This article will walk you through the process of creating your planning drawings, which will significantly improve your chances of obtaining planning permission.

It demonstrates not only how to create effective planning drawings, but also what resonates with development projects and why. You’ll learn how to create effective planning permission drawings and why they work so well.

The best course of action is, to begin with, the definition of planning drawings…

Planning drawings are architectural renderings that clients are required to submit as part of any planning permission application. They are a critical tool for architects and clients to communicate their vision to planners so that they can comprehend how their project fits into the larger landscape.

The truth is that these drawings require skill, experience, and precision to accurately convey the project’s dimensions and scale to the planning officer, ensuring that the application is approved in its entirety. Later on, these planning drawings are critical for the project’s construction and fit-out.

How do they fit into the overall Planning Application?

While planning permission applications primarily consist of written descriptions of the proposed development, planning drawings provide a necessary overall impression of how the project will appear concerning its surrounding structures. Given the fact that many council planners are frequently overworked and stressed, these planning drawings can convey visual information about the project’s general layout, massing, and context more quickly.

This is an extremely useful and efficient method for planners to gain an initial impression of the project and assess its fit with its surroundings before delving into the project’s details in the extended written section.

How specific must they be?

Due to their requirement for rapid transmission of spatial and contextual information to the planner evaluating your case, planning permission drawings are distinct from those found in later stages such as Building Control. At this stage, planning drawings do not have to be as detailed as building regulations drawings (in fact, it is sometimes preferable not to give the planner anything to pick holes in!). However, they should convey an accurate impression of the project’s impact on the immediate environment at a scale ranging from 1:1250 to 1:50.

Now that you understand what planning permission drawings must accomplish, we’ve included some examples of the types of drawings you’ll need in your application to help you understand why they’re so critical and the distinctions between the various types.

1. Site Location Plan

In essence, a site location plan is a map that depicts the application site’s location to nearby roads, buildings, and other lands. These plans illustrate the density of an area and aid in determining whether an extension or new development is compatible with the surrounding area. 

2. Site Layout Plan (Block Plan)

A site layout plan is larger in scale and depicts a more detailed layout of your specific site. It details the proposed works’ relationship to the property’s boundary, nearby roads, and adjacent structures.

Due to this requirement for detail, these drawings are frequently lengthy; however, this is where our expertise comes into play and where our services are most beneficial to you. The majority of applications should include both an existing and proposed site layout plan. For straightforward applications, the existing and proposed sites can be combined and shown on a single plan as long as the existing, proposed, and demolished areas are highlighted and annotated.

3. Elevations

Elevations are critical planning application drawings because they depict how a building will appear from the outside before and after development – these plans emphasize the building project’s overall ‘massing’ as a single unit rather than concerning its surroundings.

However, one thing is certain: in most cases, two distinct sets of elevation drawings will be required, one for the “existing” state of the building and another for the “proposed” state of the building after the works are completed. Elevations, as a critical component of planning applications, must convey a great deal of information in a standardized manner.

4. Floor Plans

After getting a sense of how your project will look from the outside, floor plans illustrate the new layout of the building. In most cases, such as during a renovation or extension, two distinct sets of floor plans will be required: existing floor plans depicting the structure as-is and proposed floor plans depicting the structure after the work is completed.

5. Existing and Proposed site sections, as well as Finished Floor/Site Levels

When a proposal involves a significant change in ground levels, illustrative drawings of both the existing and finished levels should typically be submitted. As one might expect, these drawings must demonstrate how the proposed development would relate to or affect the existing site levels and adjacent development.

While levels may be obvious in the case of residential development from floor plans and elevations, on sloping sites, you’ll need to demonstrate how proposals relate to existing ground levels or how ground levels outside the extension would be modified.

6. Street Scene or Context plans

This type of planning permission drawing is typically required for works visible from the road and is required in a variety of situations.

For example, they are critical for new buildings or large side extensions that will be located adjacent to their parcel boundary or a neighbouring structure, as well as where there is a significant height difference between the proposed works and the existing neighbouring dwellings or buildings.

7. Roof Designs

These planning drawings, which should be drawn to a scale of 1:50 or 1:100, are used to illustrate the shape of the roof, particularly when development involves changes to its appearance and shape. They should include all ridges, valleys, dormer windows, roof lights, and other architectural features such as chimneys or raised parapets. Typically, the roof plan specifies details such as roofing materials and their location.

8. Landscaping

Given the growing importance of green infrastructure and architecture, landscaping plans have become an integral part of many housing developments, particularly those involving rooftop gardens in cities (such as the one pictured above) or in suburban or Green Belt developments.

9. Joinery Drawings and Specifications

When applying for planning permission with Listed Building Consent for alterations to listed buildings, it is critical to include joinery drawings that detail precisely which fixtures and fittings will be replaced.

