- Written by
- The Drawings4Planning technical teamChartered architectural technologists (MCIAT)
- Published
- Updated
- Reading time
- 4 min
- Topic
- Extensions and lofts
A single-storey rear extension going up behind a semi-detached house. Photo: Brett Jordan, Pexels License.
What do you pay, line by line?
Three payments get you to a decision. Our fee for the notice drawings and the written description is £349. The measured survey that those drawings are built on is £150, so the total you pay us is £499, with no VAT to add. The council then charges its own fee when the notice goes in: £249 from 1 April 2026 (national fee schedule, published by Bradford Council).
Nothing else is needed to get the answer. There is no separate charge for neighbour letters, which the council sends itself, and no Planning Inspectorate cost unless you later appeal a refusal.
| Notice drawings and description paid to us | £349 |
|---|---|
| Measured survey paid to us | £150 |
| Council prior approval fee paid to the council | £249 |
| Total | £748 |
Total £748: £499 to Drawings4Planning, £249 to the council (fee from 1 April 2026).
Is it cheaper than a householder planning application?
Yes, by £429 for the same single-storey extension. A householder application needs a fuller drawing set, our £479 plus the £150 survey, and the council fee for one house is £548 (fee schedule). That puts the planning route at £1,177 against £748 for prior approval.
The saving is in time as well. Under prior approval the council has 42 days, and if it has not decided by then the extension may be built as described (GPDO Class A.4(10)(c)). A refusal still leaves the householder route open.
- Prior approval: £499 to us + £249 council fee = £748
- Householder application: £629 to us + £548 council fee = £1,177
How deep can you build without a full application?
Up to 6 m beyond the original rear wall of a terraced or semi-detached house, and up to 8 m on a detached house, single storey and no higher than 4 m (GPDO Class A.1(g)). Up to 3 m (or 4 m detached) needs no notice at all. Earlier extensions count towards the total (technical guidance, p.18).
Move the slider below to see which route your depth falls into.
Larger home extension prior approval: £499 with us plus the council’s £249.
Rule: GPDO 2015, Sch. 2 Part 1, Class A.1(f) and (g). Single storey, at most 4 m high; other conditions apply.
When does prior approval not apply at all?
In a conservation area. Conservation areas are article 2(3) land, and there the rear extension limit stays at 3 m or 4 m with no notice route (technical guidance, p.6). Much of inner London sits in conservation areas, so the address check comes before any quote.
Flats and maisonettes are also outside the scheme, because permitted development for extensions applies to houses only. An Article 4 direction or a condition on an earlier permission can remove the right too.
What costs come after the decision?
Prior approval settles planning only. The government’s own guidance reminds householders that building regulations and the Party Wall Act still apply (technical guidance, p.4). Our building regulations drawings start at £479 plus the £150 survey; if we already surveyed the house for your prior approval drawings, the survey is not charged again, so the regulations set starts at £479. Party wall notices start at £39 per adjoining owner.
Sources behind the numbers
- £249
- Council fee for a larger home extension prior approval from 1 April 2026. National fee schedule, Bradford Council
- £548
- Council fee for a householder planning application for one house from 1 April 2026. National fee schedule, Bradford Council
- 6 m / 8 m
- Maximum projection beyond the original rear wall: attached houses / detached houses. GPDO 2015, Class A.1(g)
- 4 m
- Maximum height of the single-storey extension. GPDO 2015, Class A.1(g)(ii)
- 21 days
- Minimum period adjoining owners and occupiers have to comment. GPDO 2015, Class A.4(5)(d)
- 42 days
- Time after which, with no decision, the extension may be built as described. GPDO 2015, Class A.4(10)(c)
Questions readers ask about prior approval costs
Do I pay the council fee again if prior approval is refused?
The £249 pays for the council’s decision on the notice, whatever that decision is. If you then apply for householder planning permission, that application has its own council fee, £548 from 1 April 2026.
Can I skip the measured survey if I already have drawings?
Yes, if they are accurate, measured drawings of the house as it stands. Send them with your enquiry; the £150 survey is then left out and you pay £349 for the notice.
Is a Lawful Development Certificate cheaper than prior approval?
Only for extensions within the no-notice limits of 3 m or 4 m. Our LDC drawings are £389 plus the £150 survey, £539 in total, plus the council’s certificate fee. Deeper than that, the certificate route is not available and prior approval is.
Full details of the service: Prior approval: larger home extension.
