Planning and building regulation drawings in Golders Green (NW11)

In the Edwardian and interwar streets, the projects are the familiar family-house ones: a deeper kitchen, a loft bedroom, a side extension, sometimes a conversion of part of the house. Much of the Edwardian and interwar core around Golders Green Road lies within the Golders Green conservation area, so the first thing we do is check whether a given house sits inside it, because that decides how closely the council will look at the front elevation and roof.

The Hampstead Garden Suburb part of NW11 is another matter. The Article 4 direction there removes permitted development rights across the Suburb, meaning that any external work, however small, needs a full application. The estate was planned as a whole, which means hedge lines, materials and rooflines are controlled as part of the original design. Alongside the council's decision, the Hampstead Garden Suburb Trust has its own approval process. Barnet also has an Article 4 direction removing the right to turn a house into a small house in multiple occupation, which matters if the aim is to let the house to three or more unrelated sharers.

Planning in Golders Green: what to know before you apply

Golders Green has two planning conditions in one postcode. In the conservation area around Golders Green Road, officers weigh proposals against the character of the frontages and rooflines. In the Hampstead Garden Suburb part, the Article 4 direction means almost any external change needs a full application, and the Trust's consent is needed alongside the council's. The HMO Article 4 direction applies across the district, so a change of use to a small shared house also needs permission. Because the two processes run side by side, we prepare one set of drawings that answers both, and we confirm the designations for your address before the design is fixed.

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