020 7864 7245Request a fixed quote

Havering, London

Planning appeals in Havering

Planning appeals in Havering start with the refusal notice. Green Belt covers 53 per cent of Havering, more than half the borough, and it can be the deciding reason when a house extension is refused. A householder appeal must be lodged within 12 weeks of the decision notice. We read your notice, work out whether Green Belt, character or neighbours drove it, and prepare the drawings and statement.

Fixed quote after a free constraints check

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

Request a fixed quote

We use it to check conservation areas and constraints.
Pick the council that decides your application.
A few lines: what you want to build, and anything the council has already said.
Add photos or drawings

Drop files here or choose from your device

PDF, JPG, PNG, DWG · up to 10 files, 90 MB in total

    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 appeals

    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.

    Request a fixed quote
    Pencil resting on a dimensioned technical drawing beside a scale rule

    Planning appeals in Havering: a council that decides fast

    Havering decided 985 householder applications, and granted 85.9 per cent. It decided 97.8 per cent in time, and 96.4 per cent of the 306 minor applications. Minor applications were granted 64.4 per cent of the time.

    A council that decides this quickly leaves little room for a non-determination appeal, so an appeal here almost always starts from a refusal notice. We read it with the officer's report to find where the case turned.

    Rows of brick terraced houses and gardens on a residential street

    Local figures for Havering

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    Householder decisions985 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications granted85.9 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications decided in time97.8 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor application decisions306 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor applications granted64.4 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Green Belt share of the council area53 % of council area covered by green-belt polygons—planning.data.gov.uk
    Conservation areas11 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Households living in a house76.7 % of households living in a house or bungalow (detached, semi-detached or terraced)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Owner-occupied households69.5 % of households owner-occupied (owned outright or with mortgage/loan)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Domestic gardens share of land (GLUD 2005)19.5 % of land that is domestic garden (GLUD 2005)2005data.london.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 Havering
    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

    The Green Belt question

    More than half the borough lies within Green Belt polygons, and the national rule is that extensions to a building in the Green Belt must not be disproportionate to the original. National policy gives no fixed percentage, so inspectors weigh size, form and the effect on openness site by site.

    To meet a Green Belt refusal we reconstruct the original building, schedule every later addition by volume, and show the proposal's share on one clear table. We also look at whether the extension replaces something already there, since a replacement of an existing outbuilding or a poor earlier extension can reduce the net effect on openness. A reviewer outside the drafting team checks the arithmetic.

    Havering's guidance

    Officers apply the Havering Local Plan 2016-2031, the Residential Extensions and Alterations SPD and, where heritage is involved, the Heritage SPD. The borough has 11 conservation areas and 146 list entries, so check your address against the heritage maps.

    Where the notice cites the Residential Extensions SPD, we measure the scheme against its tests and show the working. Where it cites the Heritage SPD, we trace the designation on the map and confirm it covers the property.

    A borough of houses

    76.7 per cent of households live in a house, and 69.5 per cent own their home. Gardens cover 19.5 per cent of the land. Common appeal subjects are side or rear extensions, loft conversions and garden buildings.

    The borough also has an Article 4 direction on houses in multiple occupation, which matters if your refusal concerned a shared-house conversion. Such a case is argued on living conditions, parking and the mix of homes in the street, so we collect that evidence before drafting anything.

    Getting the Green Belt table right

    The table is the heart of a Green Belt appeal in Havering, so it has to survive scrutiny. We start from the earliest reliable record of the house, which may be the council's own planning history, a historic map or the original building control drawings. We then list every addition with its date and volume, mark which were permitted development, and show the proposal last. The figures come from the drawings and carry their working, so an inspector or a council officer can check them quickly.

    We also explain the effect on openness in words, because volume is only one factor. A low, well-screened rear extension that sits within the footprint of existing buildings changes the openness of the Green Belt very little, while a tall addition that fills a gap at the side changes it more. Saying so plainly, with a sketch section, is better than leaving the inspector to infer it.

    Timing and alternatives

    A written-representations householder appeal took a national median of 11.6 weeks, and 31 per cent of section 78 appeals were allowed in the latest quarter. Neither tells you how your case will go.

    Havering handled 578 lawful development certificate applications in the latest return. If your work fits permitted limits, a Lawful Development Certificate avoids an appeal; deeper rear extensions can suit prior approval instead. Where the building is already up, see retrospective planning applications.

    Our Havering bundle

    A statement taking each reason in order, drawings from one model, the Green Belt volume table where it applies, and a section or street view where neighbours are the issue. Review by a second person, and a fixed fee after the free constraints check.

    Start at planning appeals or see the range of architectural drawings in Havering. We cannot predict an independent inspector's decision.

    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.
    Georgian brick terrace with sash windows, arched fanlight doorways, stone steps and iron railings in London
    The street around you
    Move across the plinth — the blocks rise around the pointer.

    Other services in Havering

    Planning appeals nearby

    Questions

    How much of Havering is Green Belt?

    53 per cent of the council area is covered by green-belt polygons. Check whether your property falls inside before you design.

    Does Havering decide applications quickly?

    Yes: 97.8 per cent of householder applications were decided in time.

    Which Havering guidance matters most?

    The Residential Extensions and Alterations SPD for house alterations, and the Heritage SPD where heritage is concerned.

    What is the appeal deadline?

    12 weeks from the decision notice for a householder case.

    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.

    Request a fixed quoteCall 020 7864 7245WhatsApp