Planning consultant in Hillingdon

Green belt, trees and the shape of an extension

About 42 per cent of Hillingdon is green belt. For a house inside it, the question the officer asks is whether the extension is disproportionate to the original dwelling. Earlier additions count against you, so we measure what has already been built before sketching what you want.

Trees are the quieter trap. A protected tree close to a rear extension can fix the footprint, the foundation depth and even the construction method. We ask for the survey early because it is cheaper to move a wall on paper than to answer an objection later.

How Hillingdon decides: what the figures say

Over its latest twelve months the council decided 1,147 householder applications and granted 90.2 per cent of them. 94.3 per cent met the statutory period or an agreed extension.

Minor applications are a harder road. Of 367 decided, 68.7 per cent were granted, and only 89.4 per cent were decided in time. If your project is a small new home or a conversion of a house into flats, expect a longer conversation and plan for it.

These are borough totals, not predictions. They tell us where a written case matters, and a householder job in Hillingdon often needs no more than good drawings.

Prior approval and certificates in Hillingdon

For larger rear extensions under the prior approval route, the council granted 29 notifications and refused 13 in the latest statistical year. Grants outnumber refusals, though a neighbour's objection still decides individual cases.

If you only need proof that works are lawful, a Lawful Development Certificate in Hillingdon is cheaper than an application, and the council dealt with 529 of them in the same period. Where an Article 4 direction removes the right, we say so before you commission anything.

Flat conversions and shared houses bring a further layer: the borough has an Article 4 direction for houses in multiple occupation, and that changes the route for a conversion.

The homes behind the figures in Hillingdon

The borough counts 109,228 households, and 68.9 per cent of them live in a house or bungalow, with 56.6 per cent owning their home. That is a lot of owners with a garden to build into, which is why householder work dominates the decision list.

Prices set the stakes. A semi-detached home averages £583,573 and a detached one £941,938 in the latest index month, so an extension that adds a bedroom is a sizeable investment. Spending on a proper route check before you draw is small beside that.

We use these numbers to decide how much consultancy a job needs. A semi-detached extension on an unrestricted street usually needs a clean set of sheets and a short covering note. A house on a restricted street, or a scheme that tests the policy, needs the fuller written case.

Fees and what you pay us

The council's fee for a householder application to one dwelling is £548. Where the Community Infrastructure Levy applies, Hillingdon's charging schedule is the London Borough of Hillingdon CIL Charging Schedule (adopted 10 July 2014), and the Mayor's levy is £72.73 per square metre in the current indexed year.

Our fee is one fixed quote after the free check. If the officer asks for changes, we amend within five working days and redraw free until approval, though we cannot promise any decision.

Where to go next

If the project is a standard extension, our planning drawings in Hillingdon service may be all you need. After a refusal, see planning appeals in Hillingdon. The borough overview is architectural drawings in Hillingdon.

Comparable rules are set out for Ealing, Hounslow and Harrow, and the London-wide explanation is on our planning consultant page.