How long do planning drawings take to prepare in London?

What slows planning drawings down

Booking the survey. The visit needs someone at home and access to every floor and the garden. In a tenanted house, a flat with a shared entrance or a home with building work already under way, finding a date can take longer than the drafting.

Your feedback. Most delay in practice sits between the first draft and the final set. Deciding between a full-width or part-width extension, or where the kitchen goes, is a real decision and worth time. Sending all your comments in one marked-up reply, rather than a few at a time, is the single easiest way to keep the job moving. Our post on how many revisions are included in drawing fees explains how rounds of changes work.

Other consultants. Some sites need more than drawings before the council will accept the application: a tree report where trees are close to the work, a heritage statement in a conservation area, a flood risk assessment in a flood zone, or a daylight study where neighbours' windows are close. Each has its own booking and report time, and the drawings often need a small change once the report is back.

Then the council checks the application is valid

Submitting the drawings is not the moment the council's clock starts. Government guidance says a valid application needs a completed form, the national information requirements, the correct application fee and any local information the council asks for. Applications should be validated as soon as practicable, and where something is missing the council should say what needs fixing.

A validation query is where a well-prepared drawing set earns its keep. A missing north point, a red line that does not reach the road, or an ownership certificate left blank can mean the application sits unregistered while the gap is fixed. Without a completed ownership certificate, the guidance says, an application is not valid and cannot be decided. Our post on what drawings a householder planning application needs lists the full set.

The 8-week decision period, and when it can run longer

Once an application is validated, government guidance sets the time limits for a decision: 8 weeks for most applications, including householder extensions, and 13 weeks for major development. A longer period can apply only if it is agreed in writing with the applicant.

Councils do sometimes ask for an extension of time, often to allow amended drawings rather than refuse. Whether to agree is your choice. Amendments asked for during this stage are part of what our fee covers. The detail of consultation, delegated decisions and committees is in our planning permission timescale guide.

How to get your drawings done sooner

Send photographs of the rear of the house, the loft and any past extensions with your quote request, plus any old plans you have, even estate agent ones. They help us plan the visit and spot problems early. Have a clear idea of what you want to build, and if you are weighing two options, tell us both at the start so the first draft can show them side by side.

Check early whether you need planning permission at all. Some extensions fall within permitted development and need a lawful development certificate or prior approval instead, which changes the drawing set and the council timescale. If you are unsure whether drawings can be prepared without anyone visiting, our post on getting planning drawings online explains what is done remotely.

What you pay while you wait

Planning drawings start at £745 in total, and that includes the measured survey visit. The fee is fixed: a slower job because of booking or feedback does not cost you more, and redraws until the council decides are included. No VAT is charged on our fees. The council application fee is paid to the council separately.

To get a date for your survey and a written fixed fee, use the form on the planning drawings page. Every fee we charge is listed on our pricing page.