Planning consultant in Hounslow

The design guidance Hounslow applies

The plan is the Hounslow Local Plan 2015-2030 (Volumes 1 and 2), adopted in 2,015. For design detail, the council's working document is the Character, Sustainability and Design Codes SPD, a single document that sets out how new work should read against its surroundings.

Because it is built around character, the useful question is not whether a window is the right size in isolation but whether the street can absorb it. We take photographs of the neighbouring frontages and show the officer a drawing that answers that question directly.

Heritage and Article 4 in Hounslow

Hounslow lists 33 conservation areas and 519 listed building entries, with 3 Article 4 directions in force. The borough also includes 1 World Heritage Site within its boundary, and Historic England records 27 Heritage at Risk entries.

For a house near any of these, the statement needs a short heritage assessment, and the application may need an impact note on views. We tell you at the free check whether yours does.

About 22 per cent of the borough is green belt, so some addresses face the disproportion test rather than the character test.

Larger home extensions: a tougher prior approval record

Hounslow granted only 20 larger-home extension prior approvals and refused 59 in the latest statistical year. Roughly three refusals for every grant is a strong signal that the quick route is not a safe default here.

When we see that pattern, we usually compare the prior approval route with a householder application on the same extension. The householder route costs the council fee but lets you argue the merits openly. We lay out both so you can choose.

Hounslow households and what they build

Hounslow has 102,961 households. Of those, 54 per cent live in a house or bungalow and 45.7 per cent own their home, so a large share of the borough can extend, and many do.

Domestic gardens made up around 21.5 per cent of the borough's land in the last national land-use survey, which tells us that plenty of plots have room for a rear or side addition. Room on the plot is not the same as room in the policy, though, and the lower grant rate shows that.

A semi-detached house averages £716,213 here. We weigh the cost of a thorough planning case against a figure like that, and tell you plainly when a simple application is enough.

Costs and the levy

The council's householder fee is £548 for one dwelling. Hounslow's levy is set in zones: £200/m² (CIL Zone 1, East); £110/m² (CIL Zone 2, Central); £70/m² (CIL Zone 3, West). The Mayor's levy adds £72.73 per square metre in the current indexed year.

Householder extensions are normally outside the levy. A new dwelling is not, and we give you the likely figure early so it does not surprise you after permission.

A short process note helps here. After the free check we agree the route in writing, assemble the statement and the sheets together, and have a second chartered technologist, never the person who drew them, check the whole set before it goes to the council. If the officer then raises a point, we amend the sheets within five working days and keep you informed of any change to the design.

Related services in Hounslow

Where a consultant is not needed, our planning drawings in Hounslow cover the standard route. To prove lawful use, see the Lawful Development Certificate in Hounslow. If you were refused, planning appeals in Hounslow starts from the decision notice.

The borough summary is architectural drawings in Hounslow. Neighbouring rules are covered for Ealing and Hillingdon.