Dormer, hip-to-gable and mansard loft conversion drawings for Old Town homes — prepared to Stevenage Borough Council's design guidance, delivered in days and revised free until your decision lands, with a free approval-odds score first.
Stevenage Borough Council granted 96% of the householder planning decisions it made in its latest published year — 9 points above the 87% England-wide householder average. Old Town contains Old Town High Street Conservation Area, Orchard Road Conservation Area conservation areas (Old Town High Street Conservation Area 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 Edwardian (1901–1910) 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. Old Town carries at least one Article 4 direction, and conservation areas including Old Town High Street Conservation Area and Orchard Road Conservation Area remove those rights outright, so we confirm your exact address before a line is drawn. A validated householder application in Old Town is determined against an 8-week statutory target.
Old Town High Street (conservation area designated in 1969) and Orchard Road (conservation area designated in 2007) — these are the Old Town pockets our drawings cover most. Heritage designations here include Old Town High Street Conservation Area and Orchard Road Conservation Area. Stevenage Borough Council weighs each proposal against Stevenage Borough Council's development plan and the design policies it applies to householder applications, where the 2,090 homes here are 21% 2000-2008, 11% pre-1900, 11% 1900-1918, which is what sets the realistic roof and rear-projection options. On roofs the borough is trussed-rafter roofs typical of 2000s building and steeply pitched slate roofs, valley gutters and party parapets typical of pre-1900 building, over 2000s houses and apartments (21% of 2,090 homes), Victorian and earlier houses (11%) and Edwardian houses (11%).
What is permitted in Old Town turns on designation first, so that is where we start: Old Town High Street (conservation area designated in 1969) and Orchard Road (conservation area designated in 2007). Inside those boundaries permitted development is curtailed and Stevenage 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.
Stevenage Borough Council has 127 recorded Article 4 directions — check the address before assuming PD applies in Old Town.
On stock, Old Town is 2000s houses and apartments (21% of 2,090 homes), Victorian and earlier houses (11%) and Edwardian houses (11%) — which is why trussed-rafter roofs typical of 2000s 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. Stevenage Borough Council decided 133 householder applications in the latest published year and granted 96%, 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 Old Town runs pre-1900 11% (230 homes), 1900-1918 11% (230 homes), 1919-1929 6% (120 homes), 1930-1939 4% (80 homes), 1945-1954 1% (20 homes), 1955-1964 9% (180 homes), 1965-1972 11% (230 homes), 1973-1982 7% (140 homes), 1983-1992 3% (70 homes), 1993-1999 4% (90 homes) and 2000-2008 21% (440 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.
The Article 4 directions recorded for this council include 1 VIEWPOINT Babbage Road Stevenage SG1 2EQ, 10 Eastman Way SG1 4SZ, 2 Viewpoint Babbage Road Stevenage SG1 2EQ and 3 Parsons Green Estate Boulton Road Stevenage SG1 4QG. 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 Old Town and Stevenage 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 | Old Town |
|---|---|
| Dwellings recorded | 2,090 |
| Built pre-1900 | 230 (11%) |
| Built 1900-1918 | 230 (11%) |
| Built 1919-1929 | 120 (6%) |
| Built 1930-1939 | 80 (4%) |
| Built 1945-1954 | 20 (1%) |
| Built 1955-1964 | 180 (9%) |
| Built 1965-1972 | 230 (11%) |
| Built 1973-1982 | 140 (7%) |
| Built 1983-1992 | 70 (3%) |
| Built 1993-1999 | 90 (4%) |
| Built 2000-2008 | 440 (21%) |
| Built before 1919 | 22% |
| Built 1919–1939 | 10% |
| Built 1945–2008 | 56% |
| Conservation areas in Old Town | 2 (Old Town High Street Conservation Area, Orchard Road Conservation Area) |
| Conservation areas district-wide | 7 |
| Article 4 directions recorded | 127 |
| Householder applications decided | 133 |
| Householder applications granted | 96% |
| 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 Stevenage Borough Council's own, from MHCLG live table PS2 for the year to 31 March 2026.
Old Town's roofs set the brief. The borough is built largely from 2000s houses and apartments (21% of 2,090 homes), Victorian and earlier houses (11%) and Edwardian houses (11%), and its lofts sit under trussed-rafter roofs typical of 2000s 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. Stevenage Borough Council assesses loft proposals against Stevenage Borough Council's development plan and the design policies it applies to householder applications, 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 Stevenage Borough Council can verify them. Old Town contains Old Town High Street Conservation Area, Orchard Road Conservation Area conservation areas (Old Town High Street Conservation Area 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.
Old Town also carries protected streets — Old Town High Street Conservation Area and Orchard Road Conservation Area among them. Stevenage Borough Council has 127 recorded Article 4 directions — check the address before assuming PD applies in Old Town. We check your address against those designations before a line is drawn.
Many Old Town 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 Stevenage 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 Stevenage 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 Stevenage Borough Council's real householder decision record, pulled from official planning statistics and updated as new data lands. Stevenage Borough Council granted 96% of its householder applications in the year to 31 March 2026, and Old Town High Street Conservation Area 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 Old Town High Street and Orchard Road, 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 trussed-rafter roofs typical of 2000s 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 2,090 homes here are 21% 2000-2008, 11% pre-1900, 11% 1900-1918, 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 Stevenage 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 Old Town roofs come up most often:
Loft conversion drawings for Old Town High Street's conservation area designated in 1969 — measured, volume-checked and drawn to Stevenage Borough Council's guidance.
Loft conversion drawings for Orchard Road's conservation area designated in 2007 — measured, volume-checked and drawn to Stevenage Borough Council's guidance.
The right loft in Old Town 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 Stevenage 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 Old Town High Street Conservation Area and Orchard Road Conservation Area and Article 4 directions can remove permitted-development rights.
A fixed process built around how Stevenage Borough Council validates and decides householder loft applications — most drawings are submission-ready within seven days of survey.
Tell us your Old Town 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 Stevenage 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 Stevenage Borough Council's roof-alteration guidance.
We submit the certificate or application, manage validation and case-officer queries, and revise the drawings free until Stevenage 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 Old Town the main exceptions are hip-to-gable conversions, dormers visible from the highway, and homes in conservation areas such as Old Town High Street Conservation Area and Orchard Road Conservation Area or on streets with an Article 4 direction. Stevenage Borough Council is the decision-maker.
Generally no. In conservation areas including Old Town High Street Conservation Area and Orchard Road Conservation Area, Class B permitted-development rights for lofts are removed, so a rear dormer that would be lawful elsewhere needs a full application to Stevenage Borough Council. Stevenage Borough Council has 127 recorded Article 4 directions — check the address before assuming PD applies in Old Town. We check your exact address before drawing.
On trussed-rafter roofs typical of 2000s building, common across Old Town, 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. Stevenage Borough Council is the decision-maker.
A householder planning application in Old Town 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. Stevenage Borough Council is the decision-maker.
If your dormer is permitted development, a lawful development certificate from Stevenage 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 Old Town address specifically.
Every roof is different, so we quote each Old Town project individually — a fixed, no-obligation price back within one working day. The quote covers the full drawing pack with free revisions until Stevenage 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.