Planning drawings in Camden, £895 fixed

What is the householder approval rate in Camden?

Camden Council granted 351 of 394 householder decisions (89.1%) from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026, with larger home extension prior approvals counted in. That is 3.3 points above London's 85.8% (20,556 of 23,967), and 43 of its 394 decisions were not granted. Rank 13 counts the 32 boroughs with 50+ decisions (one has fewer). Source: MHCLG PS2. Compare all boroughs: London approval rates table.

What does Camden Council need to validate an application?

• Camden asks for plans, elevations and sections at 1:50, or 1:100 only outside conservation areas and for unlisted buildings, with anything to be demolished cross-hatched in red. (source)
• For a roof extension, terrace or dormer it wants elevations of the whole property, not just the roof and upper floors, and existing and proposed sections through the roof where the works are. (source)
• For a rear extension or conservatory the drawings must show the boundary walls with the neighbours and, where it rises above the boundary wall, an elevation from the neighbour’s side. (source)
• Every new or enlarged basement needs a basement impact assessment, prepared by suitably qualified professionals with a non-technical summary. (source)
• Camden’s Basements planning guidance (January 2021) says assessments will require expert independent verification funded by the applicant. (source)
• A basement also needs a flood risk assessment if it is on a street identified as at flood risk, where historic underground watercourses ran, or where groundwater flooding risk is elevated. (source)

Article 4 directions in Camden

three Article 4 directions below remove permitted development rights in Camden. Check an address with the permitted development checker.

• Basements, borough-wide (2017). Since 1 June 2017 an Article 4 direction across the whole borough has removed permitted development rights for basements, so every basement excavation needs planning permission. (source)
• Belsize, Fitzjohns/Netherhall, Hampstead, South Hampstead and Redington/Frognal conservation areas (June 2026). Directions with an adoption date of 9 June 2026 remove permitted development rights from the houses and flats named in each direction. In Belsize, for example, the council’s June 2026 fact sheet says replacement front windows and doors that do not match the existing in size, design and profile, and painting or rendering over a previously unpainted front, now need permission. (source)
• Primrose Hill conservation area (1983). An Article 4 direction adopted 3 March 1983 covers the properties on its list in the Primrose Hill conservation area. (source)

Camden has 40 conservation areas, covering about half of the borough. (source)

How long does a planning decision take in Camden?

Camden decided 212 householder applications from 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026, prior approvals excluded; 129 of them (60.8%) took eight weeks or less.

• Camden says it is receiving a high volume of applications and pre-application requests, so validation and decisions are taking longer than usual. (source)
• Householder pre-application advice costs £481.50 including VAT for one simpler project (such as a single-storey rear extension or a dormer loft conversion), or £963 for more complex work such as two-storey rear extensions, roof extensions or basements. (source)

Design guidance: Camden Planning Guidance: Home Improvements (January 2021). The guidance asks for rear extensions to be subordinate and to pass the 45-degree and 25-degree daylight tests, and says a roof extension on an unaltered terrace is likely to be acceptable in a traditional form unless the conservation area appraisal names the roofline as significant.

Drawings and prices in Camden

• planning permission drawings in Camden: £895.
• building regulations drawings: £795.
• loft conversion drawings

Do I need planning permission? · Certificate of lawfulness from £950.

Neighbouring boroughs

Council facts checked 14 October 2026.