Loft conversion drawings in Richmond from £625
Twickenham, Teddington, Barnes, Kew and Hampton: we place your house among 85 conservation areas, then draw the dormer to the borough’s own design rules.
£625 £475 drawings + £150 survey (£625 total), no VAT to add
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The short answer
Richmond upon Thames has more conservation areas than almost any borough, and its House Extensions and External Alterations SPD is blunt about lofts: no front dormers, nothing above the ridge, dormers set in from both sides and smaller than the windows below. We draw to those rules. Our fee is £475 drawings + £150 survey (£625 total), no VAT to add; the council’s fee is separate.
Loft conversion drawings
from £625
- Drawings
- £475
- Measured survey
- £150
- Total you pay
- £625
- VAT
- None to add
- A measured survey of the roof, the stair and the landing below
- A check of your street against the borough’s 85 conservation areas and their Article 4 directions
- Floor plans and elevations at 1:50 or 1:100, a roof plan, site sections and a 1:100 or 1:200 block plan
- A heritage statement where the house is in a conservation area or under an Article 4 direction
- A note of whether a preliminary roost assessment for bats is likely to be asked for
- Submission to Richmond, an independent check of every sheet and free redraws until approval
£475 drawings + £150 survey (£625 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 Richmond loft job runs
Address check
We find your street on the conservation area list and read any Article 4 direction attached to it.
Survey
We measure the roof, note the hip or gable, the ridge height, chimneys and the windows on the floor below the dormer.
Draw to the SPD
Dormers are drawn set in from both sides, below the ridge and smaller than the windows beneath, with a roof plan and sections.
Submit and follow
We submit with the CIL form and answer the officer. Richmond’s list also expects a biodiversity net gain statement, even where an exemption applies.
What Richmond’s SPD says about roofs
The borough’s House Extensions and External Alterations SPD lists what the council weighs on a roof extension. Hip-to-gable extensions are not desirable and will not be encouraged, a roof extension on the front of a house is undesirable, raising the ridge is normally unacceptable, and dormers must not project above the ridgeline. A significant area of the existing roof should be left beneath and on either side of a dormer, and two smaller dormers can succeed where one large one would not. Dormers should be smaller than the windows of the floor below.
For example, an Edwardian semi in Teddington with a hipped roof is a poor candidate for a hip-to-gable loft in this borough, while a rear dormer pulled in from both party lines with a flat roof only where headroom needs it can be. The SPD also prefers conservation-type rooflights that sit flush with the roof.
Conservation areas, Article 4 and the 2026 checklist
The council says there are currently 85 conservation areas, and its Article 4 page lists directions street by street under each area. Its FAQ says that in a conservation area installing a dormer or expanding the roof needs planning permission. A heritage statement is part of the validation list for properties in a conservation area or under an Article 4 direction.
The Local Validation Checklist, in effect since 20 February 2026, asks for roof plans, floor plans, elevations and site sections, a CIL form, and a biodiversity net gain statement from all applicants. Even if you think the development is exempt you must explain why. Where a protected species is likely, a preliminary ecological appraisal, often with a preliminary roost assessment, is expected.
Timing and CIL in Richmond
Richmond upon Thames Council treats an application with missing information as invalid and sets a deadline for the rest. We cannot promise a decision date, so our work is a complete first submission.
Richmond’s CIL has two residential bands, £250 and £190 a square metre when set in 2014, indexed for 2026 to £418.41 and £317.99, with Mayoral CIL on top. The council’s form is there so floor areas can be checked, and we complete it from the survey.
Loft conversions in Richmond upon Thames in numbers
923 of 935
Householder decisions by Richmond upon Thames 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)
85
Conservation areas in Richmond upon Thames, according to the council.
Source: About conservation areas (London Borough of Richmond upon Thames)
20 Feb 2026
Date the borough’s current Local Validation Checklist took effect, after public consultation.
Source: Make a planning application (London Borough of Richmond upon Thames)
Not above ridge
The SPD says dormers and other roof extensions must not project above the ridgeline, and raising the ridge is normally unacceptable.
Source: House Extensions and External Alterations SPD (London Borough of Richmond upon Thames)
Front dormers
The SPD calls a roof extension, including a dormer, on the front of a house undesirable.
Source: House Extensions and External Alterations SPD (London Borough of Richmond upon Thames)
BNG statement
The checklist asks every applicant for a biodiversity net gain statement, with a reason and evidence where exempt.
Source: Local Validation Checklist, in effect from 20 February 2026 (London Borough of Richmond upon Thames)
Roost assessment
A preliminary roost assessment may be used alone where only bats or nesting birds are likely to be affected.
Source: Local Validation Checklist, in effect from 20 February 2026 (London Borough of Richmond upon Thames)
Street by street
Article 4 directions in conservation areas are listed under each area, with a map for each.
Source: Article 4 Directions, conservation areas (London Borough of Richmond upon Thames)
£418.41
Richmond CIL per square metre in its higher residential band for 2026 (£317.99 in the lower band).
Source: CIL Annual Rate Summary 2026 (London Borough of Richmond upon Thames)
£96.97
Mayoral CIL per square metre for permissions granted in 2026 in Richmond upon Thames, which is in band 1 (£80 when set in 2019). It applies only where CIL is due at all.
Source: Mayoral CIL: Annual CIL Rate Summary 2026 (London.gov.uk)
Questions about loft conversions in Richmond upon Thames
Can I put a dormer on the front in Richmond?
The SPD calls front roof extensions undesirable, particularly with an existing gable or bay. A rear dormer, set in from both sides and below the ridge, is the usual route.
Will the council allow a hip-to-gable loft?
Its SPD says hip-to-gable extensions are not desirable and will not be encouraged, especially where roofscape and gaps between houses matter. We tell you early if your roof shape is a risk.
Do I need planning permission for a dormer in a Richmond conservation area?
The council’s FAQ says yes for a dormer or an expanded roof in a conservation area. We check your street first.
Why does Richmond want a biodiversity statement for a loft?
Its checklist asks every applicant for one, and for a reason where the development is exempt. We include it in the pack.
Find out what your Richmond loft needs
Send the address and a photo of the back of the house. We reply with the route and a fixed fee, from £475 drawings + £150 survey (£625 total).