Lawful development certificate · London Borough of Croydon
Lawful development certificate in Croydon, from £695 fixed
Croydon's May 2026 validation list sets out what a lawful development certificate needs: a site plan, plans and elevations, a CIL form and, for a loft, a roof volume calculation. On Chatsworth Road and in The Waldrons, Article 4 directions since 2016 remove rights a certificate would otherwise confirm.
Householder application fee, paid to your council at submission.
Plus the Planning Portal's own charge if the application goes through the Portal: up to £149 including VAT, depending on the application type, and some types have none (source).
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Send the postcode and what you want to build, and add photos or old plans if you have them. We reply with the fee in writing and the payment stages set out in full.
What Croydon Council asks of a lawful development certificate
From the council's Local Validation List (May 2026), Other Application Types (adopted May 2026).
- Croydon's May 2026 validation list asks a lawful development certificate application to include a site plan, existing and proposed floor plans, elevations where external alterations are proposed, and a CIL additional information form. (source, checked 25 October 2026)
- For a roof extension the same list asks for a calculation of the proposed roof space volume, and for an existing use it puts the onus on the applicant to show detailed evidence such as statements, tenancy agreements, bills and Council Tax records. (source, checked 25 October 2026)
- In the Chatsworth Road Conservation Area an Article 4 direction in force since 21 January 2016 removes the rights to extend or alter a house, alter its roof, add a porch, paint the exterior and install solar panels. (source, checked 25 October 2026)
- In The Waldrons Conservation Area a direction in force since 21 January 2016 removes, among others, the rights to lay hard surfaces within the curtilage of a house and to put up or alter gates, fences and walls. (source, checked 25 October 2026)
What Croydon lawful development certificate drawings have to show
Croydon's validation list names the drawings for a certificate: a site plan, existing and proposed floor plans, and elevations wherever the outside changes. For a loft we add the roof volume calculation it asks for, set out as original roof volume, the dormer's added volume and the total against the 40 or 50 cubic metre allowance, and we fill in the CIL additional information form.
Before any of that, we check two conservation areas. On Chatsworth Road, extensions, roof alterations, porches, exterior painting and solar panels all lost their permitted development rights in January 2016, and in The Waldrons, front hard surfaces and boundary walls did. A certificate cannot confirm work those directions cover, so there the route is a planning application.
Croydon: 786 householder decisions
What it costs in Croydon
- Certificate of lawfulness: from £545 drawings + £150 survey (£695 total), plus £274 to Croydon Council.
- Half the equivalent planning fee for a proposed use certificate.
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Answers
Croydon lawful development certificate questions
What does Croydon need with a lawful development certificate application?
Can I extend my house without planning permission on Chatsworth Road, Croydon?
Do I need a certificate of lawfulness for a loft in Croydon?
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Tell us the postcode and what you want to build. We confirm the fee in writing and book the survey.