Dormer, hip-to-gable and mansard loft conversion drawings for Bearsted & Downswood homes — prepared to Maidstone Borough Council's design guidance, delivered in days and revised free until your decision lands, with a free approval-odds score first.
Maidstone Borough Council granted 91% of the householder planning decisions it made in its latest published year — 4 points above the 87% England-wide householder average. Bearsted & Downswood contains Bearsted Extension, Bearsted Extension, Bearsted Extension conservation areas (Bearsted Extension designated 2000), so materials, fenestration and roof form are assessed against the appraisal, which is where a policy-literate drawing pack earns its keep. Its dominant interwar (1918–1939) and postwar (1945–1970) housing stock sets the design brief on most streets.
Before permission is required, Class B allows 40m³ of added loft volume on a terrace and 50m³ on a semi or detached house, and Class A allows a 3m single-storey rear extension on a terrace or 4m on a detached house. Bearsted & Downswood carries at least one Article 4 direction, and conservation areas including Bearsted Extension, Bearsted Extension and Bearsted Extension remove those rights outright, so we confirm your exact address before a line is drawn. A validated householder application in Bearsted & Downswood is determined against an 8-week statutory target.
Bearsted Extension (conservation area designated in 2000), Bearsted Extension (conservation area designated in 2025), Bearsted Extension (conservation area designated in 2025), Bearsted Extension (conservation area designated in 2025), Bearsted, Holy Cross Church (conservation area designated in 1992), Bearsted, Village Green (conservation area designated in 1974), Bearsted (civil parish within Bearsted & Downswood) and Downswood (civil parish within Bearsted & Downswood) — these are the Bearsted & Downswood pockets our drawings cover most. Heritage designations here include Bearsted Extension, Bearsted Extension, Bearsted Extension, Bearsted Extension, Bearsted, Holy Cross Church and Bearsted, Village Green. Maidstone Borough Council weighs each proposal against the adopted Maidstone local plan and Maidstone Borough Council's design guidance for householder work, where the 4,190 homes here are 35% 1965-1972, 17% 1983-1992, 10% 1930-1939, which is what sets the realistic roof and rear-projection options. On roofs the borough is shallow-pitched roofs and integral garages typical of that period's building and trussed-rafter roofs typical of 1980s building, over late-1960s and early-1970s houses (35% of 4,190 homes), 1980s estate houses (17%) and 1930s semi-detached and detached houses (10%).
What is permitted in Bearsted & Downswood turns on designation first, so that is where we start: Bearsted Extension (conservation area designated in 2000), Bearsted Extension (conservation area designated in 2025), Bearsted Extension (conservation area designated in 2025), Bearsted Extension (conservation area designated in 2025), Bearsted, Holy Cross Church (conservation area designated in 1992) and Bearsted, Village Green (conservation area designated in 1974). Inside those boundaries permitted development is curtailed and Maidstone Borough Council assesses materials, window detail and roof form against the area's own appraisal, so a scheme that would be waved through two streets away can need a full application here.
Beyond the designated areas, Bearsted & Downswood takes in Bearsted and Downswood. Maidstone Borough Council has 84 recorded Article 4 directions — check the address before assuming PD applies in Bearsted & Downswood.
On stock, Bearsted & Downswood is late-1960s and early-1970s houses (35% of 4,190 homes), 1980s estate houses (17%) and 1930s semi-detached and detached houses (10%) — which is why shallow-pitched roofs and integral garages typical of that period's building and trussed-rafter roofs typical of 1980s building govern what a loft or rear projection can realistically be. Maidstone Borough Council decided 536 householder applications in the latest published year and granted 91%, with 81% issued inside the eight-week target. We draw to that record rather than to a national average.
The full build-period split for Bearsted & Downswood runs pre-1900 5% (230 homes), 1900-1918 1% (30 homes), 1919-1929 4% (180 homes), 1930-1939 10% (410 homes), 1945-1954 5% (210 homes), 1955-1964 6% (270 homes), 1965-1972 35% (1,480 homes), 1973-1982 5% (230 homes), 1983-1992 17% (710 homes), 1993-1999 3% (140 homes) and 2000-2008 4% (160 homes). That distribution is why pre-1900 detailing dominates the drawings here, and it is measured from council-tax records rather than assumed from the street name.
Maidstone Borough Council also decides for Barming Heath & Teston, Boxley Downs, Coxheath & Farleigh, High Street, Leeds & Langley, Loose & Linton, Marden & Yalding and Staplehurst, so a decision in Bearsted & Downswood sits inside a wider pattern of decisions we track across the same authority — useful when an officer cites a precedent from the next area over.
The Article 4 directions recorded for this council include 29 Albion Place, 62 Earl Street, 66 Earl Street and 70-72 King Street,. Each removes a specific permitted-development right inside its own boundary, which is why the check is done on the address rather than on the town.
