Dormer, hip-to-gable and mansard loft conversion drawings for Harbour Villages homes — prepared to Chichester District Council's design guidance, delivered in days and revised free until your decision lands, with a free approval-odds score first.
Chichester District Council granted 95% of the householder planning decisions it made in its latest published year — 8 points above the 87% England-wide householder average. Harbour Villages contains Bosham, Dell Quay, Donnington conservation areas (Bosham designated 1969), so materials, fenestration and roof form are assessed against the appraisal, which is where a policy-literate drawing pack earns its keep. Its dominant Victorian (1837–1901) and postwar (1945–1970) housing stock sets the design brief on most streets.
The permitted-development ceilings are fixed: 40m³ of new roof volume for a terraced loft and 50m³ for a semi or detached house under Class B, plus a 3m single-storey rear extension on a terrace or 4m on a detached house under Class A. In conservation areas such as Bosham, Dell Quay and Donnington those rights are removed, so we confirm your exact address before a line is drawn. A validated householder application in Harbour Villages is determined against an 8-week statutory target.
Bosham (conservation area designated in 1969), Dell Quay (conservation area designated in 1976), Donnington (conservation area designated in 1976), Fishbourne (conservation area designated in 1981), Fishbourne (civil parish within Harbour Villages), Appledram (civil parish within Harbour Villages), Bosham (civil parish within Harbour Villages), Donnington (civil parish within Harbour Villages) and Chidham and Hambrook (civil parish within Harbour Villages) — these are the Harbour Villages pockets our drawings cover most. Heritage designations here include Bosham, Dell Quay, Donnington and Fishbourne. Chichester District Council weighs each proposal against the adopted Chichester local plan and Chichester District Council's design guidance for householder work, where the 4,690 homes here are 13% 1955-1964, 12% pre-1900, 11% 1965-1972, which is what sets the realistic roof and rear-projection options. On roofs the borough is shallow gabled roofs typical of that period's building and steeply pitched slate roofs, valley gutters and party parapets typical of pre-1900 building, over late-1950s and early-1960s houses (13% of 4,690 homes), Victorian and earlier houses (12%) and late-1960s and early-1970s houses (11%).
Before anything is drawn we check your address against the designations that apply in Harbour Villages: Bosham (conservation area designated in 1969), Dell Quay (conservation area designated in 1976), Donnington (conservation area designated in 1976) and Fishbourne (conservation area designated in 1981). Inside those boundaries permitted development is curtailed and Chichester District 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, Harbour Villages takes in Fishbourne, Appledram, Bosham, Donnington and Chidham and Hambrook. No Article 4 direction is recorded for Chichester District Council, but Harbour Villages's 4 conservation areas still limit permitted development on those streets.
On stock, Harbour Villages is late-1950s and early-1960s houses (13% of 4,690 homes), Victorian and earlier houses (12%) and late-1960s and early-1970s houses (11%) — which is why shallow gabled roofs typical of that period's building and steeply pitched slate roofs, valley gutters and party parapets typical of pre-1900 building govern what a loft or rear projection can realistically be. Chichester District Council decided 470 householder applications in the latest published year and granted 95%, with 93% issued inside the eight-week target. That decision record, not a national figure, is what we design to.
The full build-period split for Harbour Villages runs pre-1900 12% (570 homes), 1900-1918 2% (90 homes), 1919-1929 1% (70 homes), 1930-1939 11% (500 homes), 1945-1954 6% (300 homes), 1955-1964 13% (610 homes), 1965-1972 11% (510 homes), 1973-1982 5% (230 homes), 1983-1992 7% (330 homes), 1993-1999 6% (270 homes) and 2000-2008 7% (340 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.
Chichester District Council also decides for Chichester North, Fernhurst, Goodwood, Loxwood, Southbourne, The Witterings and Westbourne, so a decision in Harbour Villages 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.
Published figures for Harbour Villages and Chichester District Council. These are the numbers that decide what is realistic on your street, so we work from them rather than from national averages.
| Measure | Harbour Villages |
|---|---|
| Dwellings recorded | 4,690 |
| Built pre-1900 | 570 (12%) |
| Built 1900-1918 | 90 (2%) |
| Built 1919-1929 | 70 (1%) |
| Built 1930-1939 | 500 (11%) |
| Built 1945-1954 | 300 (6%) |
| Built 1955-1964 | 610 (13%) |
| Built 1965-1972 | 510 (11%) |
| Built 1973-1982 | 230 (5%) |
| Built 1983-1992 | 330 (7%) |
| Built 1993-1999 | 270 (6%) |
| Built 2000-2008 | 340 (7%) |
| Built before 1919 | 14% |
| Built 1919–1939 | 12% |
| Built 1945–2008 | 55% |
| Conservation areas in Harbour Villages | 4 (Bosham, Dell Quay…) |
| Conservation areas district-wide | 23 |
| Article 4 directions recorded | 0 |
| Householder applications decided | 470 |
| Householder applications granted | 95% |
| Decided within 8 weeks | 93% |
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 Chichester District Council's own, from MHCLG live table PS2 for the year to 31 March 2026.
