Single-storey rear extension opening onto a London garden, a common Ealing family-home project

Ealing · London

House Extension Drawings in Ealing

Fixed-fee, MCIAT-chartered house extension drawings for Ealing homeowners — London Borough of Ealing validation and local constraints handled from the start.

Ealing pairs generous Edwardian and Victorian housing stock with some of West London's most protective conservation control, so the right route for an extension or loft depends heavily on where in the borough you are. The stock ranges from Edwardian and Victorian terraces through 1930s Metro-land semi-detached homes in Perivale, Greenford and Northolt to the Arts-and-Crafts houses of Bedford Park. A rear extension in Northolt is a very different application from a roofline change in Bedford Park, and treating them the same is how schemes stall.

The constraints matter early. The London Borough of Ealing operates a borough-wide Article 4 direction removing permitted development rights for HMO conversions, and applies further control to front-garden hardstanding in parts of the borough. Its conservation areas — Bedford Park, Ealing Green, Pitshanger, Hanwell Village Green and St Stephen's — apply strict control over dormers, materials and front elevations, Bedford Park most tightly of all. Mature street trees carry Tree Preservation Orders, and aircraft-noise considerations apply toward the west of the borough, so the address determines the approach.

We prepare Ealing planning drawings to the council's validation standards, checking permitted development eligibility first and designing to Ealing's residential extension guidance so applications are validated without a query. On the Metro-land semis of Perivale and Greenford that usually means confirming a hip-to-gable or dormer loft as permitted development with a Lawful Development Certificate; in Bedford Park and the other conservation areas it means a full householder application designed to the area's character. The fee is fixed and agreed up front, typically around 30% below an architect's charge for the same council-accepted drawings, with free redraws until Ealing approves. Our validation-first approach and roughly seven-day drawing turnaround keep most applications inside the statutory eight-week determination.

Proposed floor plan

Ealing

Planning in Ealing: what to know before you apply

Ealing operates a borough-wide Article 4 direction removing permitted development rights for HMO conversions, and its conservation areas — Bedford Park especially — apply strict control over dormers, materials and front elevations. We flag these before drawing.

Typical Ealing housing stock

Edwardian and Victorian terraces, 1930s Metro-land semi-detached homes, and the Arts-and-Crafts houses of Bedford Park.

Areas we regularly draw for in Ealing

Ealing Broadway · Acton · Hanwell · Greenford · Northolt · Perivale · Southall

What the numbers say about Ealing planning decisions

These are London Borough of Ealing’s own reported figures, published by government rather than estimated by us. They are what we design against — a borough that refuses one householder application in five needs a different drawing package from one that refuses one in twenty.

Permitted development in Ealing

Larger householder extensions put to London Borough of Ealing under the prior-approval route, and lawful-development certificates decided, over eight quarters.

Prior approval not requiredWent ahead without a full application	384
Prior approval granted	36
Prior approval refused	153
Granted where a decision was neededFrom 189 determinations	19%
Building upwards, prior approval refused	1
Certificates of lawful development decided	1,383

Source: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (PS1 district planning application statistics). Open Government Licence v3.0 Extracted 2026-08-16.

What removes permitted development in Ealing

Live entries on the national planning registers for London Borough of Ealing. Article 4 directions withdraw permitted development rights, so a project inside one needs a full application rather than prior approval. Revoked and expired entries are excluded.

Conservation areasPermitted development is already narrower inside one	31

Source: MHCLG Planning Data Platform. Open Government Licence v3.0 Extracted 2026-08-16.

House Extension Drawings for Ealing homes: the package and the process

Extension drawings are read for their dimensions. The proposed plan needs depth measured from the original rear wall — not from a previous extension — eaves and ridge heights taken from existing ground level, and the distance to each boundary marked. A site plan showing how much garden remains is what an officer reaches for when the amenity question comes up.

We draw the existing building accurately first, because everything else is measured from it. Where the original footprint has already been added to, that history goes on the drawing: it decides which allowances are still available and it is the first thing an officer checks against the council's own records.

The plot decides the extension type long before taste does. A mid-terrace has depth to work with and an alley if it is lucky; a semi has one clear flank; a detached house can go wide. Reading the building form first is what stops a design being drawn that the plot cannot take.

Which extension types do you draw?

Every London extension is shaped by the plot, the neighbours and the borough's design guidance. We draw them all.

Rear extension

A single-storey rear extension is often permitted development within depth limits — ideal for an open-plan kitchen-diner.

Side-return

Fills the alley beside a Victorian terrace, widening the ground floor without losing garden.

Wraparound

Combines a rear and side-return extension for a transformative ground floor, usually needing planning permission.

Double-storey

Adds space above and below, subject to tighter scale and neighbour-impact scrutiny.

Basement

Creates space downward where footprint is limited, with structural and party-wall care.

Do I need planning permission for a house extension in London?

