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Bexley, London

Prior approval drawings in Bexley

Prior approval drawings in Bexley suit the many owners of semis and terraces who want a rear extension deeper than ordinary permitted development. The council's latest returns show 7 larger home extension notifications granted and 8 refused, a far closer split than in many boroughs. We are MCIAT chartered architectural technologists. The council fee is £249 and our quote is fixed after a free check.

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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 prior approval drawings

    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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    Pencil resting on a dimensioned technical drawing beside a scale rule

    Prior approval drawings in Bexley and the borough Design Guide

    Bexley splits its design advice into two parts. The first is the Design Guide SPD Part 1: Design Principles, which deals with the principles of a good scheme. The second, the Design Guide SPD Part 2: Building Alterations and Extensions, is the one that matters on a house extension, because it deals directly with rear additions.

    Prior approval does not turn on design, only on the effect on adjoining premises, but the second part still tells us how the council weighs a deep addition beside a neighbour's patio. We draw to its proportions where the Order allows, so the scheme reads as considered.

    The local plan was adopted in 2,023. We read it alongside the guide when a fallback application is possible.

    Rows of brick terraced houses and gardens on a residential street

    Local figures for Bexley

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    Larger home extension prior approvals granted7 decisions2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Larger home extension prior approvals refused8 decisions2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Upward home extension prior approvals refused0 decisions2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Conservation areas23 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Householder decisions877 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications granted94.6 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Households living in a house75.3 % of households living in a house or bungalow (detached, semi-detached or terraced)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Domestic gardens share of land (GLUD 2005)25.1 % of land that is domestic garden (GLUD 2005)2005data.london.gov.uk
    Average price, semi-detached534,337 GBP2026-07publicdata.landregistry.gov.uk
    Green Belt share of the council area17 % of council area covered by green-belt polygons—planning.data.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 Bexley
    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

    How Bexley treats larger extensions in practice

    Bexley granted 7 and refused 8 larger home extension prior approvals in the national returns. The numbers are small, so we read them as a mild warning rather than a pattern: refusal is a real possibility, and also not the norm.

    Householder applications tell a more positive story. The council decided 877 of them in the latest twelve months and granted 94.6 per cent, deciding 99.4 per cent in time. Those past results do not predict any outcome, but they explain why many Bexley owners find a householder application a comfortable fallback.

    Upward extensions are a different matter. The returns record 0 granted and 0 refused in the same period, so we do not treat additional storeys as a mainstream Bexley route.

    Land, houses and value around Bexley

    About 75.3 per cent of households live in a house or bungalow, and domestic gardens take up 25.1 per cent of the land. That combination of house-heavy streets and generous plots is exactly where deeper rear extensions get proposed.

    The borough publishes 23 conservation areas, and the route is closed inside every one of them. Green belt covers 17 per cent of the council area. We check both before any quote.

    A semi-detached house averages £534,337 and a terraced one £416,198. Extra room on the plot you already own adds to a home at that level of value.

    What goes into a Bexley notification

    The Order lets a single-storey rear extension exceed ordinary depth within these limits: 6 m (attached) / 8 m (detached), single storey, height max 4 m; not on article 2(3) land or an SSSI. We measure from the original rear wall and record every habitable window and boundary on each side, because those details decide whether a neighbour has grounds to object.

    Once the notification is in, the LPA notifies adjoining owners/occupiers, giving at least 21 days for representations. Without a decision inside 42 days, the development may begin, though we ask for written confirmation before any contractor starts.

    Every set is read against the Order's list by someone who did not draw it, and if the council asks for amendments we redraw them within the fixed fee.

    Timing and cost for a Bexley project

    The notification itself is quick to prepare once the survey is done. For the neighbour period, the LPA notifies adjoining owners/occupiers, giving at least 21 days for representations, and a decision is deemed after 42 days if none is notified. The council fee is £249.

    We give you a plain-language timetable at the quote stage, with each step the council controls marked, so that you can book trades with realistic dates instead of hopeful ones.

    Other routes for a Bexley home

    If your extension fits ordinary limits, a Lawful Development Certificate in Bexley is quicker and avoids the neighbour period. If it does not, or if the house lies in a conservation area, planning drawings in Bexley prepare a householder application.

    Once the principle is settled, building regulations drawings in Bexley turn the design into construction sheets, and the architectural drawings in Bexley page lists the rest of our local work.

    If your home sits near the boundary, owners also read prior approval drawings in Dartford and prior approval drawings in Greenwich.

    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.
    Georgian brick terrace with sash windows, arched fanlight doorways, stone steps and iron railings in London
    The street around you
    Move across the plinth — the blocks rise around the pointer.

    Other services in Bexley

    Prior approval drawings nearby

    Questions

    Is prior approval likely to be refused in Bexley?

    The returns show 8 refusals and 7 grants, nearly level. That says nothing certain about one address, but neighbour impact is where we put most effort.

    Can I add a storey under prior approval in Bexley?

    Only on a house that passes every test in Class AA and lies outside article 2(3) land. With 23 conservation areas, we check the address first.

    What fee does the council charge?

    The council fee is £249, paid to the council.

    How long does the council have?

    Development may begin if no decision has been notified within 42 days of the council receiving the information. We cannot promise a decision date.

    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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