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New build drawings in Hillingdon — a new dwelling designed on an infill plot
Hillingdon · New Dwelling Design & Planning

New build drawings in Hillingdon

Drawings for a whole new home — an infill plot, a backland site or a house replaced with something better on your Hillingdon land, taken from feasibility through a full planning application with its design and access statement to the building-regs set, coordinated as one package and revised free until approved, with a free plot check first.

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What the data says about planning in Hillingdon

Hillingdon Council granted 84% of the householder planning decisions it made in its latest published year — 3 points below the 87% England-wide householder average. A large slice of the borough sits in Green Belt to the west, where extensions face the openness test rather than ordinary householder policy, which is where a policy-literate drawing pack earns its keep. Its dominant Edwardian (1901–1910), interwar (1918–1939) and postwar (1945–1970) housing stock sets the design brief on most streets.

Class A and Class B set the thresholds — a rear dormer to 40m³ on a terrace or 50m³ on a semi or detached, and a single-storey rear extension to 3m on a terrace or 4m on a detached house — beyond which Hillingdon Council needs a full application. Hillingdon carries at least one Article 4 direction, and conservation areas including Old Uxbridge, Harefield Village and Ickenham Village remove those rights outright, so we confirm your exact address before a line is drawn. A validated householder application in Hillingdon is determined against an 8-week statutory target.

Uxbridge (the town centre with its Old Uxbridge conservation area and Edwardian terraces), Ruislip (Metro-land semis around the Ruislip Village conservation area), Ickenham (a village green surrounded by interwar suburban housing), Harefield (a rural Green Belt village of cottages and detached homes), Northwood (affluent detached and semi-detached houses on leafy plots) and Hayes (mixed interwar and postwar estates near the former industrial belt) — these are the Hillingdon pockets our drawings cover most. Heritage designations here include Old Uxbridge, Harefield Village, Ickenham Village, Ruislip Village and Eastcote. Hillingdon Council weighs each proposal against Hillingdon Local Plan and the HDAS: Residential Extensions SPD, where the design guidance polices the spacing and building line of Metro-land semis so paired houses keep their rhythm. On roofs the borough is hipped roofs on the 1930s semis and gabled roofs on the older village cottages, over interwar Metro-land semi-detached houses, Edwardian terraces around Uxbridge and West Drayton and detached houses and cottages in the rural western villages.

New homes designed for Hillingdon plots

A new-build application is a different animal from an extension: you are not adapting a house, you are proposing a building where none stands. Across Hillingdon the opportunities sit in the gaps — an infill plot between two houses, a backland site behind a garden, a large corner or driveway, or a tired bungalow worth replacing with a full house. The interwar Metro-land semi-detached houses, Edwardian terraces around Uxbridge and West Drayton and detached houses and cottages in the rural western villages that set the local grain also set the bar the new home is judged against, because Hillingdon Council weighs whether the design belongs on the street.

The drawings have to make the planning case and the buildable case at once. A scaled site plan fixes the footprint, the boundaries, the parking and the amenity space; the floor plans and elevations show a house that works and reads well; and the design and access statement argues the scheme against the local plan — its scale, its massing, its relationship to the neighbours' daylight and privacy. A large slice of the borough sits in Green Belt to the west, where extensions face the openness test rather than ordinary householder policy, precisely the kind of policy a new-build design has to satisfy from the first sketch.

Where a plot sits in or beside a conservation area — Old Uxbridge, Harefield Village, Ickenham Village, Ruislip Village and Eastcote among Hillingdon's — the new house is judged on how it preserves or enhances the character of the place, and a contemporary or a contextual design each has to be justified. Ruislip Village and the Harefield and Ickenham conservation areas carry tight controls, and Article 4 directions on some of these older village streets strip out the permitted-development rights suburban owners otherwise assume. We resolve the design approach against the setting before the application is drawn.

New build dwelling design for a Hillingdon infill plot

Does a new build need planning permission in Hillingdon?

Yes — a new dwelling always needs a full planning application to Hillingdon Council. The design has to answer these questions before it is likely to be approved:

  • Is the plot genuinely developable — does it meet minimum size, access and amenity-space standards for a new home?
  • Does the scale and massing sit comfortably in the street, against Hillingdon Council's local plan and any character or density policy?
  • Does it protect the neighbours' daylight, sunlight, privacy and outlook, tested where necessary against the BRE guidance?
  • Is the plot in a conservation area — such as Old Uxbridge and Harefield Village — green belt or a flood zone, where extra justification is needed?
  • Can the site be served by parking, refuse, cycle storage and a workable drainage strategy?
  • For a replacement dwelling, is the new house a proportionate improvement on what it replaces?

Hillingdon planning decisions — live from council data

Below is Hillingdon Council's real householder decision record, drawn from official planning statistics and refreshed as new data lands. Hillingdon grants a fair share of householder applications, with Green Belt openness in the western villages and roof and spacing changes to interwar semis the recurring pinch points. A new dwelling is a full application judged on design quality — a scheme presented with a proper site plan and design and access statement is far more likely to land than a bare set of elevations.

Source: MHCLG planning application statistics (householder decisions, rolling year). Compare every borough on our London approval-rate league table.

84%householder applications approved in Hillingdon
87%national average — Hillingdon is 3 points below the national average

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Getting a new Hillingdon dwelling approved

A new-build permission is won on the argument that the plot can take another house and that the design earns its place. Hillingdon Council's officers weigh the principle of development on the site, the scale and massing against the neighbours, the daylight and privacy impact, the parking and drainage, and the quality of the design itself. Across Uxbridge, Ruislip and Ickenham these are the tests that separate a plot that gets developed from one that stays a garden — and the design and access statement is where the case is made.

