How does a householder planning application work in London?

The short answer

A householder planning application is the ordinary route for work to a single house that falls outside permitted development. Most extensions in conservation areas, most side and wrap-around extensions in London, anything two storey that fails the depth or boundary tests, and anything on a street with an Article 4 direction.

The fee is £548 in England from 1 April 2026. It is set nationally, so it is the same in Camden as in Croydon, and it carries no VAT. The statutory determination period is eight weeks from validation.

It is not the difficult route people assume. It is the normal one.

What the fee does and does not cover

The £548 is the council's charge for determining the application. It is not the cost of getting permission.

The drawings are the larger number, and they are what actually determines the outcome. Add the measured survey, and any reports the application triggers, which in London can mean a daylight and sunlight assessment, an arboricultural report where trees are involved, or a heritage statement in a conservation area.

Two smaller things worth knowing. Paying through the Planning Portal adds a service charge on top of the fee, and many councils accept direct payment instead. And a retrospective application, where work has already been built, costs exactly the same. There is no penalty, but there is no discount either.

The eight weeks, and what it really means

The clock starts at validation, not submission. An application with a missing document or an unscaled drawing sits in a queue until the council registers it, and that gap is entirely in your control.

London boroughs frequently exceed eight weeks. If the council has not determined the application within sixteen weeks you may be entitled to a refund of the fee, and you have a right of appeal against non-determination, though in practice most people wait rather than appeal.

Realistically, budget eight to twelve weeks for the decision and treat anything faster as good fortune.

What the council actually assesses

This is where a householder application differs fundamentally from prior approval. The council is not limited to neighbour amenity. It assesses the proposal against local and national policy in the round.

The effect on neighbours, meaning light, privacy, outlook and overbearing impact. The effect on the character and appearance of the house and the street, which is where materials, proportions and window design carry weight. Any designation, whether conservation area or Article 4. Highways, parking and trees where relevant.

Neighbours are consulted, usually by letter and a site notice, and objections are published. An objection is not a veto. The council weighs it against policy, and an objection that amounts to dislike carries far less than one that identifies a genuine policy conflict.

What the application has to contain

A location plan and a site plan at recognised scales. Existing and proposed floor plans and elevations, drawn accurately and dimensioned. The application form and the fee. A design and access statement where the council requires one, which in a conservation area it usually does.

Drawings prepared to application standard are not the same as sketches. Most validation delays come from drawings that are unscaled, undimensioned, or that fail to show the existing building properly.

Improving the odds

Establish the designations first, because they change what will be acceptable rather than merely whether you need to apply.

Look at what has recently been approved and refused on your street. Every council publishes its decisions, and a morning spent reading three or four decision notices on comparable houses tells you more about local expectations than any general guide.

Consider pre-application advice where the scheme is contentious or the property is designated. Councils charge for it locally, it is not compulsory, and it is worth it where a refusal would cost you months.

Talk to your neighbours before the letters arrive. Most objections are about surprise rather than substance.

If it is refused

You can appeal to the Planning Inspectorate at no charge, or resubmit a revised scheme. Many councils allow one free resubmission within twelve months for a minor amendment.

Resubmission is usually the better route. An appeal contests the decision and takes months. A resubmission answers the reason for refusal, which is normally something specific and fixable, and a refusal notice tells you exactly what that was.