Do I need planning permission for a garage conversion in London?
Often not. Works inside the garage are not development at all, and replacing the garage door with a wall and window is usually permitted development. A condition on the original permission, an Article 4 direction or a larger external change can bring planning back in. A £274 certificate of lawfulness settles the question. Our garage drawings start at £645.
Prefer to talk it through?
Check three things before you assume permitted development
The certificate route is well used. Our analysis of MHCLG planning application statistics, table PS1 (released 24 Sep 2026), counts 84,906 certificates of lawful development decided by English councils across the eight quarters from 2024 Q3 to 2026 Q2. The figure covers every type of certificate, not garages alone.
Look for a planning condition that required the garage to stay as parking, for an Article 4 direction on your street, and for any plan to change the outside, such as replacing the garage door with a window. Any of the three can mean an application. Our Article 4 glossary entry explains the second.
The certificate that proves it is lawful
A certificate of lawfulness for a proposed use or operation costs half the full application fee, which for a householder case is £274 from 1 April 2026. It gives you written confirmation that the conversion is lawful, and a buyer's solicitor may ask for that evidence later.
We prepare the plans the certificate needs through our lawful development certificate drawings service.
Our analysis of MHCLG planning application statistics, table PS1 (released 24 Sep 2026), counts 84,906 certificates of lawful development decided by English councils across the eight quarters from 2024 Q3 to 2026 Q2.
If you do need to apply
A householder application for alterations or extensions to a single dwellinghouse costs £548 from 1 April 2026. The council has 8 weeks, starting the day after receipt, to decide an application that is not major development (DMPO 2015, article 34).
Losing a parking space can be a planning issue. If your street has parking pressure, show where the cars will go when the garage is gone.
Building regulations apply even when planning does not
Turning a garage into a bedroom or study is building work under the regulations, so floors, walls, ventilation, insulation and escape routes must meet them. Our guide to building regulations approval shows which small buildings are exempt and which are not.
What we charge
Our fixed fee for garage conversion drawings starts at £645, and at £745 where an Article 4 direction applies, because the conversion then needs a householder application rather than a certificate. See the garage conversion drawings page for what is included and the garage conversion cost guide for the wider budget.
Sources
Every figure on this page, where it comes from and a link to the original.
| Figure | Source | Link |
|---|---|---|
| 84,906 | Our analysis of MHCLG planning application statistics, table PS1 (district open data table) (released 24 Sep 2026, quarters to 2026 Q2) | 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 |
| £274 | Statutory fee from 1 April 2026: certificate of lawfulness, proposed use or operation, half the full application fee (half of the £548 householder fee) | assets.publishing.service.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 |
| only the interior | Town and Country Planning Act 1990 s55(2)(a): works that affect only the interior of a building, or do not materially affect its external appearance, are not development (source wording: "affect only the interior of the building, or") | www.legislation.gov.uk |
| Class A | GPDO 2015 Sch 2 Part 1 Class A permits the enlargement, improvement or other alteration of a dwellinghouse; condition A.3(a): materials in any exterior work must be of a similar appearance to the existing exterior (source wording: "The enlargement, improvement or other alteration of a dwellinghouse") | www.legislation.gov.uk |
| £645 | DrawingsDirect starting fixed fee for garage conversion drawings, from the published price list | drawingsdirect.co.uk |
| £745 | DrawingsDirect starting fixed fee for garage conversion drawings where an Article 4 direction applies, from the published price list | drawingsdirect.co.uk |
Questions people ask
Can I convert my garage under permitted development?
How do I find out whether an Article 4 direction covers my road?
Why is the fee higher where an Article 4 direction applies?
Photographs: David Hawgood (CC BY-SA 2.0).
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