Planning and building regulation drawings in Chiswick (W4)
W4 holds two quite different building jobs under one postcode. Chiswick itself is late-Victorian and Edwardian terraces and semi-detached houses on the grid of streets between Chiswick High Road and the river, with original bay frontages and generous rear gardens, set around the historic parkland of Chiswick House. Its streets include Devonshire Road, Grove Park Road and Duke Road. For a family house here the options include a rear or side-return extension, a loft conversion and a reworked ground floor.
- MCIAT chartered technologists
- London Borough of Hounslow granted 75% of 704 householder applications
- Drawings in about 7 days
Bedford Park is another matter. It was laid out in the 1870s and 1880s as what is celebrated as the 'first garden suburb', with Queen Anne houses in red brick, white-painted joinery and tile-hung gables, and many of the homes around Bath Road and Woodstock Road are listed. Work there is usually a sensitive rear extension or careful internal reconfiguration rather than anything visible from the street. Windows, doors, roof detail and front boundaries that would be routine elsewhere normally need consent, and any approved change has to match the original detailing.
Hounslow is the council for Chiswick and Bedford Park, although Bedford Park also appears among Ealing's conservation areas, so we confirm which council covers your address. Chiswick House, Turnham Green and Acton Green sit alongside Bedford Park as conservation areas, so many properties have some designation to check. Separately, Hounslow's borough-wide Article 4 direction means turning a house into a small house in multiple occupation needs a full application, and a further direction removes the permitted right to create new dwellings by change of use. Both are worth settling before design begins, because they decide which scheme is worth drawing at all.
Planning in Chiswick: what to know before you apply
Hounslow controls design within its conservation areas, and Bedford Park is where that control is tightest: materials, rooflines and front elevations are all watched, and listed building consent often runs alongside planning permission. In the Chiswick House and Turnham Green areas the protected features are the parkland setting and the Victorian street frontages, so what faces the street is the sensitive part. Aircraft noise toward Heathrow is a consideration in the west of the borough, and Thames flood-zone questions arise nearer the river. Article 4 directions on HMO conversions apply in W4. We check the designation, listing and any direction against your address before choosing a route.
Applications are decided by London Borough of Hounslow — its planning pages.
Does your Chiswick project need planning permission?
Chiswick (W4) in numbers
What London Borough of Hounslow has decided, and what W4 is built of — the two facts that shape every job here.
Householder planning decisions — London Borough of Hounslow
Chiswick (W4) applications are decided by London Borough of Hounslow; these are its published householder figures for the last four quarters.
| Householder applications decided2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 | 704 |
|---|---|
| Granted | 526 |
| Refused | 178 |
| Grantedof 704 decisions · England 90% | 75% |
| Decided within 8 weeksof 404, excluding prior approvals | 97% |
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 Hounslow
How the larger-home-extension route has fared with London Borough of Hounslow, which decides W4 notifications.
| Larger home extension prior approvals — not required2024 Q2 to 2026 Q1 | 263 |
|---|---|
| Prior approval granted | 54 |
| Prior approval refused | 138 |
| Grantedof 192 determined | 28% |
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 Hounslow
Refusals in W4 can be appealed to the Planning Inspectorate; this is London Borough of Hounslow's householder appeal record.
| Householder appeals determined2021–2026 | 352 |
|---|---|
| Allowed | 175 |
| Allowedof 352 · England 36% | 50% |
Source: Planning Inspectorate appeals casework. Open Government Licence v3.0 Extracted 2026-09-22.
Conservation areas and Article 4 directions — London Borough of Hounslow
Register counts for London Borough of Hounslow. A count describes what the council has published, never a rank against another council.
| Conservation areas in the register28 dated, 1968–2014 | 43 |
|---|---|
| Article 4 directions in the register | 3 |
| Areas covered by an Article 4 direction | 3 |
Source: MHCLG Planning Data Platform. Open Government Licence v3.0 Extracted 2026-09-22.
What W4 is built of
Residential building form across Chiswick (W4), from 530 classified buildings — the fact that decides party walls, side returns and loft headroom before any policy does.
| Attached on more than one side | 55% |
|---|---|
| Attached on one side | 37% |
| Detached | 8% |
| Median building footprint | 74 m² |
| Addresses per buildingAbove about 2 means flats and maisonettes dominate | 1.68 |
| Buildings classified | 530 |
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.
- Day 0Measured survey of your Chiswick property — or your existing plans if you have them.
- About 7 daysDrawings issued for your approval. Free redraws until you are happy.
- SubmissionWe validate against London Borough of Hounslow’s checklist and submit on your behalf.
- Council: 8-week targetHouseholder applications carry an 8-week statutory target. London Borough of Hounslow decided 97% of 404 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.
Streets and neighbourhoods in W4
Nearby postcode districts
Chiswick (W4) — FAQs
I live in Bedford Park. Can I replace my windows or change my front boundary?+
Do the Chiswick House and Turnham Green conservation areas affect a rear extension?+
Get your free Chiswick planning assessment
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