Drawings are accurate and hard to read. A single rendered view of your extension or loft, taken from the same model as the plans, shows a case officer and your neighbours exactly what is proposed.
Photo: A P Monblat, BY-SA 3.0
3D visualisation, per view, added to a drawing job
Fixed in writing after a free assessment of your property. Council planning fees are separate.
Every price is the total you pay. Checked 24 October 2026.
Nobody has to submit a 3D view with an application, and a render never replaces a measured drawing. What it does is answer the questions a plan cannot. How tall does the side wall look from the neighbour's garden? What does the dormer look like from the street? Does the new window overlook?
That matters most when neighbours are consulted or an officer is weighing a borderline case. A clear picture lowers the temperature. An objection that starts as 'it will look huge' is easier to answer with a view from the neighbour's kitchen window than with a section drawing.
Because we build the view from the same model as your drawings, it cannot show something the plans do not. The heights, materials and window positions match, and a render that flatters the scheme would be misleading, so we do not draw one. Each view is a fixed viewpoint chosen with you, such as the rear garden, the street front or the neighbour's boundary.
If a render would not help your case, we say so. Many small schemes are better served by a good elevation.
A short step added to the end of your drawing job.
Use a render when it answers a real question from the officer or a neighbour.
| Scheme | Does a view help? | Suggested viewpoint |
|---|---|---|
| Rear extension beside a close neighbour | Yes | From the neighbour's garden |
| Rear dormer on a visible roof | Yes | From the rear garden or street |
| Mansard on a terrace | Yes | From the street front |
| Internal alteration only | No | Not needed |
| Small permitted development extension | Rarely | Plans are enough |
A render supports an application and is not part of the statutory drawing set.
Each figure links to the law or government source it comes from.
A council has 8 weeks to decide most applications from the day after a valid application is received, unless a longer period is agreed in writing.
Source: legislation.gov.uk, Development Management Procedure Order 2015, article 34A single-storey rear extension under Class A is limited to 3 metres on an attached house and 4 metres on a detached house, and 4 metres in height.
Source: legislation.gov.uk, GPDO 2015, Schedule 2, Part 1, Class A.1(f)Class A.1(g) allows 6 metres on an attached house or 8 metres on a detached house, subject to prior approval after neighbours are notified.
Source: legislation.gov.uk, GPDO 2015, Schedule 2, Part 1, Class A.1(g)In prior approval cases, neighbours have not less than 21 days from the date of the council's notice to make representations.
Source: legislation.gov.uk, GPDO 2015, Schedule 2, Part 1, condition A.4(5)(d)London councils decided 24,758 householder applications in the year to March 2026.
Source: GOV.UK, Planning applications statistics (PS2)In London, 2,364 of 5,930 householder appeals determined in the five years to 30 June 2026 were allowed, or 39.9%.
Source: Planning Inspectorate casework data, summarised by us (GOV.UK statistics page)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.
The price is per view added to a drawing job, because the view comes from the model we build for your plans. If another practice drew your scheme, ask us: we can rebuild a model for a view, at a figure we agree before we start.
One or two usually cover it, for example the street and the rear garden. Each additional view is priced separately. More views are rarely needed for a householder scheme.
Not if it is accurate. Officers use views as a visual aid beside the plans, and an accurate one helps their report. A flattering image that departs from the drawings would damage trust, so we do not make one.
Sometimes. It shows neighbours the real effect of a scheme and can reduce misunderstanding. Objections on valid planning grounds are not removed by an image. In prior approval cases neighbours have 21 days to respond.
No. The £255 covers one rendered still of the exterior. Interior views and animations are separate and quoted on request.
You may use it to show your own scheme. If the work is never built, label the image as a proposal, and do not present it as a finished building.
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