New Build Drawings in Brent
Fixed-fee, MCIAT-chartered new build drawings for Brent homeowners — London Borough of Brent validation and local constraints handled from the start.
Brent runs from the dense Victorian and Edwardian terraces of Kilburn, Willesden and Harlesden, through the planned streets of Queen's Park, to the interwar semi-detached suburbia of Wembley, Kingsbury and Sudbury. Side-return and rear extensions and hip-to-gable loft conversions are the borough's most requested projects, and the housing character shifts noticeably across it — from party-wall-sensitive terraced grids to the consistent interwar semi character the council expects extensions to respect toward Wembley and Kingsbury. Conservation control around Queen's Park, Mapesbury and Sudbury Court, and in Roundwood, Brondesbury and Willesden Green, tightens design where it applies.
For the borough's abundant terraces and interwar semis, single-storey side-returns and hip-to-gable or dormer lofts frequently qualify as permitted development within the volume limits, so a full application isn't always needed. But Brent operates a borough-wide Article 4 direction removing permitted development for change of use to an HMO (C3 to C4), meaning any conversion to a house in multiple occupation needs a full application anywhere in the borough, and conservation areas such as Queen's Park, Mapesbury and Sudbury Court restrict what would otherwise be permitted. We take a validation-first approach, confirming the designation for your street and, where a scheme qualifies, evidencing permitted development with a Lawful Development Certificate before drawing.
We prepare Brent planning and building-regulations drawings to the council's householder and validation standards across Wembley, Willesden, Kilburn, Harlesden, Neasden and Sudbury, producing the same council-accepted drawings an architect would — usually at around 30% less. The fee is fixed and agreed before we start, drawings typically turn around in about seven days, and we redraw free until Brent approves. Most householder applications are determined within the statutory eight-week period once validated, and because the dense terraced streets are party-wall-sensitive the commonest delay is a drawing query, so a complete submission to the council's householder guidance keeps the application moving.
Planning in Brent: what to know before you apply
Brent operates a borough-wide Article 4 direction removing permitted development rights for HMO conversions, and controls design within conservation areas such as Queen's Park, Mapesbury and Sudbury Court. For the borough's abundant terraces and interwar semis, side-returns and hip-to-gable lofts frequently qualify as permitted development — we confirm the designation for your street before drawing.
Typical Brent housing stock
Victorian and Edwardian terraces across Kilburn, Willesden and Harlesden, interwar semi-detached suburbia through Wembley, Kingsbury and Sudbury, and the distinctive planned streets of Queen's Park and the Sudbury Court estate.
Areas we regularly draw for in Brent
Wembley · Willesden · Kilburn · Harlesden · Kingsbury · Neasden · Sudbury · Queen's Park
What the numbers say about Brent planning decisions
These are London Borough of Brent’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.
All development decided in Brent
Every planning application London Borough of Brent decided over the four quarters to 2026 Q1, not only householder work — a new dwelling is decided in this wider pool.
| Applications decided | 1,963 |
|---|---|
| Granted | 1,532 |
| Refused | 431 |
| GrantedAcross all development types, so it is not comparable with the householder rate | 78% |
| Householder applications within itThe rest is the pool a new dwelling is decided in | 924 |
Source: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (PS2 district planning application statistics). Open Government Licence v3.0 Extracted 2026-08-16.
If London Borough of Brent refuses: appeal outcomes
Planning appeals against London Borough of Brent determined by the Planning Inspectorate, 2021–2026. Enforcement notices and withdrawn cases are excluded.
| Appeals determined | 732 |
|---|---|
| Allowed | 239 |
| Dismissed | 493 |
| Householder appeals allowedFrom 283 householder appeals. England average 36% | 42% |
Source: Planning Inspectorate appeals casework. Open Government Licence v3.0 Extracted 2026-08-16.
New Build Drawings for Brent homes: the package and the process
A new dwelling is a full application rather than a householder one, and the drawing set reflects that: site layout with levels and boundaries, floor plans and elevations for the new building, sections showing how it sits in the ground, and street-scene elevations placing it against what is already there.
Two packages follow the approval — the planning set and the construction set — and they have to stay in step. Foundation design, drainage strategy, thermal performance and fire strategy are drawn for Building Control against the same geometry that was granted permission, so the built house matches the approved one.
An infill plot is designed against its neighbours. Plot width, the building line either side, and the ridge heights next door set what the new house can be — and on a tight urban site those constraints usually shape the design more than the brief does.
Is my plot suitable for a new build in London?
A feasibility assessment looks at plot size and shape, access, existing boundary conditions, relevant planning policy for the borough, and the likely impact of a new dwelling on neighbouring properties before any design work begins. Infill plots — a gap between existing buildings on a street — and backland plots — a garden or yard site behind existing houses, reached by a shared access — each raise different issues: infill schemes are usually judged on how well they match the scale, spacing and character of the street, while backland schemes are judged heavily on overlooking, garden loss for neighbours, and whether the access arrangement is acceptable. A feasibility study gives an honest view of whether a scheme is likely to succeed before you commit to full drawings.
What does pre-application advice add to a new build project?
Pre-application advice is a formal, paid process most London boroughs offer, where planning officers give written feedback on a proposed scheme before a full application is submitted. For a new build — where the principle of development itself is often the main issue, not just the design details — this feedback can be invaluable: it surfaces concerns around density, massing, daylight and sunlight or heritage context early enough to be addressed in the drawings, rather than discovered for the first time as a refusal reason months into a full application. We prepare and submit pre-application enquiries as part of the new build service where it is likely to strengthen the eventual planning application.
How do daylight, sunlight and overlooking affect a new build design?
London boroughs assess new dwellings against their effect on the daylight and sunlight reaching neighbouring homes and gardens, commonly using the 45-degree rule as an initial check on a proposal's massing and position relative to neighbouring windows, alongside more detailed daylight and sunlight assessment on sensitive sites. Overlooking and loss of privacy from new windows, upper floors or roof terraces are assessed similarly, and often shape decisions on window placement, floor-to-floor heights and the overall footprint and massing of the new building. Designing with these constraints from the earliest sketch stage, rather than adjusting for them after a refusal, is one of the main advantages of instructing feasibility and pre-application work before a full planning set.
| Stage | What it establishes | Typical fee guide |
|---|---|---|
| Feasibility | Whether the plot can support a new dwelling and the likely constraints | Quoted individually, from within the £2,500 new build fee |
| Pre-application advice | Written borough feedback on the scheme before a full application | Quoted individually alongside the planning fee |
| Full planning drawings | The complete drawing set submitted for planning permission | From £2,500 |
| Building regs and structural | Construction-ready drawings and calculations for building | From £2,200–£3,850, quoted once planning is settled |
New Build Drawings across Brent
New Build Drawings in Brent — FAQs
How much do new build drawings cost in London?+
Can any garden or backland plot be built on in London?+
Do I need pre-application advice before a full new build application?+
Do you handle building regulations and structural drawings for a new build, or only planning?+
How long does a new build project take from feasibility to planning permission?+
Do I need planning permission for a side-return extension in Brent?+
What does Brent's borough-wide HMO Article 4 direction affect?+
Is a hip-to-gable loft conversion allowed on my Brent semi?+
How long does Brent Council take to decide?+
How much do planning drawings cost in Brent?+
Get your free Brent planning assessment
Tell us your Brent address and ambition — we'll confirm feasibility, local constraints and a fixed fee within one working day.