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Planning

Prior approval drawings in London

Prior approval is a lighter council check for larger rear extensions, extra storeys and shop-to-home conversions: the principle is already granted by national rules, and the council looks only at set issues such as neighbour impact. We draw the notification for London homes. Fixed quote after a free constraints check. The council fee is £249.

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    What prior approval means for your project

    Prior approval sits between permitted development and a full planning application. The national rules already allow the building work, but a council gets a short window to assess particular impacts before you start. For a larger home extension that impact is on the neighbours.

    The tests are narrower than in a householder application. An officer cannot refuse a prior approval because they dislike the design, only on the matters the Order lists. That makes the route attractive for extensions that go deeper than ordinary permitted development allows.

    Our job is to draw a notification that is complete the first time and to show the neighbour impact clearly, so the officer has little to query.

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    Larger home extensions under Class A

    Under the larger home extension route, a single-storey rear extension can go beyond the usual depth. The limits are set in the Order: 6 m (attached) / 8 m (detached), single storey, height max 4 m; not on article 2(3) land or an SSSI.

    The council notifies the adjoining owners and occupiers, who have time to comment. If a neighbour objects, the officer must weigh the impact on their amenity. If nobody objects, the council can still raise issues, but the process is usually quicker and cheaper than a full application.

    Because depth is the whole point, every measurement counts. We survey the original rear wall, because the allowance is counted from the house as first built, and we draw the neighbours' windows and boundary so the officer can see the relationship at a glance.

    Decision period and what you must send

    If the council has not notified you of its decision within 42 days of receiving the information, the development may begin. That is a deemed consent, not a certificate, and we do not advise relying on it without written confirmation.

    The information the Order asks for is short: a written description with the depth, maximum height and eaves height, a site plan, the addresses of adjoining premises and a contact address. We add proper scaled plans and elevations on top, because an officer who can read the proposal quickly has fewer reasons to ask questions.

    A site plan that shows the proposal clearly matters here as much as in any other application, so we draw the location and block plans with this use in mind.

    Adding storeys to a house

    Class AA allows additional storeys on some houses, again subject to prior approval. The rules limit it to houses of two or more storeys and exclude article 2(3) land such as conservation areas. The house must also have been built within a set window of dates, and the new roof is capped in height. The table gives each limit.

    These are strict tests, and a London terrace can fail any of them on date, on height or on land designation. We run all of them in the constraints check before you pay for drawings, because discovering a failed test after drawing wastes both our time and yours.

    Where a test fails, the realistic fallback is usually a full application. Our planning drawings cover that route.

    Class MA: shops and offices to homes

    Prior approval also covers turning a commercial building into homes under Class MA. The premises must have had a commercial, business or service use that was continuous up to the application, and the council has 56 days to decide.

    Homes formed this way have to satisfy the national minimum space standard, so room sizes drive the layout from the first sketch. We test each flat against the standard before showing you options.

    If you are changing the use of a whole building, our change of use drawings page explains the wider picture, including planning fees and sound insulation between new homes.

    How we prepare a prior approval notification

    We start with the constraints check, then survey the house and the two neighbouring rear elevations. The survey records the original rear wall, any earlier extensions, the eaves and the position of every habitable window next door. Those windows are what a neighbour's objection will be about.

    The design stage tests the extension against those windows before you choose an option. If a slightly shallower scheme avoids an objection entirely, you see both versions side by side with the trade-off in plain language.

    A different chartered technologist, not the drafter, reads the notification against the Order's list of required information. We then submit it, track the neighbour period and answer the officer, with any amendment made within five working days. If the council wants amendments, we redraw without charging again.

    When prior approval is the wrong route

    Prior approval does not suit every larger project. If the design needs more than the Order allows, or the house is in a conservation area, the route is closed. Where the extension is within ordinary limits, a Lawful Development Certificate is cheaper and quicker.

    Our recommendation always comes from the facts of the address, not from which service we would prefer to sell. The quote follows the route, never the other way round.

    The national rules in figures

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    Class A, para A.1(g)6 m (attached) / 8 m (detached), single storey, height max 4 m; not on article 2(3) land or an SSSI—legislation.gov.uk
    Class A, para A.4(10)(c): development may begin if the LPA has not notified a decision within 42 days of receiving the information42 days—legislation.gov.uk
    Class A, para A.4(5)(d)LPA notifies adjoining owners/occupiers, giving at least 21 days for representations days—legislation.gov.uk
    Class A, para A.4(2)Written description (depth beyond rear wall, max height, eaves height), site plan, addresses of adjoining premises, developer contact address—legislation.gov.uk
    Prior approval: Larger Home Extensions Part 1 Class A; Additional storeys Part 1 Class AA249 GBP—ribblevalley.gov.uk
    Class AA, paras AA and AA.1(b)-(f)Up to two storeys on houses of 2+ storeys; not on article 2(3) land; house built 1 Jul 1948 to 28 Oct 2018; roof max 18 m and max 7 m above existing—legislation.gov.uk
    Sch 2 Pt 3 Class MA, para MA.1(1)(b)Class E to C3 needs 2 years' continuous Class E use before the prior approval application—legislation.gov.uk
    Sch 2 Pt 3 para W(11)(c)56 days—legislation.gov.uk
    GPDO 2015 art 3(9A)-(9B)New homes made under PD must meet the nationally described space standard—legislation.gov.uk

    A blank value means the figure has not been published, not that there are none. Check your own address with the council.

    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

    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.
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    The street around you
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    Questions

    What is the difference between prior approval and planning permission?

    Prior approval confirms that a form of development already allowed nationally is acceptable on specific points, such as neighbour impact. Planning permission asks the council to judge the whole proposal against local policy.

    How long does prior approval take?

    For a larger home extension the council has 42 days before the development may begin. Commercial-to-residential applications under Class MA have 56 days. No decision date can be promised.

    How much is the prior approval fee?

    The council fee for a larger home extension or additional storeys is £249, which you pay to the council. Our own fee is fixed once the free constraints check is done.

    Will my neighbours be told?

    Yes. For a larger home extension the council notifies the adjoining owners and occupiers, who can comment. We draw their windows and boundaries so the officer can judge the impact.

    Can I use prior approval in a conservation area?

    Not for the larger home extension or additional storeys routes, which exclude article 2(3) land. The address is checked first, and if prior approval is closed we point you to the route that is open.

    Sources and dates

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    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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