Architectural design in Sidcup and Foots Cray, DA14
Architectural design for a Sidcup or Foots Cray home starts with a scaled set of plans, elevations and sections that Bexley Council can read and decide on. DrawingsDirect, MCIAT chartered architectural technologists, prepares that set for a fixed fee from £745.
Fixed fee from £545 drawings + £200 survey (£745 total) · all prices
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What the design stage produces
Before any application, the useful work is deciding what the house should become: where the extra room goes, how it meets the garden, what it does to the neighbours. The output is a drawing set that shows the existing house and the proposal side by side, so you can judge the design before paying for anything else.
Government guidance says any plans or drawings submitted with an application must be drawn to an identified scale, and plans must show the direction of north (Planning practice guidance, Making an application, paragraph 023). Our architectural drawings service builds the set to that standard.
How Bexley decides householder applications
Sidcup and Foots Cray are in the London Borough of Bexley. In the four quarters 2025 Q3 to 2026 Q2 Bexley made 877 householder decisions, including prior approvals, and granted 95% of them (our analysis of MHCLG planning application statistics, table PS2).
Excluding prior approvals, the share of its householder decisions made within 8 weeks in those quarters rounds to 100% (our analysis of MHCLG planning application statistics, table PS2). That sits against the standard decision period of 8 weeks for an application that is not major development, beginning the day after receipt (Development Management Procedure Order 2015, article 34(2)(b)). Treat these as borough-wide history, not a promise about your application.
Bexley shows 31 conservation-area entries on the national register (our analysis of the MHCLG Planning Data Platform conservation-area dataset, snapshot retrieved 14 Aug 2026).
What happened when Bexley refusals went to appeal
Of 157 householder appeals against Bexley decisions decided between 2021 and 2026, 34% were allowed (our analysis of the Planning Inspectorate Casework Database, released 1 Oct 2026). Most of those appeals were dismissed, which is a reason to get the design right at the drawing stage rather than count on appeal.
If you do need to appeal, our guide to the planning appeal process explains the routes and timings.
Conservation areas near DA14
Bexley shows 31 conservation-area entries on the national register (our analysis of the MHCLG Planning Data Platform conservation-area dataset, snapshot retrieved 14 Aug 2026). Houses inside one face tighter control over materials, roof changes and front elevations.
Find your DA14 address on Bexley's own conservation area map or ask the council to confirm it, and read the Article 4 direction explainer if you were planning on permitted development.
Fees: what you pay us and what you pay the council
DrawingsDirect's architectural drawings start from £745, as a fixed fee. The council's householder application fee for alterations or extensions to a single dwellinghouse has been £548 since 1 April 2026 (SI 2012/2920, Schedule 1, Part 2, category 6(1)), and you pay it to the council when you apply. See our pricing page for the full list, and our guide to what architectural drawings cost.
Sources
Every figure on this page, where it comes from and a link to the original.
| Figure | Source | Link |
|---|---|---|
| 877 | Our analysis of MHCLG planning application statistics, table PS2 (district open data table) (released 24 Sep 2026, quarters to 2026 Q2) | www.gov.uk |
| 95% | Our analysis of MHCLG planning application statistics, table PS2 (district open data table) (released 24 Sep 2026, quarters to 2026 Q2) | www.gov.uk |
| 100% | Our analysis of MHCLG planning application statistics, table PS2 (district open data table) (released 24 Sep 2026, quarters to 2026 Q2) | www.gov.uk |
| 157 | Our analysis of Planning Inspectorate Casework Database (released 1 Oct 2026 (Casework Database 2609)) | www.gov.uk |
| 34% | Our analysis of Planning Inspectorate Casework Database (released 1 Oct 2026 (Casework Database 2609)) | www.gov.uk |
| 31 | Our analysis of MHCLG Planning Data Platform conservation-area and article-4-direction datasets (bulk snapshot retrieved 14 Aug 2026) | www.planning.data.gov.uk |
| 8 weeks | DMPO 2015 art 34(2)(b): decision period for an application that is not major development (source wording: 8 weeks beginning with the day immediately following receipt) | www.legislation.gov.uk |
| identified scale | Planning practice guidance, Making an application, paragraph 023 (ID 14-023-20140306): any plans or drawings must be drawn to an identified scale and plans must show the direction of north | www.gov.uk |
| £548 | Statutory fee from 1 April 2026, SI 2012/2920 Sch 1 Pt 2 category 6(1): householder application for alterations or extensions to a single dwellinghouse | assets.publishing.service.gov.uk |
| £745 | DrawingsDirect starting fixed fee for architectural drawings, from the published price list | drawingsdirect.co.uk |