01Havering, London
Basement conversion drawings in Havering
Havering has no basement design policy on our record, only a validation requirement, so the national tests lead: a party wall notice for the excavation, escape from habitable rooms and the fire alarm standard. Drawings start from £1,995 including VAT, after a free check of flood zone, listing and conservation areas.
From £1,995 (VAT included)
- MCIAT chartered architectural technologists
- £2m professional indemnity insurance
- LABC Partnered
- ICO registered
02The brief
A validation rule, but no basement design policy
We say this plainly instead of borrowing another borough's rule. The London Plan line is Boroughs should set policies on large-scale basements where this is a local issue. What Havering does ask is set out in its householder validation checklist: a Basement Impact Assessment wherever a basement is new or extended, which can form part of the flood risk assessment or structural survey. We hold no Havering policy on basement size or design, so the scheme is tested on national law and on the council's general policies for extensions and heritage, which we read during the constraints check.
That check also covers the flood zone for your address, because rooms below ground are exposed to flooding.
03The record
Local figures for Havering
| Measure | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Party Wall etc. Act 1996 s6(1), s6(2), s6(5) | Adjacent excavation notice at least 1 month before work: within 3 m and deeper than the neighbour's foundations, or within 6 m and cutting a 45° line from their foundations | No period | legislation.gov.uk |
| Party Wall etc. Act 1996 s5, s6(7) | A dispute arises if the adjoining owner does not consent within 14 days of the notice | No period | legislation.gov.uk |
| Approved Document B Vol 1, para 2.16 | Basement storeys with habitable rooms need an escape window or external door, or a protected stair to a final exit | No period | gov.uk |
| London Plan 2021 Policy D10(A) | Boroughs should set policies on large-scale basements where this is a local issue | No period | london.gov.uk |
| Householder: alterations/extensions to a single dwellinghouse, from 1 Apr 2026 | 548 GBP | No period | ribblevalley.gov.uk |
| Domestic gardens share of land (GLUD 2005) | 19.5 % of land that is domestic garden (GLUD 2005) | 2005 | data.london.gov.uk |
| Listed building entries | 146 list entries (Historic England, within the LPA boundary) | No period | planning.data.gov.uk |
| Heritage at Risk entries | 12 Heritage at Risk Register entries within the LPA boundary (Historic England) | No period | planning.data.gov.uk |
| Householder applications granted | 85.9 % | 1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026 | assets.publishing.service.gov.uk |
A blank value means the figure has not been published, not that there are none. Check your own address with the council.
- Thurrock
- Barking and Dagenham
- Brentwood
- Bexley
- Epping Forest
- Redbridge
04The drawing
A basement in section
A house and garden over a single-storey basement. The lettered marks show the limits the legend gives.
- A Party wall notice for excavation
- Adjacent excavation notice at least 1 month before work: within 3 m and deeper than the neighbour's foundations, or within 6 m and cutting a 45° line from their foundations
- B Escape from basement rooms
- Basement storeys with habitable rooms need an escape window or external door, or a protected stair to a final exit
05The detail
The excavation notice
Digging beside a neighbour is governed by the Party Wall etc. Act. Adjacent excavation notice at least 1 month before work: within 3 m and deeper than the neighbour's foundations, or within 6 m and cutting a 45° line from their foundations. A dispute arises if the adjoining owner does not consent within 14 days of the notice. We prepare the notice drawings from £45 per adjoining owner.
Habitable rooms below ground
Escape comes first. Basement storeys with habitable rooms need an escape window or external door, or a protected stair to a final exit. Alarms follow: All dwellings: fire detection and alarm system minimum Grade D2 Category LD3 (BS 5839-6), mains-operated smoke alarms to BS EN 14604.
About 19.5% of Havering's land was domestic garden in the national land-use survey behind our data (date in the table), so a scheme often extends under a garden. Our section drawings show the cover over the new room.
Older and listed houses
The borough holds 146 list entries, and 12 entries are on the Heritage at Risk Register. A basement under a listed house needs listed building consent: see listed building consent drawings in Havering. The council's householder fee is £548, and 85.9% of its householder decisions in the latest published year were grants.
A roof storey on the same house is a separate application, set out under mansard roof drawings in Havering. The basement conversion drawings hub explains the shared route.
06The papers
What the drawings rest on
Party wall services
07Correspondence
Questions
Does Havering have a basement policy?
No design policy is on our record, only the validation requirement for a Basement Impact Assessment. For the design, the page applies national tests and the London Plan line: Boroughs should set policies on large-scale basements where this is a local issue.
Do I need a party wall notice for a basement?
Usually, where you dig close to a neighbour's foundations. Adjacent excavation notice at least 1 month before work: within 3 m and deeper than the neighbour's foundations, or within 6 m and cutting a 45° line from their foundations.
Can a basement room be used as a bedroom?
Only with safe escape. Basement storeys with habitable rooms need an escape window or external door, or a protected stair to a final exit.
How much is the drawing fee?
A fixed fee from £1,995 including VAT, quoted after a free constraints check. Council fees are separate.
85.9%
Householder applications granted, Havering, 1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026. Source: assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
08Further reading
Related pages
Other services in Havering
Basement conversion drawings nearby
09Sources
Sources and dates
- legislation.gov.uk, retrieved
- gov.uk, retrieved
- london.gov.uk, retrieved
- ribblevalley.gov.uk, retrieved
- data.london.gov.uk, retrieved
- planning.data.gov.uk, retrieved
- planning.data.gov.uk, retrieved
- assets.publishing.service.gov.uk, retrieved
Licences
- Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.
- Contains Historic England data © Historic England 2026. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.
Send us the address of your house.
We look up the conservation area, listing and Article 4 position, then reply with a fixed fee. A message before 3pm is answered the same working day.