
Planning Permission in Harefield UB9
Fixed-fee, MCIAT-chartered planning permission for Harefield (UB9) homeowners — London Borough of Hillingdon validation and local constraints handled from the start.
Harefield (UB9) is one of Hillingdon's most rural neighbourhoods — a historic village core wrapped in Green Belt on the northern edge of the borough — and that setting, rather than a standard suburban street pattern, drives how extensions are assessed here. Schemes that keep additions subordinate and in-keeping with the village grain are the ones that move smoothly through the council.
The Harefield Village conservation area protects the scattered building layout, the green and the countryside views, so rooflines, materials and the openness between buildings are treated as part of the heritage. We check both the conservation-area boundary and the surrounding Green Belt designation before advising on what a UB9 plot can realistically support.


Planning in Harefield (UB9): what to know before you apply
UB9 combines two of the strongest planning controls in the borough — a rural conservation area and widespread Green Belt — so extension scale and siting matter more here than almost anywhere else in Hillingdon. We design Harefield schemes to read as modest, subordinate additions that respect the village setting, which is what the council looks for.
Typical Harefield housing stock
A dispersed village centre of cottages and period houses around the green and St Mary's Church, mixing medieval and post-medieval buildings with Victorian and 20th-century infill, set against open countryside on the borough's northern edge.
Streets we regularly draw for in Harefield
High Street · Church Hill · Park Lane · Rickmansworth Road
Planning Permission for Harefield (UB9) homes: the package and the process
Every planning permission we prepare for an Harefield property is drawn to London Borough of Hillingdon’s validation standards and tuned to the UB9 constraints above. Here is what the drawing package covers and how the process runs from first survey to approval.
Securing planning permission in London means navigating borough-specific design guidance, conservation areas, Article 4 directions and a validation checklist that differs from one council to the next. DrawingsDirect prepares the existing and proposed drawings your local planning authority needs, submits them through the Planning Portal, and manages the application to a decision — for a fixed fee agreed before we start.
Because we are MCIAT-chartered architectural technologists rather than a general architecture practice, you get the same council-accepted drawings and professional accountability at a typically lower fee, with structural coordination handled in-house.
Do I need planning permission for an extension in London?
Many single-storey rear extensions, loft conversions and outbuildings fall under permitted development rights and do not need a full planning application — but London's dense housing stock, conservation areas and Article 4 directions frequently withdraw those rights. Before you pay for a full application, we check your property against the current permitted development thresholds and your borough's local constraints.
Where permitted development applies, we recommend a Lawful Development Certificate instead of full planning — it is faster, cheaper and gives you a legal document confirming the work was lawful. Where a full application is genuinely required, we prepare it properly the first time.
Permitted development vs a full planning application
Permitted development lets you build within defined volumetric limits without committee review. A full householder application is assessed against the borough's local plan for scale, daylight, neighbour impact and design. We advise which route your project qualifies for and why.
Article 4 directions and conservation areas
If your home sits in a conservation area or under an Article 4 direction, permitted development rights are often removed — meaning even modest changes need consent. Each borough page lists the local directions and conservation areas we routinely design around.
How do you apply for planning permission through the London Planning Portal?
We manage the full lifecycle of your submission — survey, drawings, supporting documents and officer liaison — so you never have to decode a validation checklist yourself.
Phase 1 — existing and proposed site surveys
A laser-measured survey captures your property exactly, so existing and proposed drawings match reality millimetre for millimetre.
Phase 2 — technical drawing package
Site location plan, block plan, floor plans, elevations and sections drawn to your borough's scale and formatting requirements, with a design and access statement where needed.
Phase 3 — liaison with the planning officer
We answer the council's queries, negotiate amendments, and redraw free until the decision lands.
| Package | Production window | Compliance layer | Typical fee |
|---|---|---|---|
| Permitted Development pack | 7–10 working days | Lawful Development Certificate submission | £950–£1,450 |
| Full Planning pack | 10–14 working days | Council liaison & design statement | £1,600–£2,400 |
| Planning + Building Regs pack | 14–21 working days | Structural calculations included | £2,200–£3,850 |
Planning Permission in Harefield UB9 — FAQs
How long does it take to get planning permission from a London council?+
What happens if the council refuses?+
Do you cover my borough?+
Is the fee really fixed?+
Do I need planning permission for a loft conversion in Hillingdon?+
How does the Colne Valley green belt affect my Hillingdon project?+
Does proximity to Heathrow affect my plans?+
How long does Hillingdon Council take to decide?+
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Get your free Harefield planning assessment
Tell us your Harefield (UB9) address and ambition — we'll confirm feasibility, local constraints and a fixed fee within one working day.