Wraparound extension drawings in Bromley

Green Belt and the proportionate-addition test

Green-belt polygons cover 51 per cent of Bromley's area. A house inside that land faces an extra test: the extension must not be disproportionate to the original dwelling. National permitted development gives way here to a judgement about size.

So the drawings must show the original house footprint clearly, with earlier additions marked, because the officer measures the proposed extension against the original, not against what stands today. A wraparound adds floor area on two faces, which makes the totals easy to push past what the council will accept.

Outside the Green Belt, the ordinary national limits start the analysis: Limits apply to the total enlargement (new part plus any existing enlargement it joins). The side arm is limited as follows: Side extension: single storey, max 4 m high, max half the width of the original house.

Bromley's Green Belt land is a patchwork. Some roads sit just inside it and the house next door sits just outside, so the same wraparound can face two different tests on neighbouring plots. We check the mapped boundary against your plot, not the postcode.

Article 4 directions and listed buildings

Bromley has published 108 Article 4 directions, and the borough holds 47 conservation areas. Historic England lists 412 entries in it. Where a direction covers a planned estate, the aim is usually to keep its uniform look.

A wraparound in one of those areas is not ruled out, but it needs a planning application and an elevation that respects the estate's pattern. The national rule for conservation areas is blunt: On article 2(3) land (conservation areas etc.): no side extensions, no cladding, no rear extension of more than one storey under Class A.

We check the address against both layers before quoting for the drawings. If your house is on an estate with a direction, we say so at once.

What Bromley's decisions and appeals tell you

Bromley decided 1,609 householder applications in its latest published year. It granted 78.6 per cent and decided 89.1 per cent in time.

When an applicant disagrees, the Planning Inspectorate decided 502 householder appeals for Bromley over the last five years, and allowed 37.6 per cent of them. An appeal takes months and none is certain, so it is a fallback rather than a plan.

Prior approval for larger rear extensions shows the same caution: 3 granted against 15 refused. The better route is usually a householder application.

Where an estate has a direction, the council often wants brick, roof tile and window style to match the original. A mismatched material is a quicker reason for refusal than the size of the addition, so we choose the finish with the officer's likely reading in mind.

Fees, notices and the household

Bromley's householder fee is £548. About 68.6 per cent of its households live in a house, and domestic gardens cover 23.4 per cent of the borough, so most plots have room for a wraparound but the rear arm still meets the neighbour at the boundary.

For that boundary, remember: Adjacent excavation notice at least 1 month before work: within 3 m and deeper than the neighbour's foundations, or within 6 m and cutting a 45° line from their foundations.

Where a plot has mature trees at the bottom of the garden, the rear arm needs care. A deep rear arm brings the new building closer to them, and the root protection area can decide where the foundations may go.

Wraparound extension drawings in Bromley: the package

You receive existing and proposed plans, sections and elevations, plus a location plan and block plan, from £1,195 including VAT. A second chartered technologist checks each sheet. If Bromley asks for changes, we redraw at no charge.

For other work at the same address see house extension drawings in Bromley, loft conversion drawings in Bromley or the full list at architectural drawings in Bromley. Across the border, see Sevenoaks and Croydon.

Before we suggest any design, we look at the address, the planning history and the Green Belt map.