Single-storey rear extensions within permitted development limits (up to 6m for terraced/semi-detached homes under the larger-home scheme, subject to neighbour consultation) may not need a full application. Wraparounds, double-storeys and anything in a conservation area usually do. We assess your plot and recommend the right route before drawing. The current depth, height and eaves limits are set out in full in the guide to planning permission for a rear extension, and where you would rather one practice ran the design, the application and the building-regulations stage together, Architectural Drawings covers that full scope.

How do you maximise the footprint the council will approve?

We know each borough's depth, height and daylight standards, so we design to the edge of what will be approved rather than guessing — and we check the 45-degree neighbour daylight rule and any rear building line before submission. Where a plot is tight we test a permitted-development scheme against a slightly larger householder application and show you the trade-off in space, cost and timescale, so the drawn scheme is the one that actually maximises value rather than just floor area.

Typical London extension drawing packages
Extension	Typical route	Package	Fee from
Single-storey rear	Permitted development / householder	Planning + building regs	£1,100
Side-return	Householder planning	Planning + building regs + structural	£1,600
Wraparound	Householder planning	Full package + structural	£2,200
Double-storey	Householder planning	Full package + structural	£2,400

Sheet from a house extension drawings package prepared for a Ealing property, drawn to London Borough of Ealing validation standards — A sheet from the house extension drawings package we submit to London Borough of Ealing.

Local Proof

A recent Ealing approval

Completed side-return and rear extension opening onto a garden on an Ealing Edwardian terrace

Householder planning application · Ealing

Side-Return Extension in Ealing, Approved First Time

Edwardian mid-terrace · Planning + building regs + structural

Approved first time, no amendments

Local Areas

House Extension Drawings across Ealing

Acton W3House Extension Drawings in Acton, W3 Ealing Broadway W5House Extension Drawings in Ealing Broadway, W5 Hanwell W7House Extension Drawings in Hanwell, W7 West Ealing W13House Extension Drawings in West Ealing, W13 Southall UB2House Extension Drawings in Southall, UB2 Northolt UB5House Extension Drawings in Northolt, UB5 Greenford UB6House Extension Drawings in Greenford, UB6 Perivale UB6House Extension Drawings in Perivale, UB6

Also in Ealing

Planning Permission Planning Drawings Architectural Drawings Building Regulations Drawings Loft Conversion Drawings House Extension Drawings across London

FAQ

House Extension Drawings in Ealing — FAQs

How far can I extend without planning permission in London?+

Under permitted development, single-storey rear extensions can reach 3m (terraced/semi) or 4m (detached), or up to 6–8m under the prior-approval larger-home scheme — but conservation areas and Article 4 directions can remove these rights. We check your property first.

Do extension drawings include structural calculations?+

Our full package includes structural drawings and calculations coordinated in-house, so your builder can price and build without waiting on an engineer.

How long do extension drawings take?+

Typically about 7 days from survey to a full drawing set delivered to your online portal.

Will my rear extension need a party wall agreement?+

If you build up to or on a shared boundary, excavate near a neighbour's foundations, or cut into a party wall for a steel, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 usually applies. Our drawings show the works clearly so a party wall surveyor — or your neighbour — can see exactly what is proposed, which keeps that process quick.

Can I extend a house in a conservation area?+

Yes, but conservation areas and Article 4 directions commonly remove permitted development for rear and side extensions, so the work needs a full householder application designed to the council's heritage guidance. We confirm your property's designation before recommending a route.

Do I need planning permission for a rear extension in Ealing?+

Many Ealing semis and terraces keep permitted development rights for a single-storey rear extension, so a full application isn't always needed. But the borough-wide Article 4 direction on HMO conversions, and conservation areas such as Bedford Park and Pitshanger, remove or restrict those rights in places. We check your address against the designations first and, where it qualifies, confirm permitted development with a Lawful Development Certificate.

What extra control applies in Bedford Park?+

Bedford Park is one of West London's most tightly controlled conservation areas, with detailed control over materials, rooflines, windows and front elevations. A standard permitted-development dormer or cladding change usually won't apply; instead we design to the area's Arts-and-Crafts character and prepare a full householder application with the elevations and materials the council expects — the reliable route to approval there.

How long does Ealing Council take to decide a householder application?+

Ealing determines most householder applications within the statutory eight-week period once they are validated. The commonest cause of delay is a validation query over missing or inconsistent drawings, so we prepare Ealing submissions to the council's validation checklist — correctly scaled existing and proposed plans, elevations and a location plan — to avoid that back-and-forth.

Can you help with a loft conversion on a 1930s Ealing semi?+

Yes. Ealing's Metro-land semis in Perivale, Greenford and Northolt suit hip-to-gable and dormer loft conversions, which frequently qualify as permitted development on semi-detached homes within the volume limits. We confirm eligibility against those limits and any Article 4 or conservation constraint, then produce the planning and building-regulations drawings.

How much do planning drawings cost in Ealing?+

We work to a fixed fee agreed before we start, typically around 30% below an architect's charge for the same council-accepted drawings, with free redraws until Ealing grants approval. The exact figure depends on the project — a single-storey rear extension differs from a double-storey or a loft — so we quote once we understand your scheme rather than on an open-ended hourly basis.

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