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Sutton, London

Retrospective planning applications in Sutton

In Sutton, 34.5 per cent of the land was domestic garden in the last national land-use survey, and garden land is where a lot of unauthorised building appears: the rear extension that crept past its limit, the garden room that became a studio flat, the outbuilding without a permission. A retrospective application asks the council to approve it as built. 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 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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    Rear view of brick terraced houses in London with slate roofs and chimney stacks along the shared roofline

    How Sutton judges a retrospective planning application

    The council's householder guidance is the Design of Residential Extensions SPD, backed by the Urban Design Guide SPD and the Sutton Local Plan 2016-2031, adopted in 2,018. It has no softer test for finished work, so your extension is read against the same guide as a new proposal.

    Because 62.9 per cent of households live in a house and 64.4 per cent own their home, most Sutton homes are family houses on owner-occupied plots. The officer checks the depth, the height, the distance to the boundary and what is left of the rear garden.

    We measure each of those on site, so the figures on the drawings are the figures the officer will find with a tape.

    Dated photographs and the builder's invoice show when the work was done and sometimes decide whether any application is needed. Keep them with the survey, because the officer may ask how an extension compares with the house as originally built.

    Pencil resting on a dimensioned technical drawing beside a scale rule

    Local figures for Sutton

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    Householder decisions601 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications granted91.8 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications decided in time94.8 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Lawful development certificate applications (PS1)297 certificates2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Domestic gardens share of land (GLUD 2005)34.5 % of land that is domestic garden (GLUD 2005)2005data.london.gov.uk
    Green Belt share of the council area14 % of council area covered by green-belt polygons—planning.data.gov.uk
    Conservation areas8 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Local planSutton Local Plan 2016-2031—sutton.gov.uk
    Supplementary planning documentDesign of Residential Extensions SPD—sutton.gov.uk
    Borough CIL residential rate£100/m² (Residential, borough-wide)schedule rate (2014), before indexationdrive.google.com
    Householder: alterations/extensions to a single dwellinghouse, from 1 Apr 2026548 GBP—ribblevalley.gov.uk
    DMPO 2015 art 37(2)(a): householder appeal, from the date of the decision notice12 weeks—legislation.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 Sutton
    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

    Garden land, outbuildings and the green belt

    The borough's garden share is high, and so is the temptation to build on it. Large outbuildings used as living space, or extensions that cut the remaining garden to a strip, draw objections from neighbours as well as officers. We record every structure on the plot, because the officer will count them.

    Sutton also has green belt, covering 14 per cent of the borough. On or near that land, extensions must stay proportionate to the original house and new outbuildings are tested more strictly. If your plot is near the edge, we check the mapped boundary before we draw anything.

    Where an outbuilding is the problem, an honest assessment may be that it needs reducing or removing to be acceptable, and we say so before you pay the council fee.

    What the council's decisions suggest

    Sutton decided 601 householder applications in its latest published year, granted 91.8 per cent and decided 94.8 per cent in time. These cover every home extension, not only retrospective ones, so they describe how the council behaves, not what it will do on your address.

    It also handled 297 certificate applications for existing development. If your work is old enough or was permitted development, our Lawful Development Certificate drawings in Sutton may settle the question without an application for permission.

    For work that cannot be proved lawful, we prepare the planning drawings for the retrospective application.

    Heritage, HMOs and CIL

    Sutton has 8 conservation areas and 209 listed building entries, with 7 on the Heritage at Risk Register. Where none applies, a case turns on design and amenity rather than heritage.

    The borough has an Article 4 direction on conversions of houses to small HMOs. If an extension added bedrooms for more occupants, the officer will ask how it is used.

    Community Infrastructure Levy under the London Borough of Sutton Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Charging Schedule April 2014 is set at £100/m² (Residential, borough-wide). A retrospective permission for a large extension can bring a CIL liability, so we raise it early. The average Sutton home sold for £452,654 in the latest Land Registry month.

    Fee, decision period and appeal

    The householder fee is £548. The council has 8 weeks to decide unless you agree longer, and the time limit for enforcement against most unauthorised building works is 10 years.

    If the council refuses, you have 12 weeks to lodge an appeal, and our planning appeals service can take it on. If the officer asks for amendments, we redraw free of charge. Our architectural drawings in Sutton page lists everything else we offer, and the neighbouring Merton and Croydon pages cover the surrounding boroughs.

    Before we submit, you receive a short note on what the officer will see, where the case looks weakest and what an amendment would cost.

    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.
    Rows of brick terraced houses and gardens on a residential street
    The street around you
    Move across the plinth — the blocks rise around the pointer.

    Other services in Sutton

    Retrospective planning applications nearby

    Questions

    Can I keep a garden building that I put up without permission in Sutton?

    Sometimes. It depends on its size, use and position and on the Design of Residential Extensions SPD. We measure and assess it first, and tell you plainly if it needs altering before an application has a fair chance.

    Does green belt affect my Sutton extension?

    It can. The borough has 14 per cent green belt, where extensions must remain proportionate to the original house. We check your plot against the mapped boundary.

    Will CIL apply to a retrospective extension?

    It can for a large extension. The borough rate is £100/m² (Residential, borough-wide), and we check whether your extension is chargeable before you apply.

    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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