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Hillingdon, London

Planning appeals in Hillingdon

Planning appeals in Hillingdon start with a refusal notice, and the clock on a householder appeal is 12 weeks. The borough granted 90.2 per cent of its householder applications in the latest year, so a refusal here usually has a specific reason behind it. We read it, say whether it can be answered, and prepare the drawings and statement. Fixed quote after a free constraints check.

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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 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.

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

    Hillingdon's decisions, and why a refusal stands out

    Hillingdon decided 1,147 householder applications in its latest year and granted 90.2 per cent of them. With a record like that, the applications that fail tend to fail on one identifiable point rather than on a general reluctance to see homes altered. That is useful for an appeal, because a narrow reason can be met with a narrow answer.

    The picture changes for smaller developments. On 367 minor applications, which include a house split into flats or a small block, the grant rate fell to 68.7 per cent. If your refused scheme added a unit rather than a room, expect the reasons to be more demanding, and expect the appeal to carry more weight than a householder case.

    Speed matters as well. 94.3 per cent of householder cases were decided inside eight weeks or an agreed extension, so a decision notice rarely sits unissued. Check its date today, because the appeal period runs from that date and not from the day it reached you.

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

    Local figures for Hillingdon

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    Householder decisions1,147 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications granted90.2 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications decided in time94.3 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor application decisions367 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor applications granted68.7 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Green Belt share of the council area42 % of council area covered by green-belt polygons—planning.data.gov.uk
    Article 4 directions150 Article 4 directions published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Larger home extension prior approvals refused13 decisions2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    DMPO 2015 art 37(2)(a): householder appeal, from the date of the decision notice12 weeks—legislation.gov.uk
    Section 1.1: allowed rate for s78 planning appeals, Apr-Jun 202631 %—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 Hillingdon
    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

    Green Belt refusals and the openness test

    Green-belt polygons cover 42 per cent of the borough. If your house lies inside one, the officer's reason is often that the extension is disproportionate to the original building or harms openness. Those are questions of measurement, and measurement is where drawings help.

    We rebuild the original house from the historic mapping and the earlier permissions, then show each later addition against it. If the council counted a porch that was already there, or ignored a demolition, a corrected volume comparison can change the argument. If the figures are sound, we say so, and look at whether a smaller scheme would succeed on a fresh application instead.

    An inspector will visit the site in many Green Belt appeals, so the drawings must match what is on the ground. Our survey notes record eaves, ridge, ground levels and outbuildings so that nothing surprises anyone at the visit.

    Article 4 directions and heritage as grounds

    The council has published 150 Article 4 directions and 33 conservation areas, and it lists 436 entries on the national heritage list. A refusal in any of these places may cite harm to character, and an appeal then has to deal with the statutory test for heritage as well as the usual design policies.

    We check whether a direction removed a right you thought you had. If it did, the appeal may be misdirected, and a different route could serve you better. Our planning drawings in Hillingdon page covers the full application route, and our Lawful Development Certificate service in Hillingdon deals with work that needs no permission.

    When the refusal was a prior approval

    Large rear extensions built under permitted development go through prior approval, and the council refused 13 of them against 29 granted in its latest return. A refused prior approval can be appealed too, but the period and the grounds may differ from a householder refusal, so read the notice for the exact date.

    Neighbour objection is the usual cause, because the process asks the council to weigh impact on adjoining homes. We look at what the neighbour said, what the officer made of it, and whether a shallower depth or a lower eaves line would remove the objection altogether. Often it will, and a fresh submission beats waiting for an inspector.

    What we prepare for a Hillingdon appeal

    For most householder cases the route is written representations. We draft the statement, answer each refusal reason against the development plan, and assemble the plans the inspector needs. The council's own planning register is searchable online, which lets us pull the officer's report and comparable decisions on nearby streets.

    Where the dispute is about height or outlook, we add sections and 3D views from a single model, so the sheets agree with each other. A second chartered technologist reads the whole bundle before it goes anywhere. Our wider architectural drawings in Hillingdon page lists everything else we draw in the borough.

    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.

    Other services in Hillingdon

    Planning appeals nearby

    Questions

    How long do I have to appeal a householder refusal in Hillingdon?

    The limit is 12 weeks from the date on the decision notice. It is set nationally, so Hillingdon cannot extend it.

    Is a Hillingdon refusal likely to be overturned?

    Nobody can say, and we do not promise results. Across England the Inspectorate allowed 31 per cent of section 78 appeals in its latest quarter. The reasons for your refusal matter more than any average.

    Should I appeal or submit a revised scheme?

    If the reason is about detail, such as depth or height, a revised application is often quicker. An appeal suits a case where you think the council misread its own policy.

    How long will the appeal take?

    For householder appeals decided on written representations, the national median was 11.6 weeks. Yours may take longer if the inspector needs a site visit.

    Sources and dates

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    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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