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Free 2026 London Planning Report — Mitcham CR4

Flat-fronted London stock brick terrace with sash windows and red, blue, yellow and pink front doors, cars parked outside
CR4 · Mitcham · Merton

Planning and building regulation drawings in Mitcham (CR4)

Mitcham is built around its greens. Around Cricket Green and Lower Green, Georgian and early-Victorian houses survive together with almshouses and the Vestry Hall, and beyond that cluster the surrounding CR4 streets are mainly Victorian terraces and interwar semis. Cricket Green, Lower Green West, Madeira Road and Cranmer Road are among the district's streets. The result is a district in which a house a few minutes from the green can face a very different set of questions from one that stands on the green itself.

  • MCIAT chartered technologists
  • London Borough of Merton granted 92% of 769 householder applications
  • Drawings in about 7 days

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For the terraces and semis away from the greens, the questions are the familiar ones for any rear extension, side-return addition or loft: depth, height, the neighbours and whether permitted development applies. The old core is another matter. Mitcham Cricket Green Conservation Area and Lower Green West Conservation Area both cover buildings where alterations that can be seen from the greens are closely controlled, and there are listed buildings and a war memorial near Lower Green West that raise expectations for materials, windows and detailing.

Merton assesses proposals here with the heritage setting in mind. We check the conservation boundary, any listing and the position of the house before we advise on a route, then draw for it.

Planning in Mitcham: what to know before you apply

Merton assesses householder proposals against the character of the setting, and in Mitcham that setting is strongest around Cricket Green and Lower Green West. Both are conservation areas, so roof enlargements, side extensions and rear extensions of more than one storey need a full planning application there rather than relying on permitted development, and the council looks closely at anything visible from the greens. In April 2023 the borough confirmed an Article 4 direction across seven wards, Cricket Green among them, which removes change-of-use rights for certain commercial and community premises; it does not govern ordinary house extensions. Merton also lists HMO directions in designated wards and directions restricting some permitted development within conservation areas, so we check whether either reaches the address. Houses outside the conservation areas keep their householder rights within the usual limits. Flats have none.

Applications are decided by London Borough of Merton — its planning pages.

Check your route

Does your Mitcham project need planning permission?

Route check · Mitcham (CR4)

Listed building?
Conservation area?
Likely permitted development — no planning applicationNeeds checking
  • A single-storey rear extension up to 4 m deep on a detached house, or 3 m on any other house, is Class A permitted development subject to the height and materials conditions.
  • An Article 4 direction applies here and may withdraw this freedom — the schedule must be checked before relying on it.
  • One or more constraints are unknown — we check the council's registers as part of the free appraisal.
  • Where permitted development applies, a lawful development certificate proves it for lenders and buyers.

Sources: GPDO 2015, Schedule 2, Part 1 · Planning Portal — common projects · Building Regulations 2010 — when approval is needed

This is a first-pass indication from the national rules, not planning advice for your property. Your council's registers, any Article 4 schedule and the exact dimensions decide it — the free appraisal checks all three before we recommend a route.

Confirm it with a free appraisal

Mitcham (CR4) in numbers

What London Borough of Merton has decided, and what CR4 is built of — the two facts that shape every job here.

Householder planning decisions — London Borough of Merton

Mitcham (CR4) applications are decided by London Borough of Merton; these are its published householder figures for the last four quarters.

Householder applications decided2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1769
Granted709
Refused60
Grantedof 769 decisions · England 90%92%
Decided within 8 weeksof 499, excluding prior approvals88%

Source: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (PS2 district planning application statistics). Open Government Licence v3.0 Extracted 2026-09-22.

Permitted development prior approvals — London Borough of Merton

How the larger-home-extension route has fared with London Borough of Merton, which decides CR4 notifications.

Larger home extension prior approvals — not required2024 Q2 to 2026 Q1321
Prior approval granted40
Prior approval refused179
Grantedof 219 determined18%

Source: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (PS1 district planning application statistics). Open Government Licence v3.0 Extracted 2026-09-22.

Planning appeals — London Borough of Merton

Refusals in CR4 can be appealed to the Planning Inspectorate; this is London Borough of Merton's householder appeal record.

Householder appeals determined2021–2026116
Allowed41
Allowedof 116 · England 36%35%

Source: Planning Inspectorate appeals casework. Open Government Licence v3.0 Extracted 2026-09-22.

Conservation areas and Article 4 directions — London Borough of Merton

Register counts for London Borough of Merton. A count describes what the council has published, never a rank against another council.

Conservation areas in the register28 dated, 1968–199728

Source: MHCLG Planning Data Platform. Open Government Licence v3.0 Extracted 2026-09-22.

What CR4 is built of

Residential building form across Mitcham (CR4), from 335 classified buildings — the fact that decides party walls, side returns and loft headroom before any policy does.

Attached on more than one side59%
Attached on one side37%
Detached4%
Median building footprint55 m²
Addresses per buildingAbove about 2 means flats and maisonettes dominate1.44
Buildings classified335

Source: Ordnance Survey National Geographic Database (derived statistics). Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026. Extracted 2026-09-22.

  1. Day 0Measured survey of your Mitcham property — or your existing plans if you have them.
  2. About 7 daysDrawings issued for your approval. Free redraws until you are happy.
  3. SubmissionWe validate against London Borough of Merton’s checklist and submit on your behalf.
  4. Council: 8-week targetHouseholder applications carry an 8-week statutory target. London Borough of Merton decided 88% of 499 recent householder applications inside it.

Source: Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (PS2 district planning application statistics). Open Government Licence v3.0 Extracted 2026-09-22.

Neighbourhoods

Streets and neighbourhoods in CR4

MitchamGeorgian and Victorian around the greens, with interwar and postwar infill
Nearby

Nearby postcode districts

South Croydon CR2Coulsdon CR5Croydon CR0Purley CR8
FAQ

Mitcham (CR4) — FAQs

Can I extend a house near Cricket Green without a full planning application?+
It depends on whether the house sits inside the conservation area. Inside it, side extensions, roof enlargements and rear extensions of more than one storey need permission, and the design is judged partly on how it looks from the greens. Outside the boundary, a modest single-storey rear extension may still be permitted development.
Does the Article 4 direction in Mitcham affect my loft or kitchen extension?+
Not the April 2023 one. That direction removes change-of-use rights for certain commercial and community premises, so it matters if you are converting a shop or hall, not if you are extending a family home. We still check your address against the conservation areas, any other direction and the listings, as those can change the route.
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