How much do Lawful Development Certificate drawings cost in London?

Two fees, and which one you pay

Our price covers the survey and the drawings, £425 drawings + £150 survey (£575 total). The council’s fee depends on whether the work is built yet. For proposed work, the fee is half the planning application fee for that kind of development.

For work that is already finished, the rule reverses. The same guidance says a certificate for existing development costs the same as a planning application would, so building first and certifying later is the dearer order.

Why people pay for a certificate they do not strictly need

A certificate is proof, not permission.

Permitted development gives the permission itself. You can build without a certificate, and the law does not oblige you to ask. What you get by asking is proof: once a certificate is granted, the proposal must be presumed lawful unless something material changes before work begins.

Proof matters most at the point of sale. A buyer’s solicitor wants evidence that the loft or extension was lawful, and a certificate is cleaner than a set of old drawings and a builder’s word.

What the council can and cannot weigh

This is the strength of the route. Planning merits are not relevant, and there is no duty to consult neighbours. The officer asks only whether the proposal, as drawn, would be lawful under section 192.

It is also the weakness. If a dimension is missing, the guidance says the council may be justified in refusing, and a refusal is not conclusive: it may only mean the evidence so far was not enough. Our drawings carry every limit that the Schedule 2 classes set, so nothing has to be assumed.

The risks that cost money later

Two things can undo a certificate. A change in the law or a new Article 4 direction before you start is a material change, and so starting promptly after the grant protects you.

The second is the truth of the application. The council can revoke a certificate if a statement was false or information was withheld, and giving false information is an offence with a maximum penalty of 2 years in prison or a fine, or both. A measured survey is the strongest protection, because the numbers on the drawings are measured, not remembered.

A certificate is not building regulations approval

The guidance says a certificate does not remove the need to comply with the Building Regulations 2010 or listed building rules. A loft or rear extension that is lawful for planning still needs a building control application, which our building regulations drawings are for.