Lawful Development Certificate in Hillingdon from £575
Uxbridge, Ruislip, Hayes and Northwood: a 21-day fast track exists for householder certificates, and rear extensions past 4 metres have lost their permitted rights.
£575 £425 drawings + £150 survey (£575 total), no VAT to add
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The short answer
Hillingdon’s fast-track service determines a householder lawful development certificate within 21 days of receiving the fee, which is £516 with tax already added, on top of the statutory fee. You request it through a web form straight after applying on the Planning Portal. The council assesses each request, may refuse it, and says the faster processing does not affect the recommendation or decision. Our fee is £425 drawings + £150 survey (£575 total), no VAT to add; the council’s fees are separate.
Permitted development drawings and Lawful Development Certificate
from £575
- Drawings
- £425
- Measured survey
- £150
- Total you pay
- £575
- VAT
- None to add
- A measured survey of the house, so the drawings show your property and not a template
- Existing and proposed plans and elevations drawn to show each permitted development limit being met
- A check of your address against Hillingdon’s 31 conservation areas and its Article 4 direction on rear extensions
- The fast track web-form request made straight after the application, if you want it
- The application submitted for you, with answers to the officer
£425 drawings + £150 survey (£575 total). 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.
Get my fixed feeHow a Hillingdon certificate runs
Rights check
We check conservation areas and the 4 metre rear-extension direction against your address.
Survey
We measure depths, heights and distances to the boundaries.
Drawings to the rules
Each sheet states the limit it tests.
Apply
We submit on the portal, then make the fast track request if you want it.
How Hillingdon’s fast track works
The service covers householder certificates and householder prior approvals only. You make the request by web form immediately after submitting on the Planning Portal, and the council individually assesses it before confirming. Payment can only be made once the request is accepted, and details of how to pay are then sent.
The decision comes within 21 days following receipt of the fast-track fee. For example, a Ruislip owner with a builder waiting can pay £516 to have a certificate for a rear extension inside about three weeks.
The 4 metre rear-extension direction, and conservation areas
Hillingdon made an Article 4 direction, due in force from 22 September 2014, removing permitted development for single-storey rear extensions over 4 metres deep. A certificate cannot cover work whose right has been removed, so the depth matters before you apply.
The borough has 31 conservation areas, from village centres to planned estates. Hillingdon’s CIL is £160.43 a square metre for residential permissions granted in 2026, on 100 square metres or more of new floor space, so a typical certificate project is outside it. Hillingdon’s validation checklist asks for a block plan at 1:500 and floor plans and elevations at 1:50 or 1:100, and a heritage statement in a conservation area. We check your address first and move you to a householder application when that is what the house needs.
Rear extension drawings in Hillingdon · Loft conversion drawings in Hillingdon
Certificates in Hillingdon in numbers
637 of 678
Householder decisions by Hillingdon Council between July 2025 and June 2026 (prior approvals left out) that were made inside 8 weeks.
Source: MHCLG live table PS2, district planning application statistics, July 2025 to June 2026 (GOV.UK)
£516
Hillingdon’s fast-track fee for a householder lawful development certificate, tax already added, on top of the statutory fee.
Source: Fast-track planning application service (Hillingdon Council)
21 days
Days from receipt of the fast-track fee in which Hillingdon determines a householder certificate.
Source: Fast-track planning application service (Hillingdon Council)
Individually
Each fast-track request is individually assessed, and payment is only taken after acceptance.
Source: Fast-track planning application service (Hillingdon Council)
31
Designated conservation areas in Hillingdon, from village centres to planned residential estates.
4 m
Depth beyond which Hillingdon’s Article 4 direction removes permitted development for a single storey rear extension.
22 Sep 2014
Date Hillingdon’s rear-extension Article 4 direction was due to come into force.
1:500
Scale of the existing and proposed block plan Hillingdon asks for.
Source: Local Planning Validation Checklist, February 2024 (Hillingdon Council)
Questions about certificates in Hillingdon
What does Hillingdon’s fast track cost?
£516 with tax already added for a householder certificate, plus the statutory application fee.
How long does it take?
The council determines it within 21 days of receiving the fast-track fee.
Can I build a 5 metre rear extension under a certificate?
Not where the Article 4 direction applies. Depth over 4 metres needs planning permission.
Do I still need building regulations?
Yes. A certificate covers planning law only.
Put it in writing before you build in Hillingdon
Send the address and what you plan. We reply with whether it fits permitted development and a fixed fee, from £425 drawings + £150 survey (£575 total).