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Camden, London

Loft conversion drawings in Camden

Loft conversion drawings for a Camden house start at £695 including VAT. Camden publishes a headroom test for dormers and has 40 conservation areas, so the loft you can build depends on a measurement and on your street.

From £695 (VAT included)

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  • Fixed fees, VAT included

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

    Camden's headroom test for a dormer

    Camden's Home Improvements CPG (Camden Planning Guidance), which supports the Camden Local Plan, says the existing loft must give habitable headroom of more than 2 m from the staircase before a dormer conversion will work (section 2.2.1).

    So we measure before we draw. Where the loft already clears the figure, the dormer can follow the roof. Where it does not, the choices become heavier: a larger dormer, a raised ridge or another roof form, each judged against the same guidance on how the roof sits with its neighbours.

    The staircase is the other half. Building regulations set their own headroom for the new flight, and in a tight terrace the stair, more than the roof, decides where the dormer can go. We settle both on the survey.

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

    Local figures for Camden

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    The existing loft must give adequate habitable headroom of more than 2m from the staircase for a dormer conversion to work.2 m—camden.gov.uk, Home Improvements CPG, p.48, section 2.2.1
    Conservation areas40 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Article 4 directions21 Article 4 directions published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Listed building entries1,971 list entries (Historic England, within the LPA boundary)—planning.data.gov.uk
    Households living in a house13.3 % of households living in a house or bungalow (detached, semi-detached or terraced)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Householder decisions394 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications granted89.1 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications decided in time77.7 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder appeals decided by the Planning Inspectorate76 householder appeals decideddecision dates 1 Jul 2021 to 30 Jun 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder appeals allowed35.5 % of householder appeals alloweddecision dates 1 Jul 2021 to 30 Jun 2026assets.publishing.service.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, para B.1(c)No enlargement beyond the plane of a roof slope that forms the principal elevation and fronts a highway—legislation.gov.uk
    Class B, para B.1(f)Class B roof enlargements are not permitted development on article 2(3) land—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 Camden

    Householder applications by street in Camden

    Streets in Camden with the most householder applications, and the share approved
    StreetApplicationsApproved
    Crediton Hill2291%
    Belsize Lane1994%
    Elliott Square17100%
    Constantine Road16100%
    King Henry's Road1691%
    Camden Mews1490%
    Elsworthy Road1477%
    Solent Road1492%
    Sumatra Road1493%
    Goldhurst Terrace13100%
    Dartmouth Park Road1290%
    Hillfield Road1282%
    Hollycroft Avenue1280%
    Meadowbank1282%
    Patshull Road12100%
    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 roof. Headroom Camden expects from the stair: 2 mABCD

    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
    D · Headroom Camden expects from the stair
    2 m

    Why survey a Camden loft first

    Camden's terraces vary from house to house in ridge height, rafter depth, party walls and chimney breasts, so drawings copied from next door mislead. Our survey records the roof as built, on one datum with the floors beneath, and gives the engineer real dimensions for beams and bearings. We also log the slate or tile covering and every stack, because both shape where a dormer cheek can land and how it is finished against the old roof.

    That keeps the later building regulations drawings in step with the planning set, and it tells you early how much floor the roof can really give.

    Conservation areas, Article 4 and listed houses

    Camden has 40 conservation areas and 21 Article 4 directions, and the national rule is blunt: Class B roof enlargements are not permitted development on article 2(3) land. Historic England lists 1,971 entries in the borough, and a listed house needs consent of its own before any roof work.

    Only 13.3 per cent of Camden households live in a house. The loft right belongs to houses, so a flat usually needs an application and the freeholder's agreement, and our Lawful Development Certificate in Camden page explains when a certificate fits.

    Where permitted development stops

    For a house outside every constraint, the loft is capped by volume: 40 m³ (terrace house) / 50 m³ (any other house) additional roof volume. The front slope is excluded: No enlargement beyond the plane of a roof slope that forms the principal elevation and fronts a highway. A dormer facing the street is therefore an application, judged against the CPG.

    Applications are drawn up as in our planning drawings in Camden, with the street elevation and the neighbours' roofs shown beside the new dormer so its effect on the roofline can be read straight from the sheet.

    Decisions and appeals in Camden

    Camden decided 394 householder applications in its latest published year and granted 89.1 per cent. Only 77.7 per cent were decided within eight weeks or an agreed extension, so we plan timetables with room in them.

    The Planning Inspectorate decided 76 Camden householder appeals over the latest five-year period and allowed 35.5 per cent. The figures cover all householder work, so they describe the borough, not one house.

    Set contents and price

    A Camden loft set includes existing and proposed floor plans, the new stair, the roof in section, every elevation and the location and block plans, from £695 with VAT included. A second chartered technologist checks each sheet before submission, and we redraw free of charge if the council asks for changes.

    Fire protection for the new floor follows 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), covered in our building regulations drawings in Camden.

    Dormers, extensions and Islington next door

    Read about the roof form at dormer loft conversion drawings in Camden, or add space behind with rear extension drawings in Camden. Everything we draw locally is under architectural drawings in Camden; compare the rules in Islington.

    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.
    Slate-clad roof extension on a yellow-brick London terraced house
    Storey by storey
    Move up and down — the car travels between floors.

    Other services in Camden

    Loft conversion drawings nearby

    Questions

    What headroom does Camden expect for a dormer?

    Camden's Home Improvements guidance says the existing loft must give habitable headroom of more than 2 m from the staircase. We measure this at survey stage.

    Do I need planning permission for a loft in Camden?

    It depends on the address. In any of Camden's 40 conservation areas a loft enlargement is not permitted development. Elsewhere a house may qualify, which a Lawful Development Certificate confirms.

    Can I build a front dormer in Camden?

    Not as permitted development where it enlarges a slope facing a highway. It needs planning permission, and we show the neighbouring roofs on the drawings so the officer can judge it in context.

    How much are loft conversion drawings in Camden?

    From £695 including VAT, fixed up front. Any council fee is paid separately.

    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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