What the drawings are for
A new house application is judged on much more than its elevations: the position on the plot, the access, the neighbours’ windows, the space inside, the trees and the drainage. The drawings carry all of them, which is why the fee is £1,185 drawings + £150 survey (£1,335 total) and not the fee for an extension.
We start with the survey of the plot, because every distance on the site plan has to be measured: to boundaries, to the neighbours’ houses and to the road.
The council’s fee, and the three costs people miss
The council charges a fee for each new dwelling, under the category for new dwellinghouses in the national schedule. We confirm the exact amount for your plot before you pay anything.
Cost two is the Community Infrastructure Levy. GOV.UK guidance says development under 100 square metres is generally exempt, but where it will result in a new dwelling it is liable, with the self-build exemption as a possible exception.
Cost three is biodiversity. GOV.UK explains that, unless exempt, developers in England must provide 10% biodiversity net gain on all habitats within the red-line boundary. We ask about your plot’s habitats at the start.
Space inside: the standard each home is held to
Councils that adopt the national space standard check every new home against its table. For a single-storey home the minimum floor areas are 39 square metres for one person, 50 for a one-bedroom two-person home, 70 for a two-bedroom four-person home and 86 for a three-bedroom five-person home, with a ceiling height of 2.3 metres over at least 75% of the area.
A plot that looks big enough for a house can fail on floor area once the setbacks are drawn. Our design options stage tests that before the full set is drawn.
How long it takes, and the national picture
A small new-build application is not major development, so the council has 8 weeks unless a longer time is agreed. Nationally, in the year to June 2026 councils decided 37,100 applications for residential developments and granted 28,000 of them.
After permission come building regulations drawings and structural calculations, which are separate services, and the conditions that new homes usually carry.
By the numbers
Per dwelling
How the council planning fee is charged for a new dwellinghouse.
Source: Planning fees: annual indexation from 1 April 2026, category 1 new dwellinghouses (GOV.UK)
100 m²
Development below this size is generally exempt from the Community Infrastructure Levy, except where it creates a dwelling.
Source: Community Infrastructure Levy, planning practice guidance (GOV.UK)
10%
The biodiversity net gain that developers in England must provide, unless exempt.
50 m²
Minimum floor area of a one-bedroom, two-person, one-storey home in the national space standard.
Source: Technical housing standards: nationally described space standard, Table 1 (GOV.UK)
70 m²
Minimum floor area of a two-bedroom, four-person, one-storey home.
Source: Technical housing standards: nationally described space standard, Table 1 (GOV.UK)
2.3 m
Minimum floor-to-ceiling height over at least 75% of a new home.
Source: Technical housing standards: nationally described space standard, Table 1 (GOV.UK)
8 weeks
The council’s time to decide an application that is not major development.
37,100
Applications for residential development decided by English councils in the year to June 2026.
Source: Planning applications in England: April to June 2026, section 3.10 residential developments (GOV.UK)
New build drawing costs: common questions
Is the drawing fee the main cost of a new build?
No. The build is far larger. Drawings are where the home’s size and layout are fixed, so they decide how large the build bill is.
Do I pay the Community Infrastructure Levy on a new house?
If your council charges it, a new dwelling is liable even when it is small, with a self-build exemption that you must claim. We flag it at the start.
Source: Community Infrastructure Levy, planning practice guidance (GOV.UK)
Can you design a new house, or only draw it?
We draw the planning and building regulations sets for the design you choose with us, from the survey to the submission. The price here is for the new build drawings.
Sources
- Planning fees: annual indexation from 1 April 2026, category 1 new dwellinghouses (GOV.UK)
- Community Infrastructure Levy, planning practice guidance (GOV.UK)
- Understanding biodiversity net gain (GOV.UK)
- Technical housing standards: nationally described space standard, Table 1 (GOV.UK)
- Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) Order 2015, article 34 (legislation.gov.uk)
- Planning applications in England: April to June 2026, section 3.10 residential developments (GOV.UK)
About the author. Ben Shaukat is Managing Director of Property Architecture Ltd, which trades as Planning Drawings.
Published by Planning Drawings. Checked against the sources above on . Planning rules change; check your council before you build.