Planning drawings in Sutton

Large gardens and what they allow

Domestic gardens make up 34.5 per cent of Sutton's land, a high share. That gives owners room for rear extensions and outbuildings, but a garden that large also invites proposals to build in it, and the officer looks at what the design leaves behind.

We show the garden on the proposed site plan with trees and boundaries, and a clear drawing of what remains helps the application read as modest and well judged.

Few heritage controls, but check them

Sutton has 8 conservation areas and 209 Historic England list entries. Many houses are outside both, so permitted development is available to many, and a Lawful Development Certificate in Sutton is often worth asking about first.

If a project does go beyond permitted limits, it needs a householder application. The borough also has an Article 4 direction for houses in multiple occupation, so a family house cannot become a small shared house without permission.

Sutton's decision record

Sutton decided 601 householder applications in its latest published year and granted 91.8 per cent. 94.8 per cent were decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extension.

These figures cover the whole borough and every type of householder case, so we treat them as a guide to timing and not as a forecast.

Planning drawings in Sutton: fees and what is included

Our fixed fee starts at £745 including VAT. The council's householder fee is £548, paid to the council, and neighbours are consulted for at least 21 days.

Sutton sits in the lowest mayoral charging band, at £25 per square metre, so the Community Infrastructure Levy is less of a worry than in inner London, though a larger scheme may still pay it.

The set has existing and proposed plans, elevations and sections, a location plan and a block plan. A second chartered technologist checks each sheet, and we redraw at no charge if the council asks for changes.

Before submission a second chartered technologist checks the set against the council's validation list and the survey. Because Sutton's 94.8 per cent on-time figure depends on complete applications, we send nothing that is missing a dimension or a scale. Where two or more homes are involved, the council fee is £1,083, which we confirm before you pay.

Phasing a larger Sutton project

Some Sutton projects suit more than one phase of work, for example a rear extension now and a loft later. We can draw both on the same survey and submit them together or one after the other. Submitting together gives the officer the whole picture, while phasing spreads the cost and the disruption.

If a later phase might qualify as permitted development, a certificate of lawfulness can secure it in writing. Our loft conversion drawings in Sutton and rear extension drawings in Sutton cover each phase in detail.

Neighbours are consulted for at least 21 days on each application.

Sutton and the boroughs around it

For the borough in full, see architectural drawings in Sutton. Nearby are planning drawings in Croydon, planning drawings in Merton and planning drawings in Kingston upon Thames.