House extension, loft & planning drawings.

Architecture and planning drawings for Bexleyheath homes

If you're planning an extension or loft conversion in Bexleyheath, you don't need to trek to a high-street architect. Arkiplan is a remote-first residential practice working with homeowners right across England and Wales, Bexley included. We draw the plans for planning permission and building regulations, handle the council submission, and keep the whole thing to a fixed price. Our founder has designed 1,500+ homes over 20 years, and we've now worked with 2,000+ families, with a 94% approval rate on planning and lawful development certificate applications.

Because we run everything by video call and a 3D Home Scan of your property, you get the same care as a local architect Bexleyheath residents would visit in person, without the site-visit fees or the phone tag.

Your local planning authority: London Borough of Bexley

Planning permission in Bexleyheath is decided by the London Borough of Bexley. A few things about how Bexley works are worth knowing before you start:

• Determination times. Bexley aims to decide standard householder applications within the statutory 8 weeks of validation, and reports strong performance against that target. Allow a week or two on top for the council to validate your documents before the clock starts.
• Article 4 directions. There's good news for most householders: Bexley has no borough-wide Article 4 direction that strips permitted development rights from ordinary house extensions or lofts. The borough's Article 4 directions cover change of use from a house to a house in multiple occupation (made 2016), and a town-centre direction (made 2024, confirmed 2025) aimed at commercial units, not family extensions.
• The Local Plan. Bexley adopted its current Local Plan in 2023. Its policies expect extensions to respect the established suburban building line and the character of the street, which matters a lot in Bexleyheath's tidy interwar avenues.

Conservation areas and listed buildings

Bexley has 23 conservation areas, over 150 listed buildings and around 400 locally listed ones. Where Bexleyheath is concerned, the tighter design control sits around Old Bexley Village, Danson Park and the Upton area, home to William Morris's Red House. If your property is in or near one of these, permitted development rights are usually restricted and the council will look closely at materials, rooflines and anything visible from the street. It's exactly the kind of thing worth checking before you fall in love with a design, and we check it for you as part of the drawings.

The extensions and lofts we design around Bexleyheath

Bexleyheath is classic interwar suburban London: rows of 1930s semi-detached and detached homes on generous plots, shared with Welling, Sidcup and Old Bexley Village. That housing stock lends itself to a handful of projects we're asked for again and again:

• House extension plans. Single-storey rear kitchen-diners and double-storey side and rear extensions are the most common request. The wide plots on roads like those around Danson Park often give real room to extend without crowding the neighbours.
• Loft conversions. A loft conversion in Bexleyheath is one of the best-value ways to add a bedroom and en-suite. Rear dormers and hip-to-gable conversions suit the local roof shapes, and many can be done under permitted development where you're not in a conservation area.
• Garden studios and offices. Standalone garden rooms for working from home, again well suited to the larger back gardens.

Whatever the project, we tell you honestly at the start whether it needs a full planning application or can go through as permitted development or a lawful development certificate.

Fixed-price drawings, from first sketch to council decision

Everything is fixed price, so there are no spiralling costs. Packages start at Price confirmed in your proposal (with monthly payment options), and you can book your 3D Home Scan and design meeting for Price confirmed in your proposal, fully refundable if you go ahead. From there we produce your planning drawings, and — on our Standard and Premium packages — building regulations drawings, structural engineer calculations and a build-ready specification, then submit to Bexley and chase the case officer on your behalf. Seven in ten homeowners choose Standard.

574 homeowners have reviewed us, with 4.7 stars on Trustpilot and 4.9 on Google. On average, our clients save £2,284 compared with a traditional architect.