Published figures for Bearsted & Downswood and Maidstone Borough Council. These are the numbers that decide what is realistic on your street, so we work from them rather than from national averages.
| Measure | Bearsted & Downswood |
|---|---|
| Dwellings recorded | 4,190 |
| Built pre-1900 | 230 (5%) |
| Built 1900-1918 | 30 (1%) |
| Built 1919-1929 | 180 (4%) |
| Built 1930-1939 | 410 (10%) |
| Built 1945-1954 | 210 (5%) |
| Built 1955-1964 | 270 (6%) |
| Built 1965-1972 | 1,480 (35%) |
| Built 1973-1982 | 230 (5%) |
| Built 1983-1992 | 710 (17%) |
| Built 1993-1999 | 140 (3%) |
| Built 2000-2008 | 160 (4%) |
| Built before 1919 | 6% |
| Built 1919–1939 | 14% |
| Built 1945–2008 | 76% |
| Conservation areas in Bearsted & Downswood | 6 (Bearsted Extension, Bearsted Extension…) |
| Conservation areas district-wide | 53 |
| Article 4 directions recorded | 84 |
| Householder applications decided | 536 |
| Householder applications granted | 91% |
| Decided within 8 weeks | 81% |
Dwelling stock from VOA council-tax data at 31 March 2025; conservation-area and Article 4 counts from planning.data.gov.uk (MHCLG); decision figures are Maidstone Borough Council's own, from MHCLG live table PS2 for the year to 31 March 2026.
Bearsted & Downswood's roofs set the brief. The borough is built largely from late-1960s and early-1970s houses (35% of 4,190 homes), 1980s estate houses (17%) and 1930s semi-detached and detached houses (10%), and its lofts sit under shallow-pitched roofs and integral garages typical of that period's building and trussed-rafter roofs typical of 1980s building — the geometry that decides whether a rear dormer, a hip-to-gable or a mansard gives you the headroom you want. Maidstone Borough Council assesses loft proposals against the adopted Maidstone local plan and Maidstone Borough Council's design guidance for householder work, and its case officers read each roof against the pair next door and the wider street before they read the plans.
That makes drawing quality decisive. We measure ridge and eaves heights, roof pitch and the existing stair, calculate the added volume against the permitted-development limits exactly, and show the workings on the drawings so Maidstone Borough Council can verify them. Bearsted & Downswood contains Bearsted Extension, Bearsted Extension, Bearsted Extension conservation areas (Bearsted Extension designated 2000), so materials, fenestration and roof form are assessed against the appraisal, so we resolve it on the page rather than leave it for the case officer to raise.
Bearsted & Downswood also carries protected streets — Bearsted Extension, Bearsted Extension, Bearsted Extension, Bearsted Extension, Bearsted, Holy Cross Church and Bearsted, Village Green among them. Maidstone Borough Council has 84 recorded Article 4 directions — check the address before assuming PD applies in Bearsted & Downswood. We check your address against those designations before a line is drawn.
Many Bearsted & Downswood loft conversions proceed without planning permission — a rear dormer within the permitted-development volume limits (40 cubic metres on a terrace, 50 on a semi or detached house) is usually lawful. You will normally need a full application to Maidstone Borough Council if any of these apply:
We draw the roof line, the ridge height and the neighbour's daylight on the page — the relationships Maidstone Borough Council's officers check first — and submit a validation-complete pack, whether that is a lawful development certificate or a full householder application.
Below is Maidstone Borough Council's real householder decision record, pulled from official planning statistics and updated as new data lands. Maidstone Borough Council granted 91% of its householder applications in the year to 31 March 2026, and Bearsted Extension shapes what is approved here. Professionally prepared loft drawings anticipate those pressure points before submission, which is why complete, policy-literate packs are decided faster and refused less often than DIY applications.
Source: MHCLG planning application statistics (householder decisions, England, 1 April 2025 - 31 March 2026). Compare every borough on our London approval-rate league table.
Tell us about your project and get a fixed, no-obligation quote back within one working day. If you don't need planning permission at all, we'll tell you that too — for free.
Across Bearsted Extension, Bearsted Extension and Bearsted Extension, the recurring loft is the rear dormer — a box across the back roof slope that turns a cramped attic into a full-height double bedroom and en-suite. On shallow-pitched roofs and integral garages typical of that period's building, that is usually the most efficient use of the roof; where the stock is trussed-rafter roofs typical of 1980s building, a hip-to-gable followed by a rear dormer unlocks far more space, though it needs a full application.
The 4,190 homes here are 35% 1965-1972, 17% 1983-1992, 10% 1930-1939, which is what sets the realistic roof and rear-projection options. We draw the dormer inside the volume allowance, keep the flat-roof build-up below the ridge, and set the face back from the eaves as the rules require — so the pack answers Maidstone Borough Council's questions before they are asked. Where permitted-development rights are exhausted or removed, we prepare a householder application composed to the borough's roof-alteration guidance instead.
