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

Planning

Planning amendments for London homes

You have permission, and then the design moves: a window shifts, the roof pitch changes, a builder finds something on site. A planning amendment asks the council to approve the change without starting again. We redraw the scheme and prepare the application from £289. The council's fee is paid to the council.

From £289, no VAT to add

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    The fixed fee for planning amendments

    Fixed fee
    from £289
    Total you pay
    from £289
    Council fee
    paid to the council separately

    No VAT to add. The fee is fixed in writing after a free constraints check of your address.

    What you get

    • A comparison of the approved scheme with the change
    • A written recommendation on the right route
    • Revised drawings with the changes clearly marked
    • A short covering statement for the case officer
    • The amendment application prepared and submitted for you
    • Answers to the officer's questions
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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 planning amendments

    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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    Two routes, and how to tell them apart

    Small changes go through a non-material amendment. Bigger ones, still within the spirit of the permission, go through a section 73 application, often called a minor material amendment. Which route fits depends on how far the change reaches.

    There is no fixed test. The guidance is candid about it: "There is no statutory definition of non-material, and a change may be non-material in one context and material in another." A window moved eighty millimetres on a rear wall is one thing; the same move on an elevation facing a neighbour's bedroom is another. We assess the change against the officer's report and the approved drawings, then recommend the route in writing before you pay for an application.

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

    Non-material amendment

    This route is quick and cheap. The council aims to decide within 28 days, or a longer time agreed in writing. It leaves the original permission in place and simply records the change.

    The council's fee is £46 for householder development and £309 in any other case, under the current national fee schedule. Typical uses are minor shifts of openings, changes to materials, or a small adjustment to a footprint that no neighbour will notice.

    Section 73 and the minor material amendment

    Section 73 is the wider route. It "Can be used to make a material amendment by varying or removing conditions associated with a planning permission." In practice it produces a fresh permission, with its own conditions, that replaces the original wording for the changed scheme.

    Its fee is £89 for a householder application and £608 in any other case. That is still well below a new full application for a householder scheme at £548, and the neighbours are consulted again on the change.

    Why landlords and investors reach for amendments

    Mid-build changes are common on conversions. A stair needs to move to meet fire separation, an extra roof light is needed to light a bedroom, or a bay turns out to be cheaper without its bay window. Acting before the work happens avoids a retrospective application later; our retrospective planning application page covers that when it is too late.

    If the change also affects a change of use or the layout of a house in multiple occupation, tell us at the start. The amendment may need to deal with both.

    What we do

    You send the decision notice, the approved plans and a note of what has changed. We compare the two, redraw the affected sheets, mark the changes clearly and write a short covering statement.

    We submit the application and respond to the case officer. If the officer decides the change is too large for the quick route, we move it to a section 73 application and explain the difference in cost before anything extra is spent.

    The national rules in figures

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    Planning practice guidance, flexible options: what counts as non-materialThere is no statutory definition of non-material, and a change may be non-material in one context and material in another—gov.uk
    Planning practice guidance, flexible options: time to decide a non-material amendment28 days—gov.uk
    Planning practice guidance, flexible options: section 73Can be used to make a material amendment by varying or removing conditions associated with a planning permission—gov.uk
    Planning fees in England from 1 April 2026: non-material changes, householder development46 GBPfrom 1 April 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Planning fees in England from 1 April 2026: non-material changes, any other case309 GBPfrom 1 April 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Planning fees in England from 1 April 2026: removal or variation of a condition, householder89 GBPfrom 1 April 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Planning fees in England from 1 April 2026: removal or variation of a condition, any other case608 GBPfrom 1 April 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Planning fees in England from 1 April 2026: enlargement or alteration of a single dwellinghouse548 GBPfrom 1 April 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk

    A blank value means the figure has not been published, not that there are none. Check your own address with the council.

    Which application your project needsLawful Development Certificate decision: 8 weeks. Prior approval decision: 42 days. Householder decision: 8 weeksYour projectWithin permitted development?Lawful Development CertificatePrior approvalHouseholder applicationYesLarger rear extensionNoABC

    Which application your project needs

    The usual route for a house; flats and listed buildings follow other rules.

    A · Lawful Development Certificate decision
    8 weeks
    B · Prior approval decision
    42 days
    C · Householder decision
    8 weeks

    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
    The street around you
    Move across the plinth — the blocks rise around the pointer.

    Questions

    Can I just build the change and apply afterwards?

    It is risky. Work that departs from the approved plans may need a retrospective application, and the council can decline to approve what is already built. Apply first where you can.

    Will neighbours be consulted?

    On a non-material amendment the council decides whether to consult. A section 73 application is treated more like a new application, so neighbours are usually notified.

    Does an amendment restart the time limit on my permission?

    A non-material amendment does not create a new permission. A section 73 decision does, with its own conditions. We note the dates on the paperwork so you can see where you stand.

    What if my change is too big for either route?

    Then a new application is needed. We will say so before you pay for an amendment that cannot succeed.

    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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