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Richmond upon Thames, London

Prior approval drawings in Richmond upon Thames

Prior approval drawings in Richmond upon Thames work for the houses the route still reaches: the council's latest return lists 78 larger home extension prior approvals granted against 30 refused, a favourable ratio, yet 85 conservation areas remove many streets from the route altogether. We check the land first, then draw and submit the notification, 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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    Brick cottage with a tiled roof, chimneys and a front dormer window

    A route that works, where the land allows it

    Richmond upon Thames's latest return lists 78 larger home extension prior approvals granted and 30 refused. Where the land is open, the council accepts the route readily, and the notifications that fail are the ones that leave a neighbour with a real loss.

    The borough's House Extensions and External Alterations SPD is the document that tells owners how the council sees extensions, and its Design Quality SPD sets the wider standard. They apply to full applications, but they are the best guide to what an officer will think about your neighbour's outlook.

    The catch is geography. With 85 conservation areas, much of the borough is article 2(3) land, and the route is not available there. This is the first thing we check, and for many addresses it ends the discussion.

    Rear view of brick terraced houses in London with slate roofs and chimney stacks along the shared roofline

    Local figures for Richmond upon Thames

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    Conservation areas85 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Listed building entries819 list entries (Historic England, within the LPA boundary)—planning.data.gov.uk
    Households living in a house59.8 % of households living in a house or bungalow (detached, semi-detached or terraced)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Larger home extension prior approvals granted78 decisions2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Larger home extension prior approvals refused30 decisions2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Domestic gardens share of land (GLUD 2005)19.4 % of land that is domestic garden (GLUD 2005)2005data.london.gov.uk
    Average price, terraced915,886 GBP2026-07publicdata.landregistry.gov.uk
    Householder applications granted83.3 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications decided in time98.3 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Lawful development certificate applications (PS1)466 certificates2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Upward home extension prior approvals granted1 decisions2025 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 Richmond upon Thames
    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

    Heritage, houses and the cost of a mistake

    The borough holds 819 list entries, so a listed house is also a real possibility. Prior approval cannot replace listed building consent.

    Houses make up 59.8 per cent of households, and a terraced house averages £915,886. At that price level the cost of a failed notification is large, and so is the benefit of a deeper kitchen or family room.

    Domestic gardens cover 19.4 per cent of the borough's land in the government's generalised land use database, which leaves room for depth, but trees and site levels can shape a design long before the neighbours do.

    What we draw for the notification

    The depth rules are 6 m (attached) / 8 m (detached), single storey, height max 4 m; not on article 2(3) land or an SSSI. We survey the original rear wall, record earlier extensions and mark every dimension the Order tests.

    The council notifies adjoining owners and occupiers: LPA notifies adjoining owners/occupiers, giving at least 21 days for representations. The Order lists the required information as Written description (depth beyond rear wall, max height, eaves height), site plan, addresses of adjoining premises, developer contact address, and we add plans, elevations and a section showing the neighbouring windows.

    If the council has not notified a decision within 42 days, work may begin. We still wait for the written outcome, because a later dispute is far harder to settle than a short delay.

    Speed, certificates and planning

    The council decided 98.3 per cent of its householder applications in time, and granted 83.3 per cent of 1,302 decisions. If the extension exceeds the Order, our planning drawings in Richmond upon Thames are drawn for that route.

    Certificates are popular here: the council recorded 466 in its return. If your work fits the permitted limits, see Lawful Development Certificate drawings in Richmond upon Thames.

    The same return records 1 upward extension prior approval granted and 1 refused, so adding storeys is possible but very rare.

    Riverside plots, trees and the quiet constraints

    Not every limit appears on a designation map. A garden that backs onto open land or a mature tree line brings its own limits, and a protected tree can fix the footprint of an extension as firmly as a boundary does. We plot trees, levels and any flood-prone ground during the survey.

    Those details seldom decide a prior approval itself, but they decide whether the design you sketched can be built. A notification that quietly ignores a root protection area creates a problem at the building stage, when it costs most to solve.

    We also record the heights of boundary walls and outbuildings, because the neighbour's real outlook includes them, and an officer will look at the photographs we attach.

    Our process in Richmond upon Thames

    We start with the free constraints check against the borough's published designations. If the route is closed, you hear it before you pay for drawings.

    If it is open, we survey the house and the neighbouring rear elevations, draw the notification and test it against the next-door windows. A second chartered technologist reads it against the Order, and we submit and track it. The national rules are on our prior approval drawings page, and the borough overview is architectural drawings in Richmond upon Thames.

    Across the river, Kingston upon Thames shows a very different record for the same route.

    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.
    Pencil resting on a dimensioned technical drawing beside a scale rule
    The street around you
    Move across the plinth — the blocks rise around the pointer.

    Other services in Richmond upon Thames

    Prior approval drawings nearby

    Questions

    Does Richmond upon Thames usually grant larger home extension prior approvals?

    The latest return lists 78 granted and 30 refused, so grants clearly outnumber refusals where the route is open.

    Why is the route closed for so many Richmond homes?

    The route excludes article 2(3) land, and the borough has 85 conservation areas.

    Can a listed house use it?

    No. The borough has 819 list entries, and listed building consent is a separate application.

    What is the council fee?

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

    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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