Rear extension drawings in Brent

Prior approval in Brent, and why we look at the neighbour first

A longer extension can use prior approval, where the council has 42 days to respond, and Brent's guidance matches that depth. The council's decisions are the catch: it granted 10 large householder extension prior approvals and refused 79 in the period we hold.

Prior approval turns on the effect on neighbours, so our drawings show the neighbour's windows, the extension's height at the boundary and the effect on both. If prior approval is too exposed, a full householder application is the alternative.

Working out the half-garden test

The test sounds simple and is easy to get wrong. We measure the garden length from the original rear wall to the rear boundary, halve it, and compare the proposed depth with that figure. Where the garden is irregular or the boundary is angled, we show the measurement line on the site plan.

A deep plot gives plenty of margin, and the depth limit for the house type then becomes the one that bites. A short one may cap the extension well below the depth the SPD allows for the house type, and then the design question is how to make the room work at that depth, with wide openings and a good link to what is left of the garden.

Article 4, conservation areas and trees in Brent

Brent publishes 39 Article 4 directions across 162 mapped areas, plus 23 conservation areas and 93 Historic England list entries. Where permitted development has been withdrawn, an extension that would otherwise need no application needs one.

The borough also holds 1,229 tree preservation orders across 301 mapped zones, so a protected tree may stand near the footprint. Green Belt covers 0 per cent of Brent, so that test does not apply. We check the address for each of these before suggesting a route.

How Brent has been deciding householder applications

Brent decided 879 householder applications in its latest published year and granted 86.6 per cent, with 97.2 per cent decided in time. Domestic gardens cover 30.3 per cent of the borough's land, which is why the half-garden test matters. The figures describe the borough, not any one house, so we use them to plan timing and to judge how much neighbour evidence the drawings should carry.

What the drawings include and what they cost

A Brent rear extension set has existing and proposed floor plans, a roof section, every elevation and the location and block plans. Rear extension drawings start at £695 with VAT included, fixed before you commit, and are normally ready after the survey.

A second chartered technologist checks each sheet. If the council asks for changes, we redraw at no charge until approval. After that, the same survey carries the extension into the building regulations drawings for structure, insulation and drainage.

Other extension types and nearby boroughs

See also house extension drawings in Brent, side return extension drawings and loft conversion drawings. The service overview is at rear extension drawings, and the borough overview at architectural drawings in Brent. Compare Ealing, Harrow and Barnet.