How Much Do Affordable Planning Drawings Cost in Enfield Town?

What does the fixed fee cover in Enfield Town?

Everything from measuring the house to the decision. The £795 is split into five stages on the price list: the measured survey at £150, the existing drawings at £175, the proposed drawings at £225, the application pack at £125 and the submission and agent service at £120. You see each figure before you book.

For a typical Enfield Town job, a single-storey rear extension to a Victorian or Edwardian house off Chase Side, or a side infill to a 1930s semi towards Bush Hill, that one fee is the whole drawing cost. A listed building or a project needing a heritage statement adds the separate statement, priced on the same list. We say which applies before we start.

Why is Enfield Town different from the rest of the borough?

Because it holds the borough's oldest conservation area. Gentleman's Row and its surroundings were designated in October 1968, and the area was enlarged into the Enfield Town Conservation Area in 1972, then extended in 1983 and 1984 (Enfield Town character appraisal). The appraisal describes an Article 4(2) direction that covered Gentleman's Row, parts of Chase Side, Chase Side Place, Holly Walk and River View, with further controls at Chase Side Avenue and the New Town streets of Essex Road, Sydney Road and Raleigh Road.

Those controls have since been rewritten. On 21 November 2017 the council confirmed a new Article 4(1) direction for the Enfield Town Conservation Area, which came into effect on 8 January 2018 and replaced the 2006 direction there (Enfield, Article 4 directions). The council's Enfield Town page links the direction and its map, and the map, not the street name, decides whether your house is covered.

What changes if my house is inside the conservation area?

Two things. First, national permitted development rights are narrower on conservation area land everywhere in England: a side extension, for example, is not permitted development, and cladding and some roof works are restricted (MHCLG technical guidance). Second, an Article 4 direction can take away further rights, such as replacing front windows and doors or altering a front boundary wall, so that even a small change on the street side needs an application.

In practice, a rear extension to a house on Gentleman's Row or River View is far more likely to need full drawings than the same extension on a 1930s street outside the boundary. The drawings also need more care: the council will compare brick, sash proportions and roof lines with the appraisal, so we survey and draw the existing features properly rather than as boxes.

What does Enfield ask for before it will validate?

Enfield's November 2023 local validation list sets the rules. A complete householder application is validated within 5 working days. If anything is missing and not supplied within 21 days, the application is withdrawn as invalid and the council keeps an administration fee (Enfield validation list). The same list says that if more than half the original walls come down, the scheme is not a householder application at all.

That 21-day rule is why we check the list before submitting rather than after. A withdrawn application costs you weeks and a fee, which is the opposite of affordable.

How long does Enfield take to decide?

Usually within 8 weeks. In the year to 30 June 2026, it decided 851 of 920 householder applications (excluding prior approvals) within 8 weeks, according to the government's PS2 table (MHCLG live tables). In the same year it decided 934 householder applications and granted 779. Those are borough-wide counts, not a forecast for your house, and a conservation area case can take longer if the officer asks for changes.

What does the whole planning stage cost, end to end?

Here is a worked example for a single-storey rear extension to a terraced house just off Chase Side, inside the conservation area:

Item	Paid to	Amount
Complete planning drawing service	Us	£795
Householder application fee	Enfield Council	£548
Heritage statement, if the officer needs one	Us	from £565

The first two lines are certain for any householder application. The third depends on the house: we tell you at the quote whether a short heritage section in the design statement is enough, or whether a separate statement is needed. Nothing is added later without your written agreement.

What this table leaves out is the build itself and building regulations. If the extension goes ahead, the construction drawings for building control are a separate fixed fee, and the full package bundles both with the structural calculations so the survey is paid for once.

Is there a cheaper route than a full application?

Sometimes. If your house is outside the conservation area and the work is permitted development, you may not need planning permission at all, and a lawful development certificate can confirm that for from £695. Our free permitted development checker tells you honestly when that is the answer. Inside the Enfield Town boundary, most extensions and many front alterations will need the full application, and the £795 service is the route.

For more on the borough as a whole, see our Enfield planning page, and for what goes in the pack, what planning drawings include. The main service is described on our planning drawings page.

Frequently asked questions

How do I know if my Enfield Town house is under the Article 4 direction? Check the 2017 direction map on Enfield's Enfield Town conservation area page, or send us the address. We check it before quoting, because it changes what you need.

Do I need a heritage statement for an extension in the Enfield Town Conservation Area? Usually a short assessment of the effect on the conservation area is expected. We tell you at the quote stage whether a separate statement is needed, and its price is published.

Is the council fee included in your fixed fee? No. The householder fee of £548 is paid to Enfield at submission. We show it separately so you can see exactly what goes to the council.

Can you handle a listed house on Gentleman's Row? A listed building needs listed building consent as well as, or instead of, planning permission. We tell you before booking whether that applies and what it adds.