When you actually need planning permission
Most London householder works fall into one of three buckets: permitted development (no application needed), prior approval (a lighter-touch application for larger rear extensions and loft conversions), and full householder planning permission. You need full permission for front extensions, anything above the original roofline that isn't a standard mansard, extensions over the volume allowances, side dormers in conservation areas, and almost anything in a flat (flats have no permitted development rights at all). If you live in a conservation area, an Article 4 zone, or a listed building, assume permission is required and check with the borough before designing. Submitting under the wrong route is the single most common reason London applications get refused on validation — councils will return your fee and you start again, losing four to six weeks.
Drawings and documents you must submit
A valid householder application in 2026 needs: a location plan at 1:1250 with a red line around the application site and a blue line around any other land you own nearby; a block plan at 1:500 showing the property and surroundings; existing and proposed floor plans at 1:100 or 1:50; existing and proposed elevations from every affected side; and a roof plan if you are altering the roof. Most London boroughs also require a Design and Access Statement for anything in a conservation area or designated heritage setting, a heritage statement for works near listed buildings, and increasingly a biodiversity net gain assessment even for small extensions. Drawings must be to scale, show a scale bar, and include a north arrow. Sketches drawn over photos are routinely rejected at validation.
Fees and how to pay
Statutory householder fees were uplifted in late 2025 and now sit at £258 for a householder application in England, £578 for a full planning application on a single dwelling, and £138 for a lawful development certificate (existing or proposed). Listed building consent remains free. Most London boroughs charge an additional pre-application advice fee ranging from £150 in outer boroughs (Bexley, Havering) to over £600 in central ones (Westminster, Kensington and Chelsea). You pay via the Planning Portal at submission, and the council has five working days to validate. If your application is invalid you do not get a refund of officer time — they simply suspend the clock until you fix the deficiency.
Neighbour notification and the 21-day consultation
Once validated, the council notifies adjoining occupiers by letter and posts a yellow site notice on the nearest lamp post or boundary. Statutory consultation runs for 21 days, during which anyone — not just immediate neighbours — can submit comments via the borough's planning portal. Comments must be on material planning grounds: overlooking, loss of light, visual impact, character, parking, noise during use. Comments on property values, building noise during construction, personal disputes, or the identity of the applicant are immaterial and officers will discount them. You can view all comments in real time on the borough portal, and you are allowed to respond through your agent or directly.
Decision timeline and delegated versus committee
Statutory determination is 8 weeks for householder applications and 13 weeks for larger schemes, but in London the realistic figure in 2026 is 10–14 weeks because most boroughs are running 3–6 weeks behind statutory. Roughly 90% of householder applications are decided under delegated powers — a senior planning officer signs off without a committee. The remaining 10% go to planning committee, typically because a ward councillor has called it in or more than a threshold number of objections (usually 3–5, varies by borough) have been received. Committee adds 4–8 weeks and introduces political risk that delegated decisions don't carry.
What to do if your application is refused
You have two options: submit an amended application addressing the refusal reasons (free if within 12 months of the original decision under the 'free go' rule), or appeal to the Planning Inspectorate within 12 weeks. The free go is almost always the faster route — councils usually approve a second submission that addresses their concerns within 6–8 weeks. Appeals take 16–32 weeks and the appeal Inspector is bound by the same policies that the council applied, so unless the council has misapplied policy or ignored material considerations your odds are around 32% in London.
