Rear Extension Drawings in Havering
Fixed-fee, MCIAT-chartered rear extension drawings for Havering homeowners — London Borough of Havering validation and local constraints handled from the start.
Havering is outer-London suburbia on the edge of Essex. Interwar and post-war semi-detached houses spread across Romford, Hornchurch and Elm Park, larger detached homes define Emerson Park, and Rainham, Harold Wood and Collier Row add to the borough's suburban grain. Toward Upminster and Havering-atte-Bower the character turns green-belt and edge-of-London, with more rural and historic settings around Corbets Tey. The generous plots across most of the borough make substantial rear and double-storey extensions viable in a way a tight inner-London terrace never allows.
Two constraints shape the scale of what can be built. Green-belt policy across the borough's eastern and northern edges assesses extensions against strict limits on disproportionate additions to the original dwelling, so on those properties siting and scale must be evidenced carefully. Conservation control in the Romford Conservation Area, Upminster's Tithe Barn, Hornchurch, Emerson Park, Havering-atte-Bower and Corbets Tey governs materials and design in the historic cores. Havering has no borough-wide Article 4 direction affecting typical householder permitted development, so detached and semi-detached homes often retain fuller rights than inner-London terraces.
We prepare Havering planning drawings that use the available plot fully while respecting green-belt and conservation constraints, checking permitted development limits for semi-detached and detached homes first and confirming them with a Lawful Development Certificate where a scheme qualifies. On green-belt properties we design and evidence to policy; in the conservation cores we design to the area's character rather than a name-swap template. The fee is agreed up front as a fixed figure, typically around 30% below an architect's charge for the same council-accepted drawings, with free redraws until Havering approves. The council decides most householder applications within the statutory eight-week period once validated, so we submit validation-first to hold that timescale.
Planning in Havering: what to know before you apply
Havering has no borough-wide Article 4 direction affecting typical householder permitted development; the binding constraints are green-belt policy across the eastern and northern edges and conservation-area control in Upminster, Hornchurch and Emerson Park. The borough's detached and semi-detached homes often retain fuller permitted development rights than inner-London terraces.
Typical Havering housing stock
Interwar and post-war semi-detached suburbia across Romford, Hornchurch and Elm Park, larger detached houses in Emerson Park, and green-belt and edge-of-London properties toward Upminster and Havering-atte-Bower.
Areas we regularly draw for in Havering
Romford · Hornchurch · Upminster · Rainham · Elm Park · Harold Wood · Emerson Park · Collier Row
Rear Extension Drawings for Havering homes: the package and the process
Every rear extension drawings we prepare for a Havering property is drawn to London Borough of Havering’s validation standards and tuned to the local constraints above. Here is what the drawing package covers and how the process runs from first survey to approval.
A single-storey rear extension is the most common way London homeowners add space, usually taking the form of an open-plan kitchen-diner that opens onto the garden through bi-fold or sliding doors, with rooflights or a roof lantern bringing daylight deep into the plan. Because depth and height are tightly controlled by permitted development rules and by the 45-degree rule that protects neighbouring windows, the design work sits as much in checking what the council will allow as in drawing what you want.
DrawingsDirect draws rear extensions for permitted development, the larger home extension prior-approval scheme and full householder planning, with structural calculations for the opening and roof produced in-house by our MCIAT-chartered team. If your project also involves widening the kitchen sideways or adding a second storey, see our Side Return, Wraparound and Double Storey Extension pages — many London rear extensions grow into one of those during design.
Do I need planning permission for a rear extension in London?
Many single-storey rear extensions qualify as permitted development, meaning no planning application is needed, provided depth, height and materials stay within set limits. That changes if your property sits in a conservation area or is subject to an Article 4 direction, both of which can remove permitted development rights across a street or borough — in that case a full householder planning application is required regardless of size.
Even where an extension qualifies, most homeowners obtain a Lawful Development Certificate to confirm that status in writing before building — useful for mortgage lenders, buyers and Building Control. We check your property against your borough's constraints before recommending a route.
How deep can a single-storey rear extension go?
Depth is the main constraint on a rear extension, and it depends on your house type and whether you use standard permitted development or the larger home extension scheme.
Permitted development
Standard permitted development allows a single-storey rear extension up to 3 metres deep for terraced and semi-detached houses, or 4 metres for detached houses, generally with eaves height limited to match or stay close to the existing house.
Larger home extension scheme
The prior-approval scheme extends this to 6 metres for terraced and semi-detached houses and 8 metres for detached houses. Your council writes to affected neighbours; if none object within the notification period, approval follows without a full planning application. If an objection is raised, the council assesses the impact on neighbouring light and outlook itself, rather than automatically refusing, so a well-considered design still has a good chance of approval.
| Route | When it applies | Typical fee |
|---|---|---|
| Permitted development (Lawful Development Certificate) | Depth within 3m (terraced/semi) or 4m (detached), height and materials within PD limits | PD/LDC pack ~£950–£1,450 |
| Larger home extension (prior approval) | Depth up to 6m (terraced/semi) or 8m (detached), with neighbour notification | from £1,100 |
| Full householder planning permission | Extension exceeds PD/larger-home limits, or the property is in a conservation area with an Article 4 direction | Full Planning pack ~£1,600–£2,400 |
| Planning + Building Regulations (structural) | Combined planning and construction-ready pack with structural calculations for the opening and roof | Planning + Building Regs pack ~£2,200–£3,850 |
Rear Extension Drawings across Havering
Rear Extension Drawings in Havering — FAQs
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