Dormer, hip-to-gable and mansard loft conversion drawings for Marlborough East homes — prepared to Wiltshire Council's design guidance, delivered in days and revised free until your decision lands, with a free approval-odds score first.
Wiltshire Council granted 96% of the householder planning decisions it made in its latest published year — 9 points above the 87% England-wide householder average. Marlborough East contains the MILDENHALL conservation area (MILDENHALL designated 1977), so materials, fenestration and roof form are assessed against the appraisal, which is where a policy-literate drawing pack earns its keep. Its dominant postwar (1945–1970) housing stock sets the design brief on most streets.
Under Class B, a rear dormer stays permitted development up to 40m³ of added roof volume on a terrace or 50m³ on a semi-detached or detached house, while Class A allows a single-storey rear extension of 3m beyond the original rear wall on a terrace and 4m on a detached house before a full application is needed. Marlborough East carries at least one Article 4 direction, and conservation areas including MILDENHALL remove those rights outright, so we confirm your exact address before a line is drawn. A validated householder application in Marlborough East is determined against an 8-week statutory target.
MILDENHALL (conservation area designated in 1977), Marlborough (civil parish within Marlborough East), Mildenhall (civil parish within Marlborough East) and Savernake (civil parish within Marlborough East) — these are the Marlborough East pockets our drawings cover most. Heritage designations here include MILDENHALL. Wiltshire Council weighs each proposal against the adopted Wiltshire local plan and Wiltshire Council's design guidance for householder work, where the 2,020 homes here are 16% 1965-1972, 12% 1973-1982, 10% 1945-1954, 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 shallow trussed roofs typical of 1970s building, over late-1960s and early-1970s houses (16% of 2,020 homes), 1970s and early-1980s houses (12%) and early postwar houses (10%).
Marlborough East's designated heritage is specific, and it is the first thing we check against your address: MILDENHALL (conservation area designated in 1977). Inside those boundaries permitted development is curtailed and Wiltshire 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, Marlborough East takes in Marlborough, Mildenhall and Savernake. Wiltshire Council has 48 recorded Article 4 directions, removing permitted development for rear and side extensions and other roof alterations, including rooflights — check the address before assuming PD applies in Marlborough East.
On stock, Marlborough East is late-1960s and early-1970s houses (16% of 2,020 homes), 1970s and early-1980s houses (12%) and early postwar houses (10%) — which is why shallow-pitched roofs and integral garages typical of that period's building and shallow trussed roofs typical of 1970s building govern what a loft or rear projection can realistically be. Wiltshire Council decided 1,779 householder applications in the latest published year and granted 96%, with 53% issued inside the eight-week target. Those are the numbers our drawings are prepared against.
The full build-period split for Marlborough East runs pre-1900 8% (160 homes), 1900-1918 5% (100 homes), 1919-1929 1% (30 homes), 1930-1939 7% (140 homes), 1945-1954 10% (210 homes), 1955-1964 4% (90 homes), 1965-1972 16% (330 homes), 1973-1982 12% (240 homes), 1983-1992 8% (160 homes), 1993-1999 6% (130 homes) and 2000-2008 6% (130 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.
Wiltshire Council also decides for Aldbourne & Ramsbury, Amesbury West, Avon Valley, Box & Colerne, By Brook, Corsham Ladbrook, Corsham Pickwick and Corsham Without, so a decision in Marlborough East 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 Ashley, Avebury, Baydon 1 and Baydon 2. 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 Marlborough East and Wiltshire Council. These are the numbers that decide what is realistic on your street, so we work from them rather than from national averages.
| Measure | Marlborough East |
|---|---|
| Dwellings recorded | 2,020 |
| Built pre-1900 | 160 (8%) |
| Built 1900-1918 | 100 (5%) |
| Built 1919-1929 | 30 (1%) |
| Built 1930-1939 | 140 (7%) |
| Built 1945-1954 | 210 (10%) |
| Built 1955-1964 | 90 (4%) |
| Built 1965-1972 | 330 (16%) |
| Built 1973-1982 | 240 (12%) |
| Built 1983-1992 | 160 (8%) |
| Built 1993-1999 | 130 (6%) |
| Built 2000-2008 | 130 (6%) |
| Built before 1919 | 13% |
| Built 1919–1939 | 8% |
| Built 1945–2008 | 64% |
| Conservation areas in Marlborough East | 1 (MILDENHALL) |
| Conservation areas district-wide | 245 |
| Article 4 directions recorded | 48 |
| Householder applications decided | 1,779 |
| Householder applications granted | 96% |
| Decided within 8 weeks | 53% |
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 Wiltshire Council's own, from MHCLG live table PS2 for the year to 31 March 2026.
