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Old blue-print elevation of a half-timbered house front, with room names and a title block in the corner

CAD conversion

How much does CAD conversion of existing drawings cost in London?

Turn old paper plans or a PDF into clean, scaled CAD sheets that a council or builder can use.

By Ben Shaukat, Managing DirectorPublished 1 min read

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We check conservation areas and other limits for this address.

In a sentence or two: your plans, and any feedback from the council so far.

Optional. PDF, JPG, PNG, HEIC or DWG. Up to 10 files, 28 MB in total.

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What we do and do not do

Price row: the CAD conversion is £189, no VAT to add. It is written and ordered on our sister site Property Architecture, run by the same team.

We take your old plans, sketches or a PDF and redraw them as clean CAD sheets with dimensions, a scale and a north point. Our fee is £189 for up to four sheets.

We do not check the building. If the old plan is wrong, the CAD copy will be wrong in the same way, which is why a measured survey is the better base for anything that is going to the council.

From first enquiry to a planning decisionA vertical timeline of eight steps: enquiry and constraints check, measured survey, drawings in about 7 days after the survey, you approve the design, an independent check by a second technologist, submission, validation by the council, then the council decision, which for a householder application has a statutory period of 8 weeks from the day after the council receives a valid application.Enquiry and constraints checkRoute chosen, fixed quote sentMeasured surveyThe house as it stands, on one datumDrawingsAbout 7 days after the surveyYou approve the designFrozen in writingIndependent checkA second technologist checks every sheetSubmissionForms, plans and fee to the councilValidationThe council confirms the application is completeDecisionHouseholder: 8 weeks from a valid application
Fig. 1 From first enquiry to a planning decision · Source: Planning Practice Guidance: determining a planning application (GOV.UK)

The format a council expects

The procedure order says plans must be drawn to an identified scale and show the direction of north. The planning guidance adds that a linear scale bar is useful, especially in electronic submissions.

A scanned sketch with no scale fails both tests. A CAD sheet with the scale set and a north point passes them.

By the numbers

CAD conversion: common questions

Can you convert a hand sketch?

Yes, if it has dimensions. Without them we can only draw it to scale from what you can confirm.

Will the CAD drawings be accepted by the council?

They will meet the format rules. Whether the content meets the application’s needs depends on the project.

Can you change the design as well?

That is a different service. Conversion copies; it does not alter.

Sources

  1. Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) Order 2015, article 7 (legislation.gov.uk)
  2. Making an application, planning practice guidance (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.

CAD conversion of existing drawings

from £189

Fixed fee
£189
VAT
None to add

£189. A starting fee: we confirm one fixed figure after checking your address. The council’s own fee, where there is one, is paid to the council.

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Ask for a fixed fee for your drawings

Tell us the address and what you have in mind. We check the property and reply with the route and a fixed fee, no VAT to add.

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