Harbour Villages's roofs set the brief. The borough is built largely from late-1950s and early-1960s houses (13% of 4,690 homes), Victorian and earlier houses (12%) and late-1960s and early-1970s houses (11%), and its lofts sit under shallow gabled roofs typical of that period's building and steeply pitched slate roofs, valley gutters and party parapets typical of pre-1900 building — the geometry that decides whether a rear dormer, a hip-to-gable or a mansard gives you the headroom you want. Chichester District Council assesses loft proposals against the adopted Chichester local plan and Chichester District 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 Chichester District Council can verify them. Harbour Villages contains Bosham, Dell Quay, Donnington conservation areas (Bosham designated 1969), 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.
Harbour Villages also carries protected streets — Bosham, Dell Quay, Donnington and Fishbourne among them. No Article 4 direction is recorded for Chichester District Council, but Harbour Villages's 4 conservation areas still limit permitted development on those streets. We check your address against those designations before a line is drawn.
Many Harbour Villages 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 Chichester District Council if any of these apply:
We draw the roof line, the ridge height and the neighbour's daylight on the page — the relationships Chichester District 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 Chichester District Council's real householder decision record, pulled from official planning statistics and updated as new data lands. Chichester District Council granted 95% of its householder applications in the year to 31 March 2026, and Bosham 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 Bosham, Dell Quay and Donnington, 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 gabled roofs typical of that period's building, that is usually the most efficient use of the roof; where the stock is steeply pitched slate roofs, valley gutters and party parapets typical of pre-1900 building, a hip-to-gable followed by a rear dormer unlocks far more space, though it needs a full application.
The 4,690 homes here are 13% 1955-1964, 12% pre-1900, 11% 1965-1972, 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 Chichester District 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 Harbour Villages roofs come up most often:
Loft conversion drawings for Bosham's conservation area designated in 1969 — measured, volume-checked and drawn to Chichester District Council's guidance.
Loft conversion drawings for Dell Quay's conservation area designated in 1976 — measured, volume-checked and drawn to Chichester District Council's guidance.
Loft conversion drawings for Donnington's conservation area designated in 1976 — measured, volume-checked and drawn to Chichester District Council's guidance.
Loft conversion drawings for Fishbourne's conservation area designated in 1981 — measured, volume-checked and drawn to Chichester District Council's guidance.
Loft conversion drawings for Fishbourne's civil parish within Harbour Villages — measured, volume-checked and drawn to Chichester District Council's guidance.
Loft conversion drawings for Appledram's civil parish within Harbour Villages — measured, volume-checked and drawn to Chichester District Council's guidance.
The right loft in Harbour Villages 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 Chichester District 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 Bosham and Dell Quay and Article 4 directions can remove permitted-development rights.
A fixed process built around how Chichester District Council validates and decides householder loft applications — most drawings are submission-ready within seven days of survey.
Tell us your Harbour Villages 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 Chichester District 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 Chichester District Council's roof-alteration guidance.
We submit the certificate or application, manage validation and case-officer queries, and revise the drawings free until Chichester District 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 Harbour Villages the main exceptions are hip-to-gable conversions, dormers visible from the highway, and homes in conservation areas such as Bosham and Dell Quay or on streets with an Article 4 direction. Chichester District Council is the decision-maker.
Generally no. In conservation areas including Bosham and Dell Quay, Class B permitted-development rights for lofts are removed, so a rear dormer that would be lawful elsewhere needs a full application to Chichester District Council. No Article 4 direction is recorded for Chichester District Council, but Harbour Villages's 4 conservation areas still limit permitted development on those streets. We check your exact address before drawing.
On shallow gabled roofs typical of that period's building, common across Harbour Villages, a rear dormer is usually the most efficient conversion and often permitted development. Where the roof is steeply pitched slate roofs, valley gutters and party parapets typical of pre-1900 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. Chichester District Council is the decision-maker.
A householder planning application in Harbour Villages 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. Chichester District Council is the decision-maker.
If your dormer is permitted development, a lawful development certificate from Chichester District 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 Harbour Villages address specifically.
Every roof is different, so we quote each Harbour Villages project individually — a fixed, no-obligation price back within one working day. The quote covers the full drawing pack with free revisions until Chichester District 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.