Planning and building regulation drawings in Coulsdon (CR5)

The two layers are judged by different yardsticks. On the semis, the questions are practical: how deep a rear extension can go, whether a side addition keeps a sensible gap, what a rear dormer does to the roof line and how the new work matches the brick and tile of the original. Near the green the question becomes character. Bradmore Green Conservation Area protects the open space and the buildings around it, so changes that face the green are weighed for their effect on how the place looks.

Because the pattern shifts from street to street, a drawing that suits one house can be wrong for the next. We start with the address, its conservation status and its neighbours, and only then choose the route.

Planning in Coulsdon: what to know before you apply

Croydon looks at Coulsdon applications against the established pattern of the street. Outside the conservation area, a house keeps its householder permitted development rights, so a rear extension or loft may not need a full application, although limits on size and height still apply and we check them. Inside Bradmore Green Conservation Area, roof enlargements, side extensions and rear extensions of more than one storey are not permitted development, and the council assesses external alterations for their effect on character, especially where they face the green. Scale and roof form are judged against the established pattern, which differs between the village core and the semi-detached roads around it. Croydon has an Article 4 direction on HMO conversions, but sources differ on whether it covers the whole borough or only designated wards, so anyone planning a shared house for three to six unrelated people should let us confirm it. Flats have no householder rights.

Applications are decided by Croydon Council — its planning pages.