What the report costs and what you get
For £19 you receive a dated, written report on one address. It names the council, says whether the house is listed or in a conservation area, whether an Article 4 direction applies, and what each of those does to the work you are planning. If you then instruct us for drawings, the fee is deducted from ours.
You do not need the report to get a quote. Our free check tells you the same in a call or an email. The report is for owners who want the findings in writing, for a solicitor, a lender or a partner.
What it checks
Listing comes first, because it governs everything inside and outside the building. Westminster alone has 4,015 listed buildings in its boundary. The report also records the conservation area, and the trees if they are protected.
Then the permitted development rights that remain. Inside a conservation area the side extension and cladding rights fall away, and a flat has no householder permitted development at all.
Article 4, where the rules differ street by street
An Article 4 direction lets a council withdraw permitted development rights from a defined area. Some boroughs use them widely: Kensington and Chelsea publishes 84 and Camden 21.
Two houses on opposite sides of a road can sit under different rules. That is why we read the actual direction against the actual address, not the borough as a whole. A neighbour's extension may have been built under rights you no longer have.
How it saves money
A report shows early what you can build without an application, what needs one, and what is unlikely to succeed. A brief can change once the limits are known: a smaller rear extension that stays permitted, or a loft that avoids a street-facing dormer.
It costs a fraction of drawings, and being credited it costs nothing if you proceed. See also our pre-purchase planning report for buyers who want the same checks before they exchange.
Order one
Send the address. We confirm the fee and deliver a written report. Details are on our planning constraints report page.
The figures, with sources
4,015
Listed-building records inside the boundary of the City of Westminster.
Source: planning.data.gov.uk, listed buildings dataset, checked 17 Oct 2026
84
Article 4 directions published by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
Source: planning.data.gov.uk, Article 4 directions dataset, checked 17 Oct 2026
21
Article 4 directions published by Camden Council.
Source: planning.data.gov.uk, Article 4 directions dataset, checked 17 Oct 2026
39
Conservation areas designated by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.
Source: planning.data.gov.uk, conservation areas dataset, checked 7 Oct 2026
Class A.2
On conservation area land there is no permitted side extension and no cladding.
Source: General Permitted Development Order 2015, Schedule 2, Part 1, checked 15 Oct 2026
Art. 2(1)
A flat, or a building containing flats, falls outside householder permitted development.
Source: General Permitted Development Order 2015, article 2, checked 15 Oct 2026
Questions
How does the report differ from the free check?
The findings are the same. The report is written, dated and addressed to you, which is what a solicitor or lender usually needs.
Is the fee really credited?
Yes. If you then instruct us for drawings, the report fee comes off the drawings fee.
Can the report say my plan is allowed?
It says what the rules allow on the address; only the council can grant permission or a certificate. For proof, we can apply for a Lawful Development Certificate.
Do you check trees and flood risk?
We note protected trees from the council's records. A flood risk assessment and a tree survey are separate services.
The fee for written constraints report
What you get
- Listing, conservation area and Article 4 status
- The permitted development rights that remain
- A plain-words view of what your plan can do
- A dated PDF you can show a solicitor or lender
- The fee credited against drawings if you proceed
