Planning drawings for a house extension in Reigate cost £795 with us, fixed, from the measured survey to the council's decision. If you also want building regulations drawings and structural calculations, the package is from £1,395. Reigate and Banstead's householder fee of £548 is paid to the council separately. What the drawings show, and how much design work they need, depends on three things in Reigate: your house type, whether you are in one of the town's conservation areas, and whether the Green Belt reaches your plot.
On this page
- What does Reigate and Banstead's guidance say about extension size?
- Do I need planning permission for a Reigate extension at all?
- How does the Green Belt change an extension in Reigate?
- What else does the council's checklist ask for?
- How long does Reigate and Banstead take to decide?
- What does the £795 include?
- Frequently asked questions
What does Reigate and Banstead's guidance say about extension size?
The council still uses its Householder Extensions and Alterations SPG from March 2004, and it is more specific than most. For a single-storey rear extension built along the boundary, it says depths beyond these are likely to be unacceptable (SPG 2004):
| House type | Depth along the boundary |
|---|---|
| Terraced | 3m |
| Semi-detached | 3.3m |
| Detached | 3.5m |
It then checks overshadowing with a 45-degree test taken from the middle of the neighbour's nearest ground-floor window. A deeper extension can still work if it steps in from the boundary, which is why our survey records the neighbours' windows as well as your own walls.
For two storey work the guidance has three firm messages. Keep a one metre gap to the side boundary, and more where houses sit in large plots. Face the street like the main house. And expect a two storey front extension to be refused in almost every case. It sets out two approaches to a side extension: set back from the front wall with a lower ridge, which suits most houses, or fully integrated, which suits only some detached houses with room to spare.
Do I need planning permission for a Reigate extension at all?
Not always. A modest single-storey rear extension can be permitted development, and our permitted development checker will tell you so even when that means you do not need us. Two things make that less likely in Reigate than in many towns:
- Conservation areas. The national register lists 19 in the borough, and several are in or around Reigate itself: Reigate Town Centre, Wray Common, Chart Lane, Somers Road, Shaws Corner, and Flanchford Road and Colley Lane out towards Reigate Heath (Planning Data). Side extensions lose their permitted development rights in a conservation area.
- Article 4 directions. The council says directions have been served on most of its conservation areas, controlling external changes such as replacement windows (about conservation areas). It does not list which rights each one removes, so we check your address before any design starts.
The council's other recent direction, on town and local centres, stops ground-floor shops being turned into homes without permission. It does not affect house extensions.
How does the Green Belt change an extension in Reigate?
The built-up town is ringed by Metropolitan Green Belt, and houses on the edges, towards Reigate Hill, Reigate Heath and the lanes to the south, can sit inside it. National policy allows the extension of an existing building in the Green Belt only where it does not cause a disproportionate increase in size compared to the original building, meaning the building as it stood on 1 July 1948 or as first built if later (NPPF chapter 13, GB7).
Reigate and Banstead applies this through Policy NHE5 of its 2019 Development Management Plan. Extensions, "in combination with any other additions", must not be disproportionate to the original building, judged on added footprint and floor area, massing and bulk, height, and how visible the work is (DMP 2019, Policy NHE5). The policy sets no fixed percentage. That makes the house's history matter: a conservatory added in the 1990s uses up part of the allowance.
The council's validation checklist asks Green Belt applications for existing and proposed footprint, floorspace and volume (householder validation checklist). We calculate those from the survey, and we ask you for any old plans or permissions that show what the original house was.
What else does the council's checklist ask for?
Reigate and Banstead's householder checklist goes further than the national minimum. The items that most often affect an extension in Reigate are:
- Street scene drawings at 1:100 or 1:200 where the ridge height changes, with the neighbouring houses, their windows and doors, and the gaps between buildings dimensioned.
- A block plan showing trees on your site and next door, hard surfacing, and the type and height of boundary walls and fences.
- Certificate B with notice served on the neighbour, where an extension ties into an attached house.
- Ecology surveys where protected species may be affected, for example where a roof is altered or trees are lost.
- A heritage statement for a house in a conservation area, and a CIL form with every householder application.
All of these come from the council's checklist. Street scenes, the block plan and the Green Belt figures are part of our drawing set. An ecology survey is a separate specialist report, and a heritage statement is priced separately; we confirm at the quote stage whether your house needs either.
How long does Reigate and Banstead take to decide?
Between July 2025 and June 2026 the council decided 438 of its 458 householder applications (excluding prior approvals) within eight weeks, according to MHCLG live table PS2. The council says officers decide about 90% of all applications, with committee mostly for larger schemes such as new housing.
If you want a view before applying, written householder pre-application advice costs £114 from 1 April 2026, or £171 with a meeting (pre-application charges 2026/27). For a straightforward rear extension that meets the guidance figures, it is often not needed.
What does the £795 include?
- A laser measured survey of the house, the side boundaries and the neighbours' nearest windows.
- Existing and proposed plans, elevations and sections, with the 45-degree test drawn where it matters.
- Street scenes, the block plan and Green Belt figures where the council's checklist calls for them.
- Submission to Reigate and Banstead and replies to the case officer until the decision.
Our Reigate and Banstead page sets out the council's rules in full, and the Surrey page lists the other councils we cover in the county. If you are thinking about a loft rather than an extension, our post on loft conversion drawings in Redhill covers the same council's dormer guidance. Over the borough boundary, planning drawings in Epsom shows how a neighbouring council's checklist differs.
Frequently asked questions
How deep can a single-storey extension be on a Reigate semi? Reigate and Banstead's 2004 guidance says a single-storey rear extension along the boundary of a semi-detached house deeper than 3.3m is likely to be unacceptable. A deeper design can work if it is set in from the boundary and passes the 45-degree test.
Is there a percentage limit for extensions in Reigate's Green Belt? No fixed figure. Policy NHE5 asks whether the extension, together with any earlier additions, is disproportionate to the house as built or as it stood on 1 July 1948, looking at floor area, bulk, height and visibility.
Does a house in Reigate Town Centre or Wray Common conservation area cost more? Our drawing fee is the same. You may also need a heritage statement, which is priced separately, and permitted development rights are narrower, so more work needs an application.
How close to the boundary can a two storey side extension go? The council normally expects a one metre gap between the extension and the side boundary, and a wider gap where houses stand in large plots.
Is the council's application fee included? No. The householder fee of £548 is paid to Reigate and Banstead at submission, separately from our fee.
If the application goes through the Planning Portal, the Portal adds its own service charge: nothing, £99 or £149 including VAT, depending on the application type and complexity, paid to the Portal at submission and not normally refunded with a council fee (Ashford Borough Council, Planning Portal service charges, 11 September 2026). It is not ours and not the council's. Other submission routes exist; where your council accepts one without a charge, we can use it.
