Prior approval drawings in Brent

Why the Brent record matters to your notification

In the period shown, Brent granted 10 and refused 79 larger home extension notifications. Refusals outnumber grants by a wide margin, and an owner who assumes this is a light-touch route is likely to be disappointed.

Householder applications are treated more kindly. The council decided 879 of them in the latest twelve months and granted 86.6 per cent, with 97.2 per cent decided on time. These are borough-wide past figures, not a forecast.

What follows from the gap is advice, not a prediction: do not file a thin notification and hope. Present the relationship to every neighbouring window, and consider whether a householder application would allow the design to be negotiated instead of refused.

Housing and land in Brent

Only 43.3 per cent of Brent households live in a house or bungalow, so the larger extension route applies to a smaller share of owners than in outer boroughs, and flats and maisonettes are excluded from it altogether. Domestic gardens cover 30.3 per cent of the land.

The borough publishes 23 conservation areas, and the route is closed inside them. Green belt covers 0 per cent of the borough, so it never limits the route here.

A semi-detached house averages £829,853 and a terraced one £700,019, which is why owners accept the cost of professional drawings.

How we prepare a Brent notification

We start from the original rear wall and check the depth against the limits: 6 m (attached) / 8 m (detached), single storey, height max 4 m; not on article 2(3) land or an SSSI. Because the Brent record is harsh, we also draw a neighbour-impact sheet showing the adjoining windows, the 45-degree relationship and the boundary treatment, so the officer can see the answer without asking.

After validation, the LPA notifies adjoining owners/occupiers, giving at least 21 days for representations. If no decision is notified within 42 days, the development may begin, but we always ask for written confirmation first.

A colleague who did not draw it checks the set against the Order's list of required information, and we redraw at no extra charge if the council asks for amendments.

Brent terraces, neighbours and what an officer looks for

On a Brent terrace the first thing an officer checks is whether the extension reaches past the neighbour's own rear addition. If it does, the case turns on the neighbour's nearest window, and the officer asks how much light and outlook it keeps.

We therefore photograph and measure the adjoining rear elevations, draw the extension against them and note the height at the boundary. If the boundary wall is already tall, we show that too, because an extension that adds little to an existing wall is far easier to defend than one that adds a new mass.

Where the situation is finely balanced, we suggest a shallower option and show the owner exactly what is lost, so the decision is theirs and informed.

Alternatives for a Brent home

If your extension stays within ordinary limits, a Lawful Development Certificate in Brent proves it without any consultation. If prior approval looks risky, planning drawings in Brent take the scheme through a householder application.

The architectural drawings in Brent page lists all our local services, and you may also compare prior approval drawings in Ealing and prior approval drawings in Harrow.