The design guidance polices the spacing and building line of Metro-land semis so paired houses keep their rhythm. We often recommend testing the principle first — a pre-application enquiry to Hillingdon Council, or an outline application to fix the acceptability of a new home before the full design spend — then take the approved principle through to a detailed permission and the building-regs set, so a Hillingdon plot is de-risked before the money goes in.

Design and access drawings for a new dwelling in Hillingdon

New build sites across Hillingdon

We design new dwellings on the infill, backland and replacement plots across the borough. A few of the Hillingdon neighbourhoods where new-build sites come up most often:

Uxbridge

New build drawings for a plot around Uxbridge's the town centre with its Old Uxbridge conservation area and Edwardian terraces — designed to sit in the street and drawn for Hillingdon Council's full planning process.

Ruislip

New build drawings for a plot around Ruislip's Metro-land semis around the Ruislip Village conservation area — designed to sit in the street and drawn for Hillingdon Council's full planning process.

Ickenham

New build drawings for a plot around Ickenham's a village green surrounded by interwar suburban housing — designed to sit in the street and drawn for Hillingdon Council's full planning process.

Harefield

New build drawings for a plot around Harefield's a rural Green Belt village of cottages and detached homes — designed to sit in the street and drawn for Hillingdon Council's full planning process.

Northwood

New build drawings for a plot around Northwood's affluent detached and semi-detached houses on leafy plots — designed to sit in the street and drawn for Hillingdon Council's full planning process.

Hayes

New build drawings for a plot around Hayes's mixed interwar and postwar estates near the former industrial belt — designed to sit in the street and drawn for Hillingdon Council's full planning process.

What does a Hillingdon new build application need?

A new dwelling is judged as a building in its own right. This is what the set has to include and what each part is judged on.

DocumentWhat it showsJudged onStage
Site planFootprint, boundaries, parking and amenity spaceWhether the plot can take the housePlanning
Plans & elevationsThe house that will be builtDesign quality and how it sits in the streetPlanning
Design & access statementThe argument against the local planScale, massing, daylight and characterPlanning
Structural & regs setConstruction, drainage and structureBuildability and complianceBuilding control

On a plot in a conservation area — such as Old Uxbridge and Harefield Village, green belt or a flood zone — Hillingdon Council requires further justification before a new dwelling is acceptable.

Four steps to a built Hillingdon new home

A staged route that de-risks the plot before the full design spend — the principle first, then the detail, then the build.

  1. 1

    Free plot feasibility

    Send us the Hillingdon plot and what you want to build. We check Hillingdon Council's local plan, the site's designations and the likely acceptability of a new dwelling before you commit to design.

  2. 2

    Concept & principle

    We develop a concept and, where it de-risks the plot, test it with a pre-application or outline enquiry to Hillingdon Council so the principle of a new home is confirmed before the detailed spend.

  3. 3

    Full planning set

    We produce the site plan, floor plans, elevations and design and access statement, with daylight/sunlight and drainage information where the site needs it, as a complete application.

  4. 4

    Approval, regs & build

    We submit to Hillingdon Council, negotiate the design through determination, then produce the building-regulations and structural set and revise it free until the new home is approved and buildable.

Frequently asked questions

Do I need planning permission to build a new house in Hillingdon?

Always. There is no permitted-development route to a brand-new dwelling, so a new house — whether on an infill plot, a backland site or as a replacement — needs a full planning application to Hillingdon Council. The application is judged on the principle of development on the plot and the quality of the design. We check the plot's realistic prospects against the Hillingdon local plan before you spend on a full scheme.

Is my Hillingdon plot big enough to build on?

It depends less on raw size than on whether the plot meets Hillingdon Council's standards for a new home — adequate amenity space, parking or access, privacy distances to neighbours, and a footprint that sits comfortably in the street. A garden or driveway that looks generous can still fail on overlooking or access. Our free feasibility check tests your Hillingdon plot against these before you invest in design.

What is a design and access statement and do I need one in Hillingdon?

A design and access statement explains and justifies the design of the new dwelling — its scale, massing, materials and how it responds to the site and the local plan — and most new-build applications in Hillingdon benefit from or require one. It is where the planning case is argued, so Hillingdon Council's officer can see the reasoning rather than infer it from drawings. We write it to answer the specific policies your plot engages.

Should I get outline or full planning permission for a Hillingdon new build?

Outline permission fixes the principle that a new home is acceptable on the plot without committing to the full design, which can de-risk a site before heavy spend; full permission settles both principle and detail in one go. For a single dwelling in Hillingdon we often recommend a pre-application enquiry to Hillingdon Council first, then a full application, but on a marginal plot the outline route can protect you. We advise which fits your site.

Can I replace an existing house with a new build in Hillingdon?

Often yes. Replacing a tired bungalow or small house with a better dwelling is a common and viable route, but it is a full planning application judged on whether the replacement is a proportionate improvement in scale and design — Hillingdon Council will not simply wave through something much larger. On a plot near a conservation area such as Old Uxbridge and Harefield Village the design is scrutinised more closely. We test the replacement's likely scale before designing.

How much do new build drawings in Hillingdon cost?

We price each Hillingdon new build individually, because the plot, the design ambition and whether the site needs daylight, drainage or ecology support all vary enormously, and send a fixed, no-obligation quote within one working day. It covers the coordinated planning and building-regs set with free revisions until Hillingdon Council approves. The structural engineer, any specialist reports and the council fee are separate. Call 020 7864 7245 to start.

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