Marlborough East's roofs set the brief. The borough is built largely from late-1960s and early-1970s houses (16% of 2,020 homes), 1970s and early-1980s houses (12%) and early postwar houses (10%), and its lofts sit under shallow-pitched roofs and integral garages typical of that period's building and shallow trussed roofs typical of 1970s building — the geometry that decides whether a rear dormer, a hip-to-gable or a mansard gives you the headroom you want. Wiltshire Council assesses loft proposals against the adopted Wiltshire local plan and Wiltshire 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 Wiltshire Council can verify them. Marlborough East contains the MILDENHALL conservation area (MILDENHALL designated 1977), 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.
Marlborough East also carries protected streets — MILDENHALL among them. Wiltshire Council has 48 recorded Article 4 directions, removing permitted development for rear and side extensions and other roof alterations, including rooflights — check the address before assuming PD applies in Marlborough East. We check your address against those designations before a line is drawn.
Many Marlborough East 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 Wiltshire Council if any of these apply:
We draw the roof line, the ridge height and the neighbour's daylight on the page — the relationships Wiltshire 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 Wiltshire Council's real householder decision record, pulled from official planning statistics and updated as new data lands. Wiltshire Council granted 96% of its householder applications in the year to 31 March 2026, and MILDENHALL 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 MILDENHALL, Marlborough and Mildenhall, 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 shallow trussed roofs typical of 1970s building, a hip-to-gable followed by a rear dormer unlocks far more space, though it needs a full application.
The 2,020 homes here are 16% 1965-1972, 12% 1973-1982, 10% 1945-1954, 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 Wiltshire 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 Marlborough East roofs come up most often:
Loft conversion drawings for MILDENHALL's conservation area designated in 1977 — measured, volume-checked and drawn to Wiltshire Council's guidance.
Loft conversion drawings for Marlborough's civil parish within Marlborough East — measured, volume-checked and drawn to Wiltshire Council's guidance.
Loft conversion drawings for Mildenhall's civil parish within Marlborough East — measured, volume-checked and drawn to Wiltshire Council's guidance.
Loft conversion drawings for Savernake's civil parish within Marlborough East — measured, volume-checked and drawn to Wiltshire Council's guidance.
The right loft in Marlborough East 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 Wiltshire 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 MILDENHALL and Article 4 directions can remove permitted-development rights.
A fixed process built around how Wiltshire Council validates and decides householder loft applications — most drawings are submission-ready within seven days of survey.
Tell us your Marlborough East 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 Wiltshire 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 Wiltshire Council's roof-alteration guidance.
We submit the certificate or application, manage validation and case-officer queries, and revise the drawings free until Wiltshire 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 Marlborough East the main exceptions are hip-to-gable conversions, dormers visible from the highway, and homes in conservation areas such as MILDENHALL or on streets with an Article 4 direction. Wiltshire Council is the decision-maker.
Generally no. In conservation areas including MILDENHALL, Class B permitted-development rights for lofts are removed, so a rear dormer that would be lawful elsewhere needs a full application to Wiltshire Council. Wiltshire Council has 48 recorded Article 4 directions, removing permitted development for rear and side extensions and other roof alterations, including rooflights — check the address before assuming PD applies in Marlborough East. We check your exact address before drawing.
On shallow-pitched roofs and integral garages typical of that period's building, common across Marlborough East, a rear dormer is usually the most efficient conversion and often permitted development. Where the roof is shallow trussed roofs typical of 1970s 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. Wiltshire Council is the decision-maker.
A householder planning application in Marlborough East 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. Wiltshire Council is the decision-maker.
If your dormer is permitted development, a lawful development certificate from Wiltshire 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 Marlborough East address specifically.
Every roof is different, so we quote each Marlborough East project individually — a fixed, no-obligation price back within one working day. The quote covers the full drawing pack with free revisions until Wiltshire Council approves, and we tell you upfront whether your loft qualifies as permitted development. Call 020 7864 7245 to start.
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