Prices checked 14 October 2026. A complete planning drawing service costs £895 from Fixed Fee Plans, a fixed fee published in full. Your council's householder planning fee is £548, paid to the council and shown separately. Building regulations drawings are a further £795. Nothing is bundled and no form stands between you and the price.
Key Takeaways
- Our fixed fee for planning drawings is £895, for a house extension, loft or garage that needs an application. The householder council fee is £548, paid to your council.
- The council fee is set nationally, so it is the same in every English borough. What differs locally is the cost of pre-application advice, listed council by council below.
- Building regulations drawings (£795) and structural calculations (from £495) are separate from planning drawings.
- Many lofts, garages and rear extensions need no application. A certificate of lawfulness proves it, from £950 plus a £274 council fee.
What do you pay for planning drawings, and when?
Each job has our fixed fee, the council's charge where there is one, and the point at which you pay. Our prices come from the published price list; the council figures are the national fees in force since 1 April 2026.
| Job | Our fixed fee | Council fee (paid to the council) | When it is paid |
|---|---|---|---|
| Complete planning drawings | £895 | £548 householder fee | By stage: £150 survey, £200 existing drawings, £250 proposed, £150 application pack, £145 submission. The council fee is paid at submission |
| Building regulations drawings | £795 | None from us. Building control charges its own fee | By stage: £150 survey, £495 construction drawings, £150 submission |
| Structural calculations | from £495 | None. Checked by building control within your approval | On instruction |
| Certificate of lawfulness | from £950 | £274 for a proposed use | By stage: £150 survey, £700 drawings, £100 submission |
| Measured survey | £150 | None | On booking; it is also the first stage of the packages above |
| Garage conversion drawings | from £695 | £548 only if planning permission is needed | On instruction |
| Pre-application advice request | £295 | The council's own pre-app fee, which varies by council | Credited against the planning service if you proceed |
| Party wall notices only | £49 | None | On instruction |
The council fee goes to the council, with the receipt going to you. We do not add to it, and it is not part of any fee of ours. Stopping after the existing drawings costs £350, not £895. The fee calculator at /tools/fee-calculator/ adds up your own job.
Why is the council fee the same in every borough?
Planning fees in England are set nationally by the government in the Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications, Deemed Applications, Requests and Site Visits) (England) Regulations 2012, and raised each 1 April. From 1 April 2026 the householder fee is £548, up from £528, and a new dwelling is £610. Source: GOV.UK, fees for planning applications, which states fees are set nationally. Our guide to planning permission fees lists every category.
A borough-by-borough table of application fees would therefore be one number repeated. A draft order would raise the householder fee again from 8 December 2026; it had not been made when we checked on 14 October 2026 (draft regulations), so £548 stands today.
What does change from borough to borough?
The optional step before you apply: pre-application advice. Each council sets its own fee. The tables below show the written householder advice figure each council publishes, taken from the council page linked in each row. Each council page on this site carries the full detail. Fees move each April and some councils quote with VAT and some do not, so confirm on the linked page before paying.
London boroughs
| Borough | Householder pre-application advice, as the council states it | Source, checked |
|---|---|---|
| Barking and Dagenham | £270 meeting and letter, plus £145 site visit (via Be First) | Council guidance note, 10 Oct 2026 |
| Bexley | £153 written; £354 with a meeting | Council page, 10 Oct 2026 |
| Brent | £195.60 written; the same again for a meeting | Council page, 10 Oct 2026 |
| Bromley | £250 including VAT, written only (fees from 5 Feb 2024) | Council page, 9 Oct 2026 |
| Camden | £481.50 including VAT, simpler project; £963 for more complex work | Council page, 14 Oct 2026 |
| Croydon | £300 plus VAT | Council page, 9 Oct 2026 |
| Ealing | £311.40 for a 30-minute appointment; £386.14 with written advice | Council page, 9 Oct 2026 |
| Hackney | £310 including VAT, written; £430 for a listed building | Council page, 14 Oct 2026 |