10. Photomontages and Photographs

Photomontages are an integral part of planning application drawings because they show how a project fits into the surrounding landscape for both the client and planner. Whether we’re discussing an extension or a new build, the advantage of photomontages is that they provide a more immediate sense of the proposal’s scale and mass in terms of its size, as well as the way the building interacts with its immediate surroundings, also known as its context.

Don’t forget to label these drawings clearly on the front (not the back) with a title that describes what is shown and the precise location from which it was taken. This is best accomplished by displaying the location on a corresponding map.

11. 3D Floor Plans

3D floor plans are not always required for architects’ planning permission drawings, as they operate on a more intimate scale, but they are an integral part of our interior design projects. The purpose of these is to provide our clients with a clear visualisation of their home in terms of flow and furniture placement, as well as to convey a more accurate sense of the space’s scale, as opposed to the 2D floor plan’s bare dimensions.

Can I create my planning drawings?

There is no reason why you cannot create the drawings yourself; however, experience indicates that this approach has a very low success rate, as the person submitting generally lacks experience with CAD programs, and thus the ‘home-made’ or “online-ordered” planning drawings generally lack the level of accuracy and features expected of planning officers.

What does a planning officer look for?

• Scale

This concept refers to the relationship of the building’s size to its neighbours and surroundings. Is the extension significantly larger than the house to which it is attached? Is the development composed of three-story townhouses surrounded by bungalows? Or a small bijou cottage nestled among six- and seven-story apartment blocks? If this is the case, obtaining planning permission is highly improbable. Appropriate scale is critical to consider when designing.

• Massing

This rather ambiguous term refers to the building’s basic three-dimensional ‘shape,’ whether a cube or a box, as well as its texture, whether smooth or irregular.

• Materials

A planner will examine these to determine whether they complement or contrast with the surrounding structures and whether they are contextually appropriate. This is especially critical for listed buildings or those located in conservation areas, as planning officers will generally expect the materials to blend in with or complement the existing ones.

• Layout/Design

Naturally, the planner wants to see a well-thought-out design that maximizes the living space’s potential and illustrates the relationship between the various spaces.

• Parking

Each council will have its interpretation of this concept, but there should generally be some sort of study to determine whether parking is required on a particular project, where it will be located if it is, and how it will affect existing traffic – which is precisely what the neighbours may object to.

• Context

This is similar to the concept of scale in that a building does not exist in isolation – especially not in urban environments. Context examines a building’s surroundings and how it responds in terms of building materials and architectural style to the surrounding area.

All of these concepts must be conveyed through the architectural drawings included with a planning application for the officer to comprehend the project’s design and use, as well as its relationship to its surroundings.

Areas we cover for Planning Drawings:

• Planning Drawings Brookmans Park
• Planning Drawings Potters Bar
• Planning Drawings Welham Green
• Planning Drawings North Mymms
• Planning Drawings South Mymms
• Planning Drawings Barnet
• Planning Drawings Hertford
• Planning Drawings Little Berkhamstead
• Planning Drawings Epping Green
• Planning Drawings Essendon
• Planning Drawings Bell Bar
• Planning Drawings Friern Barnet
• Planning Drawings Southgate
• Planning Drawings Palmers Green
• Planning Drawings Winchmore Hill
• Planning Drawings Enfield
• Planning Drawings Cheshunt
• Planning Drawings Goffs Oak
• Planning Drawings St Albans
• Planning Drawings Radlett
• Planning Drawings Harpenden
• Planning Drawings Finchley
• Planning Drawings East Finchley
• Planning Drawings North Finchley
• Planning Drawings Hampstead
• Planning Drawings West Hampstead
• Planning Drawings Belsize Park
• Planning Drawings St John Woos
• Planning Drawings Cricklewood
• Planning Drawings Park Royal
• Planning Drawings Burnt Oak
• Planning Drawings Woodgreen
• Planning Drawings Tottenham
• Planning Drawings Walthamstow
• Planning Drawings Tottenham Hale
• Planning Drawings Islington
• Planning Drawings Maida Vale
• Planning Drawings Kilburn
• Planning Drawings Mayfair
• Planning Drawings Soho
• Planning Drawings Covent Garden
• Planning Drawings Kensington
• Planning Drawings Paddington
• Planning Drawings Belgravia
• Planning Drawings Victoria
• Planning Drawings Green park
• Planning Drawings Paddington
• Planning Drawings Camden Town
• Planning Drawings Primrose Hill
• Planning Drawings Highbury
• Planning Drawings Archway
• Planning Drawings Muswell Hill
• Planning Drawings Arnos Grove
• Planning Drawings Cockfosters
• Planning Drawings Hatfield
• Planning Drawings London Colney
• Planning Drawings Welwyn Garden City