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Hammersmith & Fulham, London

Planning consultant in Hammersmith & Fulham

A planning consultant in Hammersmith & Fulham is useful because the borough grants 97.8 per cent of householder applications yet decides only 79.8 per cent on time. A good first submission keeps you on the right side of that gap. We offer a fixed quote after a free constraints check, with the drawings and the statement prepared together.

Fixed quote after a free constraints check

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

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We use it to check conservation areas and constraints.
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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

    A high grant rate and a slow clock

    In the latest twelve months we hold, the council made 506 householder decisions and granted 97.8 per cent, a high rate. The catch is timing: only 79.8 per cent were decided inside eight weeks or an agreed extension. Minor applications show the same pattern, with 565 decisions, 95.9 per cent granted and 78.6 per cent in time.

    The sensible reading is that officers here are willing to grant, but a case can sit in the queue. Anything that creates a second round of questions, a missing document or an unclear drawing, pushes a decision further out. So the plan is not to argue harder but to remove every reason for the officer to write back.

    We build that into the way we work. The package is checked against the council's local validation list before submission, the plans are labelled and dimensioned in full, and the statement answers the points a neighbour is likely to raise. None of this fixes a date, and we never promise one, but it removes the delays that are in your hands.

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

    Local figures for Hammersmith & Fulham

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    Conservation areas47 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Listed building entries268 list entries (Historic England, within the LPA boundary)—planning.data.gov.uk
    Householder decisions506 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications granted97.8 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications decided in time79.8 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor applications granted95.9 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor applications decided in time78.6 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Households living in a house24.6 % of households living in a house or bungalow (detached, semi-detached or terraced)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Lawful development certificate applications (PS1)94 certificates2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Mayoral CIL schedule rate80 £/m² (MCIL2 schedule rate, from 1 April 2019)—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 Hammersmith & Fulham
    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

    Conservation areas and the character of the borough

    Hammersmith & Fulham has 47 conservation areas, 268 listed entries and 15 Heritage at Risk entries. That designation shapes what officers accept on roofs, front elevations and rear additions, especially on terraces with a uniform appearance.

    Homes here are mainly flats and terraces. Only 24.6 per cent of households live in a house, and 32.1 per cent own their home. The result is that many projects involve a leasehold flat or a house that has been converted, and we need to know the lease and the freehold position before design begins.

    Prices add stakes. The average detached home is worth £1,716,974 and the average terraced home £1,139,759, so the stakes of a delayed or refused scheme are high. That is one reason owners here ask for a statement as well as drawings.

    When a scheme sits in a conservation area, we describe the street's character before we describe the extension: the roof line, the window pattern, the materials and the rhythm of the rear elevations. Officers read the character first and the proposal second, so a statement that follows the same order is easier to agree with.

    Permitted development, certificates and the rest

    Because so much of the borough is covered by conservation areas and flats do not benefit from householder rights, permitted development is narrower here than it looks. The council decided 94 certificates of lawfulness in the quarterly series, a modest number that fits the housing mix.

    When rights do exist, a Lawful Development Certificate in Hammersmith & Fulham proves them in writing, which helps with a sale or a mortgage later. When they do not, we go straight to a planning application and avoid wasting a certificate fee.

    Gardens are a smaller share of the land here, 17.1 per cent, so rear extensions often face tight plot ratios and close neighbours. A daylight and sunlight report in Hammersmith & Fulham is therefore a common companion to a taller or deeper extension.

    How a Hammersmith & Fulham brief runs with us

    The free check covers conservation areas, listing, Article 4, trees, flood and the property's planning history. We reply with a route and scope: drawings only, a certificate, a prior approval via our prior approval drawings in Hammersmith & Fulham, or a full application through our planning drawings service in Hammersmith & Fulham.

    An independent chartered technologist, never the person who drew the set, checks every package. Officer amendments are made within five working days, and redrawing is free until approval. A lower-ground extension may also need a basement impact assessment in Hammersmith & Fulham.

    If the council refuses, a householder appeal has a deadline of 12 weeks; our planning appeals service in Hammersmith & Fulham starts with the decision notice.

    Before submission we also read the council's local validation list against the package. A council can only require local items from a list adopted within the last 2 years, so we check the date as well as the content, and we raise any out-of-date request with the council before it holds your application up.

    Fees, levy and next step

    The statutory period for a non-major application is 8 weeks, and the householder fee is £548. The Mayor's charge here is in the highest band, at 80 pounds per square metre before indexation, which matters for any scheme that adds a new home.

    Send us the address and a line about the project. More on the borough is on our architectural drawings page for Hammersmith & Fulham, and the service is described under planning consultant.

    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 Hammersmith & Fulham

    Planning consultant nearby

    Questions

    Why does a Hammersmith & Fulham application take longer than the statutory period?

    The council decided 79.8 per cent of householder cases in time, so extensions of time are common. A complete first submission is the best way to avoid a second round of questions.

    Do flats in Hammersmith & Fulham have permitted development?

    Householder rights do not cover flats, so most flat projects need an application or a certificate. The free check confirms your route.

    How long should I expect to wait?

    8 weeks is the statutory period for a non-major case, and an agreed extension may follow. We cannot promise a date.

    What does your service cost?

    A fixed quote after a free constraints check, separate from the council's fee of £548.

    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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