| Hammersmith and Fulham | £452 written (2026/27); £654 with a meeting | Council page, 14 Oct 2026 |
| Haringey | £312 express written; £498 standard, including VAT | Council page, 10 Oct 2026 |
| Harrow | £324.40 written (2026/27); £530.80 with a meeting | Council charges, 10 Oct 2026 |
| Havering | £229 written; £138 by phone | Council page, 10 Oct 2026 |
| Hillingdon | £504 including VAT, small-scale minor proposals | Council page, 14 Oct 2026 |
| Hounslow | £408.44 including VAT, written (2026/27) | Council page, 14 Oct 2026 |
| Islington | £400 plus VAT, written | Council page, 10 Oct 2026 |
| Kingston upon Thames | £174 for a meeting or written advice; £300 for both | Council page, 10 Oct 2026 |
| Lambeth | £491 including VAT, written (2026/27) | Council guide, 14 Oct 2026 |
| Merton | £250 for a 15-minute virtual meeting, verbal only | Council page, 10 Oct 2026 |
| Newham | £180 including VAT, written | Council schedule, 10 Oct 2026 |
| Redbridge | £310 written; £170 for a 20-minute call | Council page, 10 Oct 2026 |
| Richmond upon Thames | £190, written only | Council page, 10 Oct 2026 |
| Southwark | £317.16 including VAT, written, for an extension (2026/27) | Council page, 14 Oct 2026 |
| Sutton | £290 (2026/27), no site visit | Council schedule, 14 Oct 2026 |
| Tower Hamlets | £119 advice letter from April 2026; £130 in a conservation area | Council fees, 10 Oct 2026 |
| Waltham Forest | £335 including VAT | Council page, 10 Oct 2026 |
| Wandsworth | £146 written; £293 meeting only, £439 with written advice (2026/27, including VAT) | Council charges, 9 Oct 2026 |
| Westminster | £504 written (2026/27) | Council schedule, 10 Oct 2026 |
Greenwich and Lewisham are live on this site but we have no sourced householder pre-application figure for them, so they are left out rather than guessed.
Home counties councils
| Council | Householder pre-application advice, as the council states it | Source, checked |
|---|---|---|
| Buckinghamshire | £579.40 including VAT, meeting and written response | Council fees, 13 Oct 2026 |
| Dartford | £186 by letter; £372 with a meeting, including VAT | Council page, 14 Oct 2026 |
| Elmbridge | £170 including VAT, with a site visit | Council page, 13 Oct 2026 |
| Epping Forest | £300 written | Council fees note, 13 Oct 2026 |
| Epsom and Ewell | £230 written, works to a house, including VAT | Council page, 14 Oct 2026 |
| Hertsmere | £230.40 written, including VAT (April 2025 schedule, the one the council still links) | Council schedule, 14 Oct 2026 |
| Mole Valley | £171.39 written, including VAT | Council page, 14 Oct 2026 |
| Reigate and Banstead | £114 written; £171 with a meeting (VAT not stated) | Council charges, 14 Oct 2026 |
| Sevenoaks | £144 letter; £193.38 with a meeting, including VAT | Council page, 13 Oct 2026 |
| Slough | £185 full written assessment; £124 desktop checklist (fees from April 2025) | Council page, 14 Oct 2026 |
| Spelthorne | £135 written (the council gives no date or VAT statement) | Council page, 14 Oct 2026 |
| Tandridge | £149 letter-only for existing residents, including VAT | Council page, 14 Oct 2026 |
| Three Rivers | £115 including VAT, site visit and written note | Council page, 13 Oct 2026 |
| Welwyn Hatfield | £223 detailed written; £383 with a meeting, including VAT | Council page, 14 Oct 2026 |
Pre-application advice is optional and the council keeps the fee. If you want us to handle it, the pre-application request service is £295 and is credited against the planning service if you go on to apply.
Does an extension cost more to draw than a loft or a garage?
The drawing fee depends on the work needed, not the type of building work: our £895 covers survey, existing and proposed drawings, the application pack and submission for a house extension. A loft or garage that is permitted development skips the application and its council fee, which is why those jobs often cost less overall.
- Extension needing planning: £895 plus £548 to the council. Rear extensions within the larger home route cost £249 in council fee; see the larger home extension guide.
- Loft conversion: most are permitted development within 40 m³ (terraced) or 50 m³ (other houses). A certificate of lawfulness, from £950 plus £274 to the council, proves it. Building regulations drawings (£795) and structural calculations (from £495) follow. That is from £2,240 of our fees for a permitted loft; see the loft conversion page and the permitted development guide.
- Garage conversion: drawings from £695, and the £548 fee only if planning permission is needed. See garage conversion drawings and the planning guide.
