Side return extension drawings in Bromley

Bromley decision times, appeals and approvals

Bromley decided 1,609 householder applications in its latest year and granted 78.6 per cent. Only 89.1 per cent were decided in time, so plan the build programme around a wait that can run past the target period.

Appeals give a second view. Over five years, 37.6 per cent of 502 decided householder appeals were allowed, so the Planning Inspectorate upheld the council in most cases. For a side return that means drawings that deal openly with neighbour impact and street appearance are worth more than a bold argument.

Larger home extension prior approvals show 3 granted and 15 refused. The numbers are small, but the direction is clear: the shortcut is the exception, and a standard application usually gives a firmer result.

Housing, gardens and Green Belt in Bromley

68.6 per cent of Bromley households live in a house or bungalow and 68.5 per cent own their home. A terraced house averages £483,699, and the average price has moved -3.1 per cent over twelve months. Domestic gardens occupy 23.4 per cent of the borough's land, and Green Belt covers 51 per cent of it.

Green Belt matters less for a side return than for a rear or double-storey extension, but a house inside it faces tighter tests for any enlargement. We note the designation on the site plan whenever your address is close to it.

Because Bromley is spread across suburban roads of very different ages, we never copy a drawing from another street. An interwar semi with a side passage and a Victorian villa with a long flank wall need different roof shapes, different brick matching and different answers on the street scene, and the drawings show each one separately.

The national limit for a side extension reads: Side extension: single storey, max 4 m high, max half the width of the original house. Near the boundary, Eaves no higher than 3 m where within 2 m of the curtilage boundary. None of it applies where No side extensions under PD on article 2(3) land (conservation areas etc.).

Energy limits, party walls and price

The energy rules cap glazing: Windows, roof windows, rooflights and doors in an extension should not exceed 25% of the extension floor area plus the area of openings removed or covered. New walls, roofs and floors meet these values: New elements in existing dwellings, limiting U-values W/(m²·K): roof 0.15, wall 0.18, floor 0.18, windows 1.4 (or WER Band B), doors 1.4. We set the glazing share while the design is still flexible.

Building next to a shared wall brings notice duties: Line-of-junction (new wall) notice at least 1 month before work, and for work affecting a shared structure, Party structure notice at least 2 months before work. Bromley's borough CIL for residential floor area is £120.12/m² (Residential development excluding residential development which delivers additional care and support services), so allow for it in your budget.

We work from a measured survey and issue the set about a week later, checked by a second person before you see it. That survey records the width of the gap, the level of the garden, the drain runs and the neighbour's rear windows, which are the facts a Bromley officer asks about first. If the council asks for changes, we redraw at no charge.

The side return set costs £745 including VAT, fixed before you commit, with the council fee of £548 paid separately. Redraws are free until approval. See planning drawings in Bromley for the application set, lawful development certificate in Bromley for the permitted route, or side return extension drawings in Bexley next door.