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Camden, London

New build drawings in Camden

Camden writes its design rules as Camden Planning Guidance, and the one that matters for a new house is about windows: how far apart facing homes should be. New build drawings in Camden from £1,450 including VAT put that distance on the page, drawn by MCIAT chartered architectural technologists and checked by a second one.

From £1,450 (VAT included)

  • MCIAT chartered
  • £2m PI insured
  • LABC Partnered
  • 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 new build drawings

    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

    Camden's separation rule for facing windows

    The Amenity CPG says it is good practice to keep a minimum of 18 m between facing habitable-room windows, measured between the closest points and including balconies. In a borough of terraces and mews that is the number a new infill house is tested against, and it often decides whether a scheme works at all.

    We draw it as a dimensioned line on the site plan and as a section through the two façades, with every window and balcony on both sides. If the gap is short, we show what the design does about it: obscured glass, a stepped plan, a window turned to the side. An officer sees the answer on the sheet and not in a covering letter.

    The rest of the guidance is organised the same way. The Design CPG (Camden Planning Guidance) deals with massing, materials and the relationship to the street, the Amenity CPG (Camden Planning Guidance) with outlook, privacy and garden space, and the Basements CPG (Camden Planning Guidance) with any lower ground floor. All sit under the Camden Local Plan, adopted in 2,017. Because the plan is older than much of the guidance, we confirm with the council which version is in force before we draw.

    Windows are only part of what gets measured. The Design CPG's tests for height and massing mean we draw each proposed storey against its neighbours' eaves and ridges, and the street scene is presented at true scale, not as a sketch. In a terrace, the rhythm of the front windows and the line of the parapet are what the officer reads first, so they are drawn precisely.

    Red-brick mansion blocks and shopfronts on a street corner

    Local figures for Camden

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    It is good practice to keep a minimum of 18m between facing habitable-room windows, measured between the closest points including balconies.18 m—camden.gov.uk, Amenity CPG, PDF p.4, para 2.4
    Local planCamden Local Plan—camden.gov.uk
    Local plan adopted2,017—camden.gov.uk
    Conservation areas40 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Listed building entries1,971 list entries (Historic England, within the LPA boundary)—planning.data.gov.uk
    Article 4 directions21 Article 4 directions published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Minor applications granted89.4 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor applications decided in time80.3 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Mayoral CIL rate (indexed)96.97 £/m² (indexed, permissions granted in 2026)—london.gov.uk
    Erection of dwellinghouses, not more than 10: per dwellinghouse, from 1 Apr 2026610 GBP per dwelling—ribblevalley.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
    Building regulations, layer by layerPart A: structure: Approved Document A: Structure, 2004 edition incorporating 2004, 2010 and 2013 amendments. Part B: fire safety: All dwellings: fire detection and alarm system minimum Grade D2 Category LD3 (BS 5839-6), mains-operated smoke alarms to BS EN 14604. Part L: insulation: New elements in existing dwellings, limiting U-values W/(m²·K): roof 0.15, wall 0.18, floor 0.18, windows 1.4 (or WER Band B), doors 1.4. Part K: stairs: 2.0 m clear headroom over stairs. Full plans application: Building control body must decide a full plans application within 5 weeks, or longer if agreed in writingPart A: structurePart B: fire safetyPart L: insulationPart K: stairsFull plans applicationABCDE

    Building regulations, layer by layer

    The Approved Documents that shape most house projects, from structure to the application itself.

    A · Part A: structure
    Approved Document A: Structure, 2004 edition incorporating 2004, 2010 and 2013 amendments
    B · Part B: fire safety
    All dwellings: fire detection and alarm system minimum Grade D2 Category LD3 (BS 5839-6), mains-operated smoke alarms to BS EN 14604
    C · Part L: insulation
    New elements in existing dwellings, limiting U-values W/(m²·K): roof 0.15, wall 0.18, floor 0.18, windows 1.4 (or WER Band B), doors 1.4
    D · Part K: stairs
    2.0 m clear headroom over stairs
    E · Full plans application
    Building control body must decide a full plans application within 5 weeks, or longer if agreed in writing

    The heritage weight of a Camden plot

    Camden has 40 conservation areas, 1,971 list entries and 21 Article 4 directions, and 35 entries on the Heritage at Risk Register. That is a very heavy layer: a new house in the borough may well sit in a conservation area, beside a listed building, or both.

    A new house in a conservation area is tested for whether it preserves or enhances the area, so the drawings carry a short heritage note, the materials and a true-height street scene with the listed neighbour shown. We check every layer at the start and say honestly if a site is not realistic.

    How Camden decides small housing schemes

    A single new home or small terrace is a minor application. Camden decided 868 minor applications in its latest year, granted 89.4 per cent and decided 80.3 per cent in time. That grant rate is high, but the in-time figure is modest, so a Camden programme usually allows for an agreed extension to the 8 weeks the law gives.

    Appeals show where the council can be challenged. On householder cases the Planning Inspectorate decided 76 appeals and allowed 35.5 per cent. Those are alterations rather than new homes, and the sample is small, but it shows most appeals against the council fail.

    Levies and land values in Camden

    Camden is in the Mayor of London's highest charging band, band 1, which is £96.97 per square metre for permissions granted this year. The borough also has its own levy schedule and the application fee is £610 per dwelling for up to nine houses.

    The average house price is £815,159, a change of -10.1 per cent in twelve months, across 92,759 households. With values at that level, a month of delay costs more than the drawings, so we aim to submit a complete application first time.

    A lower ground floor changes the application. The Basements CPG asks for evidence about structure, groundwater and the effect on neighbours, so a house with a basement needs a basement impact assessment and an engineer from the outset. We coordinate the drawings with that work, and tell you early if the extra cost and time outweigh the extra floor.

    Price and next steps for new builds in Camden

    New build drawings in Camden start at £1,450, VAT included, fixed after a free constraints check. We redraw at no charge if the council asks for changes, though we cannot promise a decision.

    The application is prepared as planning drawings in Camden. After permission, construction drawings in Camden and structural calculations in Camden take the design to site, and building regulations drawings in Camden cover compliance. The borough overview is architectural drawings in Camden, and for the neighbours see new build drawings in Islington or in Westminster.

    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.
    Pencil resting on a dimensioned technical drawing beside a scale rule
    Points, not guesses
    Paint across the grid with the pointer.

    Other services in Camden

    New build drawings nearby

    Questions

    How far apart should facing windows be in Camden?

    The Amenity CPG gives 18 m as good practice between facing habitable-room windows, measured between the closest points including balconies.

    Does Camden have many conservation areas?

    Yes, 40, and 1,971 list entries. We check each address first.

    How much are new build drawings in Camden?

    From £1,450 including VAT. The council's fee is £610 per dwelling and is separate.

    Which Camden guidance covers a new house?

    The Design CPG (Camden Planning Guidance) and Amenity CPG (Camden Planning Guidance), under the Camden Local Plan. A lower ground floor also brings in the Basements CPG (Camden Planning Guidance).

    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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