Where we publish local rules for these jobs, they sit on the borough's own pages: extensions in Hillingdon, Hackney, Hounslow and Hammersmith and Fulham; loft conversions in Hillingdon, Hackney, Hounslow and Lambeth.
Check which route applies with the free permitted development checker. It will tell you when you do not need an application, even though the application is the dearer product.
Does a conservation area change the cost?
Yes, mostly on the council side and in the detail drawn. Conservation areas and listed buildings need heritage statements and more drawing detail, and councils often charge more for pre-application advice there: Tower Hamlets £130 against £119, Lambeth £984.88 in a conservation area against £491 (both from the tables above). Our fixed fee for windows and doors applications in these areas is £1,250.
Article 4 directions can remove permitted development rights for a street, turning a job that needed no application into one that does. Each borough page lists its Article 4 areas.
Does a basement change the cost?
Yes, mainly through engineering and council charges. A basement needs structural design and often a basement impact assessment, none of which sits in a drawing fee. The council side also rises: Westminster charges £1,008 for a householder basement with a meeting, and Hammersmith and Fulham £1,370 where a basement or listed building is involved (sources in the tables above). Structural calculations start at from £495.
Does a party wall matter for the cost?
Yes, because it adds a separate process. Work on or next to a shared wall, or excavating near a neighbour's foundations, triggers duties under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996, outside both the drawing fee and the council fee. Notices alone are £49; a full party wall surveyor service starts at from £695. See our party wall guide and the party wall service. Source: GOV.UK, party walls and building work.
Do structural calculations cost extra?
Yes. Removing a load-bearing wall, forming a large opening or adding floor loading needs calculations, and no planning drawing fee includes them. Ours start at from £495; building control checks them as part of your approval. The structural calculations guide explains when they are needed, and the service page has the detail.
How does this compare with architect fees for an extension?
An architect's appointment and a drawing service are different jobs, so the fees are not like for like. Architects commonly quote a share of the build cost or an hourly rate and cover design development, contractor tender and site inspection. We quote a fixed fee for the drawings and the application, published on the price list. Neither is the better buy by default: it depends on whether you need design leadership or a compliant set of drawings.
We have not published a competitor price comparison here. A comparison appears on this site only when each price has a source link and a date we saw it, and we have no such record yet.
What can push the cost up after the drawings?
Three things sit outside any fixed drawing fee. First, building regulations are a separate approval from planning, with their own drawings (£795) and a building control charge set by the council or an approver; our building regulations drawings page explains the split. Second, councils sometimes attach conditions to a permission, and discharging them carries a council fee, set out in the fees guide. Third, a scheme that changes after the existing drawings are done is paid for by stage: you have spent what the finished stages cost, and no more.
What does an extension cost end to end?
For a rear extension that needs planning permission, our published fees are £895 for planning drawings and £795 for building regulations drawings, together £1,690. Separately, the council charges £548. Structural calculations, party wall work, any pre-application advice and the build itself are on top. The statutory target is 8 weeks for a householder application (13 weeks for major development), per article 34 of the Development Management Procedure Order 2015.
Frequently asked questions
How much do planning drawings cost? Our complete service is £895, fixed, plus £548 to the council. Drawing sets alone are £500 each for existing and for proposed.
Is VAT included in these prices? Check every quote. Some councils quote pre-application advice with VAT and some do not, as the tables note where the council says.
Can I resubmit for free after a refusal? No. The free repeat application was removed for applications made from 6 December 2023, per the explanatory memorandum to SI 2023/1197. A revised scheme needs its own fee.
Do I need building regulations drawings as well? If the work is structural, yes. Planning and building regulations are separate approvals with different drawings, and permitted development work usually still needs building regulations.
Does a higher fee improve the chance of approval? No. Approval turns on policy. Good drawings make compliance clear to a case officer but cannot make a non-compliant scheme acceptable.
Where do these figures come from?
Prices checked 14 October 2026.
- Our fees: Fixed Fee Plans price list.
- Council planning fees: GOV.UK, fees for planning applications and our fees guide, from 1 April 2026.
- Pre-application fees: the council page linked in each table row, on the date shown.
- Permitted development limits: Planning Portal common projects and the GPDO 2015.
- Determination targets: Development Management Procedure Order 2015, article 34.
- Building regulations: GOV.UK.