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Westminster, London

New build drawings in Westminster

A new home in Westminster is judged against a hard size ceiling before anything else: the City Plan caps a single dwelling at 200 sq m GIA. We prepare new build drawings for Westminster plots from £1,450 including VAT, with every sheet checked by a second chartered technologist.

From £1,450 (VAT included)

  • MCIAT chartered
  • £2m PI insured
  • LABC Partnered
  • Fixed fees, VAT included

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We use it to check conservation areas and constraints.
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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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    Georgian brick terrace with sash windows, arched fanlight doorways, stone steps and iron railings in London

    Westminster's own limits on a new home

    Most London boroughs measure a new house against minimum sizes. Westminster does that and also sets a maximum. Under the City Plan 2019-2040 (2026), no new home, including one made by a change of use or an extension, may exceed 200 sq m GIA unless the extra floor space protects a heritage asset. A buyer who wants one large townhouse on a plot therefore needs the drawing set to show why the exception applies, or to split the space into two homes.

    Outdoor space is the second local test. The same plan asks for at least 5 sq m of private external amenity space for one or two people, plus a little more for each extra occupant where practicable, and every dwelling must also meet the nationally described space standard. On a tight central plot that often means the balcony or terrace is designed on day one, not added after the first officer comment.

    Our drawings mark floor area per room and total area per dwelling in one schedule, and show the amenity space on the plan with its dimensions, so the officer can check both limits without a calculator.

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

    Local figures for Westminster

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    No new home (including changes of use and extensions that create homes) may exceed 200 sq m GIA, except to protect a heritage asset.200 sq m GIA—westminster.gov.uk, City Plan 2026, Policy 12, p.80, Policy 12 B; p.82 para 12.11
    All new-build homes should provide at least 5 sq m of private external amenity space for 1-2 persons plus 1 sq m per extra person where practicable, and all new homes must meet the Nationally Described Space Standards.5 sq m—westminster.gov.uk, City Plan 2026, Policy 16, p.94, Policy 16 C-D
    Conservation areas56 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Listed building entries4,015 list entries (Historic England, within the LPA boundary)—planning.data.gov.uk
    Minor application decisions1,766 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor applications granted85.8 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor applications decided in time83.6 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Mayoral CIL charging band1 MCIL2 charging band (1-3)—london.gov.uk
    Mayoral CIL rate (indexed)96.97 £/m² (indexed, permissions granted in 2026)—london.gov.uk
    Tree preservation orders685 tree preservation orders published by the council—planning.data.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 Westminster
    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

    Heritage is the main constraint on a Westminster plot

    Westminster publishes 56 conservation areas, holds 4,015 listed building entries and has 1 World Heritage Site within its boundary, together with 28 registered parks and gardens. A new building rarely stands far from a protected neighbour, so a heritage view is part of the application whether or not your own plot is designated.

    The council also has two design guides that bear on small infill schemes: the Mews: a guide to alterations SPG and the Roofs: a guide to alterations and extensions on domestic buildings SPG. The mews guide is the one to read for a backland site in a mews. We show these relationships in section, with the neighbours' ridge and eaves levels taken from our measured building survey work.

    Trees matter too. The borough has published 685 tree preservation orders, so we plot any protected tree and its root zone before the footprint is fixed.

    How Westminster treats smaller schemes

    A scheme of fewer than ten homes is a minor application, and Westminster decided 1,766 minor applications in the latest return, granting 85.8 per cent and deciding 83.6 per cent within eight weeks or an agreed extension. Those are historic council figures for all minor schemes, which include extensions and changes of use. They are not a forecast for your plot, and we do not read them as a promise.

    What they do tell you is that a well-prepared minor scheme is a normal event here, so the work is in preparation. Only 10.2 per cent of households in Westminster live in a house or bungalow, so a new build here is more likely to be a mews house, rear infill or a replacement building than a fresh plot in a garden.

    On that kind of site we start with an options study in our Revit model, so the massing, the roof form and the party wall lines are tested before drawings are produced for submission.

    Levies you should price in early

    New dwellings in London pay the Mayoral CIL. Westminster sits in charging band 1, with the current indexed rate at £96.97 per square metre. On top of that, the council's own charging schedule, the Westminster CIL Charging Schedule, also applies. For a home close to the size cap, the levy is a real line in the budget.

    The council's application fee for a small scheme is £610 per dwelling, set nationally. Biodiversity net gain is a further consideration: From 6 Aug 2026 BNG does not apply to sites of 0.2 ha or less; the self-build exemption ended for applications from 6 Aug 2026.

    Because a terraced house in the borough averages £1,616,250, owners are rarely short of motive to build, yet a mistake in the levy sums costs more than our fee. We flag it at the quote stage.

    From first call to submission

    You give us the address and what you hope to build. We run the constraints check, tell you which route applies and send a fixed quote. Our planning drawings in Westminster service covers the application side, and our building regulations drawings in Westminster follow once the design is settled.

    If the council asks for changes during the application, we redraw at no extra charge until approval. We cannot say what a council will decide, and we will not claim otherwise.

    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.
    Red-brick mansion blocks and shopfronts on a street corner
    Points, not guesses
    Paint across the grid with the pointer.

    Other services in Westminster

    New build drawings nearby

    Questions

    Is there a maximum size for a new house in Westminster?

    Yes. The City Plan limits a new home to 200 sq m GIA, except where the extra space protects a heritage asset. We state the area on every plan.

    Do I need outdoor space for a new home in Westminster?

    The City Plan asks for at least 5 sq m of private external space for one or two people where practicable. We show it dimensioned on the plan.

    What does a new home cost in levies here?

    Mayoral CIL is charged in band 1 at £96.97 per square metre this year, plus the borough charge. Your quote lists both.

    Can you draw a mews house?

    Yes. We draw to the council's Mews: a guide to alterations SPG, with the neighbouring levels taken from survey data.

    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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