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Newham, London

Prior approval drawings in Newham

Prior approval drawings in Newham suit the borough's family houses that need more depth than permitted development gives: the council's latest return lists 6 larger home extension prior approvals granted and 23 refused, and only 9 conservation areas limit the route. We check the address, draw the notification and send it, from a fixed quote after a free constraints check.

Fixed quote after a free constraints check

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We use it to check conservation areas and constraints.
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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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    Georgian brick terrace with sash windows, arched fanlight doorways, stone steps and iron railings in London

    What Newham has decided so far

    The council's latest return lists 6 larger home extension prior approvals granted and 23 refused. Refusals clearly outnumber grants, so a notification here needs to answer the neighbour test in the drawings themselves, not in a covering letter.

    The council's Altering and Extending your Home SPD explains how it expects householders to alter and extend, and it shows the officers' habits on design, even though a prior approval does not turn on design. We read it, then draw the notification so nothing in it contradicts the guidance.

    Land designations are light. The borough has only 9 conservation areas, so for many addresses the question moves to depth, height and the neighbours.

    Brick cottage with a tiled roof, chimneys and a front dormer window

    Local figures for Newham

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    Conservation areas9 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Listed building entries125 list entries (Historic England, within the LPA boundary)—planning.data.gov.uk
    Households living in a house47.1 % of households living in a house or bungalow (detached, semi-detached or terraced)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Larger home extension prior approvals granted6 decisions2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Larger home extension prior approvals refused23 decisions2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Domestic gardens share of land (GLUD 2005)16.9 % of land that is domestic garden (GLUD 2005)2005data.london.gov.uk
    Average price, terraced458,668 GBP2026-07publicdata.landregistry.gov.uk
    Householder applications granted86.9 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications decided in time97.2 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Lawful development certificate applications (PS1)281 certificates2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    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
    Prior approval: Larger Home Extensions Part 1 Class A; Additional storeys Part 1 Class AA249 GBP—ribblevalley.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 Newham
    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

    A borough where the route is mostly open

    Houses make up 47.1 per cent of households, close to half, so a large share of owners could in principle use the route. A terraced house averages £458,668, and a failed notification still costs weeks of a building season.

    Gardens are tight. Domestic gardens cover 16.9 per cent of the borough's land in the government's generalised land use database, so depth at the back of one house is depth that someone else can see.

    The borough holds 125 list entries, and a listed house falls outside the route.

    The depth rules and what the council must be sent

    The national 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 and mark anything built since.

    The information the Order requires is Written description (depth beyond rear wall, max height, eaves height), site plan, addresses of adjoining premises, developer contact address. We always add scaled plans, elevations and a section, because the officer will compare the extension against the neighbour's window height.

    The council notifies adjoining owners: LPA notifies adjoining owners/occupiers, giving at least 21 days for representations. If it has not given its decision within 42 days, work may begin, though we want the outcome in writing.

    Speed, alternatives and the HMO question

    Newham decides householder cases quickly. It decided 97.2 per cent of them in time and granted 86.9 per cent of 388 decisions. If your extension needs more than the Order allows, our planning drawings in Newham are drawn for that test.

    Owners who just want written confirmation of a permitted scheme should look at Lawful Development Certificate drawings in Newham. The council recorded 281 certificate applications in its return.

    The borough has an Article 4 direction for houses in multiple occupation. It does not govern an extension, but an extension that adds bedrooms to a let house raises separate questions, and we flag them in the constraints check.

    Designing around the neighbour test

    The neighbour test is about a particular outcome: a habitable window next door that loses outlook, light or privacy. A kitchen window facing a new blank flank wall is the usual complaint, and we examine it before the first draft.

    Three levers soften it. Depth can come back by a small amount, the eaves can drop on the boundary side, and a rooflight can replace a long window wall. We draw the options alongside each other so you choose with the neighbour's view in front of you.

    No design step decides the outcome for the council, and we say so. What it does is remove the avoidable objections, which is where a modest family extension is most often lost.

    Preparing the notification

    The free constraints check comes first, followed by a survey of the house and the neighbouring rear elevations. We draw the notification and test it against next-door windows, and a second chartered technologist reads it against the Order.

    We submit, track the neighbour period and answer the officer. For the national rules see prior approval drawings, and for the borough overview see architectural drawings in Newham.

    Next door, Redbridge sees far more notifications, and Tower Hamlets lies to the west.

    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.
    Rear view of brick terraced houses in London with slate roofs and chimney stacks along the shared roofline
    The street around you
    Move across the plinth — the blocks rise around the pointer.

    Other services in Newham

    Prior approval drawings nearby

    Questions

    Is prior approval available in most of Newham?

    The borough has only 9 conservation areas, so conservation status closes the route for relatively few houses, provided other limits are met.

    How many larger extension notifications has the council decided?

    The latest return lists 6 granted and 23 refused.

    What is the council fee?

    The fee is £249, paid to the council. Our fee is fixed after the free constraints check.

    Does an HMO Article 4 direction stop an extension?

    Not by itself, but it may affect what you can do with the extra rooms, so we raise it early.

    Sources and dates

    City of London skyline glowing at dusk across the Thames under a dramatic orange sky

    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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