Bromley publishes a detailed checklist of what a householder application must show. Most rejected drawings fail it, not the design. We draw to the checklist from the first sheet.
Photo: A P Monblat, BY-SA 3.0
An invalid application waits in a queue while nobody judges the design at all, so the council's checklist is worth reading before the architecture. Bromley's householder checklist is explicit. The plans must annotate key dimensions, including the width, overall height and depth of the proposed works and, where relevant, the distance to site boundaries. Where no key dimensions are required, as on existing plans, a scale bar is enough.
Elevations are mandatory if any of the proposed work is visible, and the checklist adds that all elevations are required, including on semi-detached or terraced properties. A drawing set that shows only the rear elevation of a semi will be returned. Sections, floor plans for every floor and a site location plan edged in red complete the set, with a block plan where the footprint increases.
Two points catch applicants out. First, the form must outline the proposal and should not include works previously approved or to be built under permitted development, so a rear extension combined with a separate permitted loft needs careful wording. Second, if the extension encroaches onto the neighbour's boundary, Certificate B is required, not Certificate A.
Six items from the checklist decide whether a Bromley rear extension is accepted for assessment.
| Item | What Bromley says | On our drawings |
|---|---|---|
| Key dimensions | Width, overall height, depth and distance to boundaries annotated | Dimensioned on every proposed sheet |
| Elevations | All elevations, including semi-detached and terraced homes | Four elevations drawn |
| Block plan | Required where the footprint increases | Footprint and trees on the block plan |
| Ownership | Certificate B if the work encroaches onto the neighbour's boundary | Boundary checked on survey |
| Description | Leave out permitted development works and earlier approvals | Form wording checked |
| CIL form | Mandatory if the extension is 100 square metres or more | Floor area measured |
Bromley Council, Validation checklists: Householder Planning Application, read 25 October 2026.
The fee includes our measured visit. The bracketed figure applies if you already have measured drawings.
Bromley has 47 conservation areas, and in June 2025 it adopted new appraisals and management plans for five of them: Shortlands Village, Bromley Town Centre, The Covert, The Thrifts and Chislehurst Road. The council's conservation page notes extra planning controls in these areas, including additional protection for trees, which matters for a rear garden.
On 24 June 2022 the council confirmed Article 4 directions removing the Part 1 Class B and C permitted development rights in the Petts Wood area of special residential character and the Class C right in the Chislehurst Road Conservation Area, effective 19 July 2022. Those directions concern roofs rather than the back wall, which is a good example of why we read the wording for each street. A Petts Wood house can still be a rear extension candidate while a loft is a full application.
Bromley decided 1,179 householder applications in the year to June 2026 once prior approvals are set aside, and 1,063 of them inside 8 weeks. We could not open Bromley's Urban Design Guide SPD today, so we state no depth figure from it. Permitted development, where it applies, allows 3 metres on most houses and 4 on a detached one.
Every figure is linked to the page or document we read.
Bromley's householder checklist asks for 4 annotated key dimensions (width, overall height, depth, distance to boundaries) and for all elevations, even on semi-detached or terraced homes.
Source: Bromley Council, Validation checklists: Householder Planning ApplicationBromley's checklist requires the CIL additional information form (Form 1) if the proposed extension is 100 square metres or more.
Source: Bromley Council, Validation checklists: Householder Planning ApplicationBromley has 47 conservation areas, and adopted new appraisals and management plans for 5 of them on 25 June 2025.
Source: Bromley Council, Conservation areasOn 24 June 2022 Bromley confirmed Article 4 directions removing Part 1 Class B and C rights in the Petts Wood area of special residential character and Class C in the Chislehurst Road Conservation Area, effective 19 July 2022.
Source: Bromley Council, Article 4 directions to remove Part 1 Class B and C PD rightsBromley decided 1,179 householder applications between July 2025 and June 2026, prior approvals excluded, and 1,063 of them were decided within 8 weeks.
Source: MHCLG, Planning application statistics PS2, July 2025 to June 2026Permitted development allows a single-storey rear extension up to 4 metres on a detached house or 3 metres on any other house.
Source: legislation.gov.uk, GPDO 2015, Schedule 2, Part 1, Class AClass A is lost if the extension and other buildings would cover more than 50% of the garden, excluding the original house.
Source: legislation.gov.uk, GPDO 2015, Schedule 2, Part 1, Class ATell 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.
Key dimensions for width, overall height and depth, the distance to boundaries where relevant, all elevations including on a semi or terrace, floor plans, sections and a location plan edged in red. A block plan is needed where the footprint grows.
Only if the proposed development encroaches onto the neighbour's boundary. Bromley's checklist says Certificate B is then required instead of Certificate A, so the boundary position must be confirmed on site.
Yes. On 24 June 2022 it confirmed directions removing Part 1 Class B and C rights in Petts Wood and Class C in the Chislehurst Road Conservation Area, effective 19 July 2022. Bromley also has 47 conservation areas with their own controls.
Form 1, the CIL additional information form, is mandatory if the proposed extension is 100 square metres or more, including replacing existing floorspace. Smaller extensions do not need it, but we still measure the area to confirm.
£765 inc survey (£565 if you supply measured drawings). That covers the measured survey, the drawings and the submission, with free revisions until the council decides. Bromley's own application fee is separate and goes to the council.
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