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Camden, London

Planning consultant in Camden

Camden holds 1,971 listed entries in 40 conservation areas, and only 77.7 per cent of its householder cases were decided on time. A planning consultant in Camden is therefore a heritage and programme adviser as much as a route chooser. We offer that 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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    Brick cottage with a tiled roof, chimneys and a front dormer window

    Planning consultant in Camden: guidance that is read closely

    Camden publishes its design expectations as planning guidance, and four documents matter for a home: the Home Improvements CPG (Camden Planning Guidance), the Design CPG (Camden Planning Guidance), the Amenity CPG (Camden Planning Guidance) and, for any lower floor, the Basements CPG (Camden Planning Guidance). They sit under the Camden Local Plan, and officers rely on them when they assess a scheme.

    A consultant reads the scheme against each document before the route is chosen. The Home Improvements guidance, for instance, drives the treatment of a rear extension, a roof alteration or a side infill, and the amenity guidance drives how daylight and outlook to neighbours are assessed.

    The statement then answers those tests in the order the officer will apply them. Our daylight and sunlight report service supplies the numbers where a neighbour's windows are at stake.

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

    Local figures for Camden

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    Listed building entries1,971 list entries (Historic England, within the LPA boundary)—planning.data.gov.uk
    Conservation areas40 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Article 4 directions21 Article 4 directions published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Heritage at Risk entries35 Heritage at Risk Register entries within the LPA boundary (Historic England)—planning.data.gov.uk
    Householder decisions394 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications granted89.1 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications decided in time77.7 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor applications decided in time80.3 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Lawful development certificate applications (PS1)137 certificates2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Average price, terraced1,554,868 GBP2026-07publicdata.landregistry.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 Camden
    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

    Heritage: the central issue for most Camden homes

    The borough has 1,971 list entries, 40 conservation areas and 21 Article 4 directions, with 35 entries on the Heritage at Risk Register. Only 13.3 per cent of households live in houses, so a large share of applicants own a flat in a converted period building.

    In a listed or conservation-area building the question is rarely whether to build, it is how to alter without harming the character. A statement has to describe the significance of the building and street, assess the impact, and justify any harm. Listed building consent is a separate matter from planning permission, and we say when both are needed.

    Terraced houses average £1,554,868, so owners invest heavily in the work and a refusal costs more than a month.

    Speed, grants and prior approval

    The council made 394 householder decisions in the latest twelve months and granted 89.1 per cent, yet only 77.7 per cent were decided within eight weeks or an agreed extension. Minor applications show 868 decisions, 89.4 per cent granted and 80.3 per cent in time.

    The high grant rate alongside the low in-time rate is the point. Camden grants well-prepared schemes, and it takes its time. A consultant's job is to agree extensions in writing, answer consultee comments quickly and avoid a second round.

    Larger home extension prior approvals are rare here, with 2 granted and 0 refused in the year to March. The council also handled 137 lawful development certificate applications.

    What we deliver

    A flat owner in a listed conversion has a different brief again. Works to internal fabric may need listed building consent even where planning permission is not needed, and consent from the freeholder is a separate step. We list each permission and the order to seek it, so a contractor does not start before the paperwork is complete.

    Camden also asks for supporting material that a simple extension elsewhere would not need: a heritage statement, photographs of the existing building and street, and sometimes a basement impact assessment. We scope those at the start so that the first submission is complete.

    You receive the route in writing, a statement set against the guidance above, a heritage-sensitive description of the building and a validation check. The same team draws the planning drawings, so the heritage description and the elevations agree. Where a mansard, a rear dormer or a lightwell is proposed in a conservation area, we draw the neighbouring roofs and frontages as well, because the officer judges the alteration against the run of the terrace rather than the single house in isolation.

    Fees, deadlines and quote

    The council fee for a householder application is £548, and the statutory decision period for non-major cases is 8 weeks.

    In Camden the scope varies too much for a price list, so you get a fixed quote once the free constraints check has read your address. A second chartered technologist reviews the heritage statement, planning statement and drawings before they go in, and officer-requested changes are redrawn free until approval. See the national planning consultant guide, or architectural drawings in Camden.

    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 Camden

    Planning consultant nearby

    Questions

    Does a Camden listed building need a planning consultant?

    Often yes. With 1,971 list entries in the borough, alterations need a statement of significance and impact, and listed building consent is separate from planning permission.

    Why do Camden decisions take longer?

    Only 77.7 per cent of householder decisions met the eight-week or agreed deadline in the latest twelve months, even though 89.1 per cent were granted. We agree extensions in writing.

    Which Camden guidance applies to a rear extension?

    The Home Improvements CPG (Camden Planning Guidance) is the main one, with the Design CPG (Camden Planning Guidance) and Amenity CPG (Camden Planning Guidance) read alongside it.

    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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