Prior approval drawings in Bromley

Bromley's decisions on larger and upward extensions

In the period shown, Bromley granted 3 larger home extension prior approvals and refused 15. The refusals dominate, though the volume is small enough that individual cases carry weight.

Upward extensions were harder still. The returns record 0 granted and 5 refused, so an additional storey under Class AA has not found favour here. We do not recommend that route without a very clear case.

Ordinary householder applications behave differently. The council decided 1,609 of them in the latest twelve months and granted 78.6 per cent, with 89.1 per cent decided in time. The Planning Inspectorate allowed 37.6 per cent of the 502 householder appeals it decided over five years, which shows an appeal is a realistic last step when a refusal looks wrong.

Designations that can close the route in Bromley

The larger extension route excludes every one of Bromley's conservation areas, so we check each address against the council's boundary layer.

Heritage matters elsewhere too. Historic England's register lists 25 entries at risk within the borough and 6 registered parks and gardens, which we note in case a fallback application is needed.

Green belt, at 51 per cent of the council area, does not by itself remove the route, but it affects what a householder application can achieve if you need to fall back on one.

Our constraints check reads the conservation area boundary for the plot itself, not just the road name, because a boundary can run along the back of a garden. If the line falls across your land, we tell you which part of the house it covers and what that means for the notification before you commit to drawings.

Houses, gardens and values in Bromley

About 68.6 per cent of households live in a house or bungalow, and domestic gardens cover 23.4 per cent of the land, so the larger extension route is relevant to many owners. A semi-detached house averages £652,925 and a terraced one £483,699.

The depth limits are 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, record neighbours' windows and prepare the written description and site plan the Order requires. Then the LPA notifies adjoining owners/occupiers, giving at least 21 days for representations, and the development may begin if no decision is notified within 42 days.

Because the record is stern, we recommend written confirmation of the decision, and someone who did not draw it reads every set before it goes to the council.

Wide plots, long gardens and neighbour impact

Where a plot is wide enough that an extension sits well clear of the neighbour's window, the neighbour test is simpler to answer, and that is where the route is most worth using.

Even then, we record the position of any detached garage, outbuilding or tree that affects what can be built, and we show the setback from each boundary. Showing how much garden is kept helps the officer judge the scheme.

When to choose another route in Bromley

If the extension fits ordinary permitted development, a Lawful Development Certificate in Bromley is cleaner. If the address is in a conservation area, or the scheme needs more than the Order allows, our planning drawings in Bromley take it through a householder application.

The architectural drawings in Bromley page lists everything else we do locally, and you can also read prior approval drawings in Croydon and prior approval drawings in Bexley for comparison.