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Bexley, London

Planning consultant in Bexley

Bexley is a borough where straightforward householder schemes are usually granted, so a planning consultant here earns the fee on the harder minority: a green-belt edge site, a conservation area, or a refusal already on file. We say plainly when you only need drawings, and when you need advice, on a fixed quote after a free constraints check.

Fixed quote after a free constraints check

  • 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 planning consultant

    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

    Planning consultant in Bexley: when drawings are enough

    The council decided 877 householder applications in the latest twelve months, granted 94.6 per cent and decided 99.4 per cent in time. Minor applications show 238 decisions and 82.4 per cent granted. These are the figures of a borough that processes routine home extensions without drama.

    For a typical house in the 75.3 per cent of households living in houses, a rear extension that follows Design Guide SPD Part 2: Building Alterations and Extensions rarely needs a consultant. It needs sound drawings, a clear design and a neighbour who has been spoken to. We say so, and quote for the drawings alone.

    If you are unsure which camp you are in, send the address. The free check reads the designations and the planning history and gives a straight answer within a short time, whether or not you go on to instruct us.

    Timing is part of the advice. A clear householder application is decided on the statutory clock, and an application that raises questions can be extended by agreement. We tell you the likely rhythm before you instruct a builder, so the start date is not set on a hope.

    The figures describe the borough as a whole and promise nothing for your address. A modest scheme drawn well has the best chance, and a poorly drawn one has the same chance as anywhere else.

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

    Local figures for Bexley

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    Householder decisions877 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications granted94.6 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications decided in time99.4 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor applications granted82.4 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Conservation areas23 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Listed building entries114 list entries (Historic England, within the LPA boundary)—planning.data.gov.uk
    Green Belt share of the council area17 % of council area covered by green-belt polygons—planning.data.gov.uk
    Larger home extension prior approvals granted7 decisions2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Larger home extension prior approvals refused8 decisions2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Lawful development certificate applications (PS1)323 certificates2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.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.

    Councils bordering Bexley
    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

    Where a consultant does add value

    Consultants are sometimes sold as a necessity for every job, which is untrue. We would rather lose a quote than sell advice that a clear set of drawings makes unnecessary.

    Value arrives in the cases the borough's designations catch. Bexley has 23 conservation areas, 114 listed entries and 3 Heritage at Risk entries, and about 17 per cent of its area is covered by green-belt polygons. A house on the edge of that land faces a policy test that a house in the middle of Bexleyheath does not.

    A Green Belt scheme is judged on how much it adds to the original building, so the statement has to measure and explain proportion. We build the case from the Bexley Local Plan and the Design Guide SPD Part 1: Design Principles, which set the borough's design expectations.

    Where a change of use is proposed, we check the planning history of the existing use before advising, because a lawful existing use can change which application, if any, a Bexley owner needs.

    The prior approval and certificate record

    Larger home extension prior approvals show 7 granted and 8 refused in the year to March, a small and nearly even pool. The council also handled 323 lawful development certificate applications.

    The small numbers mean one case can shift the picture, so we do not read a trend into them. For a long rear extension, the question is whether neighbours object and whether the officer's view of impact is likely to be favourable. A consultant can test that before you commit to either route.

    Our lawful development certificate service covers the evidence if permitted development is the better route.

    Price, fees and process

    The council's householder fee is £548. A consultant's statement sits on top of drawings, and the same team draws the planning drawings so there is one version of the scheme.

    For Bexley we quote after looking at the address, not from a tariff, and the free constraints check costs you nothing. A second chartered technologist reviews each statement and sheet before it is lodged, and changes the case officer asks for are redrawn free until approval.

    If an application is refused

    A householder appeal must be lodged within 12 weeks of the decision notice. Our planning appeals service reads the notice and officer report and tells you whether to appeal, revise or try another route. Read about the borough in architectural drawings in Bexley, or the national planning consultant guide.

    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.
    Rear view of brick terraced houses in London with slate roofs and chimney stacks along the shared roofline
    The street around you
    Move across the plinth — the blocks rise around the pointer.

    Other services in Bexley

    Planning consultant nearby

    Questions

    Do I need a planning consultant for a house extension in Bexley?

    Often not. With 94.6 per cent of 877 householder applications granted in the latest year, a modest scheme usually needs good drawings. A consultant helps with Green Belt, heritage or refusal cases.

    What is different about Green Belt land in Bexley?

    About 17 per cent of the borough is covered by green-belt polygons, and extensions there are judged on proportion to the original building.

    How quickly does Bexley decide householder cases?

    99.4 per cent were decided within eight weeks or an agreed extension in the latest twelve months, a figure for the borough rather than a promise.

    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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