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Hounslow, London

Retrospective planning application in Hounslow

Hounslow granted 78.5 per cent of its 689 householder decisions in its latest year. If you have already built something that needed permission, a retrospective planning application with precise drawings gives the council what it needs to judge it fairly. Fixed quote after a free constraints check.

Fixed quote after a free constraints check

  • MCIAT chartered
  • £2m PI insured
  • LABC Partnered
  • Fixed fees, VAT included

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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 retrospective planning applications

    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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    Rows of brick terraced houses and gardens on a residential street

    The Hounslow design rules behind a retrospective decision

    Hounslow assesses householder schemes under the Hounslow Local Plan 2015-2030 (Volumes 1 and 2), adopted in 2,015, and its Character, Sustainability and Design Codes SPD. The design codes are written to be applied to a drawing, which suits a retrospective case: we can take each code and show on the sheet how the built work meets it, or where it falls short.

    The borough is long and varied, running from Chiswick in the east to Feltham and Bedfont in the west, so the character test changes street by street. Our drawings include street elevations and photographs of neighbouring frontages, because the officer will compare your building with them.

    A grant rate of 78.5 per cent leaves a real minority of refusals. We therefore treat the application as one that has to be won on evidence, and we spend the survey time getting the dimensions right rather than rounding them.

    Georgian brick terrace with sash windows, arched fanlight doorways, stone steps and iron railings in London

    Local figures for Hounslow

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    Listed building entries519 list entries (Historic England, within the LPA boundary)—planning.data.gov.uk
    Grade I listed entries32 list entries—planning.data.gov.uk
    Article 4 directions3 Article 4 directions published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    worldHeritageSites1 World Heritage Sites intersecting the LPA boundary—planning.data.gov.uk
    Households living in a house54 % of households living in a house or bungalow (detached, semi-detached or terraced)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Householder decisions689 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications granted78.5 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications decided in time97.8 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Larger home extension prior approvals granted20 decisions2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Larger home extension prior approvals refused59 decisions2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Lawful development certificate applications (PS1)445 certificates2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder: alterations/extensions to a single dwellinghouse, from 1 Apr 2026548 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 Hounslow
    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

    World Heritage, listed buildings and conservation constraints

    Hounslow includes a World Heritage Site, with 1 recorded in the data, and a heritage list of 519 entries with 32 at Grade I. Another 6 scheduled monuments and 6 registered parks and gardens add further layers.

    Where the setting of such an asset is affected, the application needs a heritage statement, and the council can ask for more detail than it would for an ordinary house. The borough also has 3 Article 4 directions. We map these before quoting, so the price reflects the real workload.

    What the council figures say about prior approvals and speed

    The council decides cases quickly: 97.8 per cent of householder applications were decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extension. That is fast, so there is little time to repair a thin submission once it is validated.

    On larger home extensions the pattern is cautious: 20 prior approvals were granted and 59 refused. If you built under an assumed permitted development right and the neighbours complained, the council may regard the work as unauthorised. Houses make up only 54 per cent of households, so many cases involve flats and shared walls too.

    Where the work may in fact have been lawful, test that first with a lawful development certificate in Hounslow.

    Fees, appeal and levy

    The householder application fee is £548, and the decision period for a non-major case is 8 weeks. The enforcement period for most building works is 10 years from substantial completion.

    Hounslow uses three levy zones: £200/m² (CIL Zone 1, East); £110/m² (CIL Zone 2, Central); £70/m² (CIL Zone 3, West). Whether your extension is liable depends on its size and on the rules for unauthorised development, so we explain the position in writing. If a refusal comes, the householder appeal period is 12 weeks, and our planning appeals support in Hounslow can act for you.

    Flats and shared walls in a Hounslow retrospective case

    Because many Hounslow households live in flats, retrospective applications often involve shared structures: a roof terrace above a neighbour, a rear infill that touches a party wall, a loft converted by an upstairs owner. Each brings in a person who has to be notified, and some bring in a freeholder whose consent matters as much as the council's.

    We list every party affected in the constraints check and tell you which certificate of ownership applies. Where a party wall award is likely, we explain how it differs from planning permission, so you do not assume that one approval replaces the other.

    Neighbour relations deserve the same attention. Because Hounslow officers consult adjoining occupiers, a short, honest letter explaining what was built and why, sent before the application, tends to produce calmer responses than a notice that arrives unannounced.

    Drawings, price and related pages

    We provide a measured survey, as-built and proposed plans, elevations and sections, location and block plans, and a design note against the Hounslow codes. Our planning drawings in Hounslow are independently checked by a second chartered technologist.

    The price is fixed after the free check. See architectural drawings in Hounslow, the retrospective planning overview, and nearby Ealing or Richmond upon Thames.

    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.
    Brick cottage with a tiled roof, chimneys and a front dormer window
    The street around you
    Move across the plinth — the blocks rise around the pointer.

    Other services in Hounslow

    Retrospective planning applications nearby

    Questions

    What share of householder cases does Hounslow grant?

    Its latest grant rate was 78.5 per cent. That is a borough-wide average, so detailed drawings still matter for your own case.

    Does the World Heritage Site affect my house?

    Only if your address falls within its setting. The data shows 1 site in the borough, and we check your position on the free constraints check.

    Which Hounslow document do you use?

    The Character, Sustainability and Design Codes SPD, together with the Hounslow Local Plan 2015-2030 (Volumes 1 and 2).

    Can I stop enforcement while the application is decided?

    Not by applying alone. The law notes that LPA may decline to determine an application covering matters in an enforcement notice issued before the application, so we ask you to tell us about any notice you have received.

    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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