We draw loft conversions on every street in the borough. A few of the neighbourhoods where Bearsted & Downswood roofs come up most often:
Loft conversion drawings for Bearsted Extension's conservation area designated in 2000 — measured, volume-checked and drawn to Maidstone Borough Council's guidance.
Loft conversion drawings for Bearsted Extension's conservation area designated in 2025 — measured, volume-checked and drawn to Maidstone Borough Council's guidance.
Loft conversion drawings for Bearsted Extension's conservation area designated in 2025 — measured, volume-checked and drawn to Maidstone Borough Council's guidance.
Loft conversion drawings for Bearsted Extension's conservation area designated in 2025 — measured, volume-checked and drawn to Maidstone Borough Council's guidance.
Loft conversion drawings for Bearsted, Holy Cross Church's conservation area designated in 1992 — measured, volume-checked and drawn to Maidstone Borough Council's guidance.
Loft conversion drawings for Bearsted, Village Green's conservation area designated in 1974 — measured, volume-checked and drawn to Maidstone Borough Council's guidance.
The right loft in Bearsted & Downswood depends on your roof. This is how the main types compare on planning route and the space they add.
| Loft type | Permitted development? | Space & headroom | What Maidstone Borough Council checks |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rear dormer | Usually yes, within volume limits | Full-height double room at the back | Volume, set-back from eaves, ridge height |
| Hip-to-gable | No — full application | Extends the whole side of the roof | Roof bulk and the symmetry of the pair |
| Mansard | No — full application | Maximum floor area across the roof | Street character, especially in conservation areas |
| Rooflights only | Usually yes (Class C) | Light and headroom, no extra footprint | Whether rooflights sit within the existing slope |
Route depends on your street — conservation areas such as Bearsted Extension and Bearsted Extension and Article 4 directions can remove permitted-development rights.
A fixed process built around how Maidstone Borough Council validates and decides householder loft applications — most drawings are submission-ready within seven days of survey.
Tell us your Bearsted & Downswood postcode and roof type. We confirm your conservation and Article 4 status, how much permitted-development volume you have left, and score your odds against live Maidstone Borough Council decisions.
We measure ridge and eaves heights, roof pitch, joist levels and the existing stair — the numbers the volume calculation and head heights depend on.
Chartered designers develop the dormer, hip-to-gable or mansard to your brief, drawn inside the Class B limits or to Maidstone Borough Council's roof-alteration guidance.
We submit the certificate or application, manage validation and case-officer queries, and revise the drawings free until Maidstone Borough Council issues its decision.
Often not. A rear dormer within 40 cubic metres on a terrace, or 50 on a semi-detached or detached house, set back from the eaves and no higher than the ridge, is usually permitted development. In Bearsted & Downswood the main exceptions are hip-to-gable conversions, dormers visible from the highway, and homes in conservation areas such as Bearsted Extension and Bearsted Extension or on streets with an Article 4 direction. Maidstone Borough Council is the decision-maker.
Generally no. In conservation areas including Bearsted Extension and Bearsted Extension, Class B permitted-development rights for lofts are removed, so a rear dormer that would be lawful elsewhere needs a full application to Maidstone Borough Council. Maidstone Borough Council has 84 recorded Article 4 directions — check the address before assuming PD applies in Bearsted & Downswood. We check your exact address before drawing.
On shallow-pitched roofs and integral garages typical of that period's building, common across Bearsted & Downswood, a rear dormer is usually the most efficient conversion and often permitted development. Where the roof is trussed-rafter roofs typical of 1980s building, a hip-to-gable followed by a rear dormer gains far more usable space but needs planning permission. Our survey confirms which your roof supports before we draw. Maidstone Borough Council is the decision-maker.
A householder planning application in Bearsted & Downswood runs to a statutory eight-week target, and a lawful development certificate to eight weeks as well, though validation can add time if the pack is incomplete. We submit validation-complete drawings and manage case-officer queries to keep the decision on track. Maidstone Borough Council is the decision-maker.
If your dormer is permitted development, a lawful development certificate from Maidstone Borough Council is council-stamped proof of that — worth having, because every buyer's solicitor will ask for it when you sell. We prepare and submit the certificate application with the same drawing pack. This applies to your Bearsted & Downswood address specifically.
Every roof is different, so we quote each Bearsted & Downswood project individually — a fixed, no-obligation price back within one working day. The quote covers the full drawing pack with free revisions until Maidstone Borough Council approves, and we tell you upfront whether your loft qualifies as permitted development. Call 020 7864 7245 to start.
Answer five quick questions and get a free planning score for your exact address — instantly. Then, if you want the full picture, unlock the detailed analysis: your council's live approval rates, local precedents, constraints on your street and a step-by-step route to permission.
Same fixed quotes, same fast drawings — wherever your project is.