grass or paddock points to something else. If part of your land falls outside the curtilage, it does not count toward the garden for the coverage test, and a building there is not an incidental garden building.

We tell you our view in writing before we draw, so you can adjust the design if the usable garden is smaller than you assumed.

Fee, timing and the submission

The council's fee for a proposed-use certificate is: Half the normal planning fee (householder: £274). You pay Havering directly, separate from our fixed fee of £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 an independent check by a second chartered technologist. Amendments the officer requests are drawn without a further fee.

A certificate will not settle a dispute about where the garden ends. If the council later disagrees with our view of the curtilage, it can say so in the decision, which is why we gather the evidence before we draw and keep it on file.

Other services and neighbouring councils

If the certificate is not available, see planning drawings in Havering. The technical stage is covered in building regulations drawings in Havering. For the borough overview, read architectural drawings in Havering. Compare Redbridge and Thurrock.