Before you submit a house extension application in Solihull, check which consent you need and make sure every drawing describes the same proposal. A set of attractive floor plans alone won’t tell the council how close the extension comes to your neighbour’s window or which part of the existing house has already been extended.
1. Confirm the Consent Route
Look up the property in Solihull’s planning register and read the decision notices for the original house and earlier alterations. Check the exact address for a listing, conservation area or conditions that restrict permitted development. If the proposal is permitted development and you want a formal decision on its lawfulness, consider a proposed Lawful Development Certificate. Some larger single-storey rear extensions instead use a prior approval procedure if they qualify. If you need planning permission for an extension to an existing house, the householder route will usually be the relevant one.
2. Assemble a Coordinated Drawing Set
Prepare the site location plan and a site or block plan. Mark the application boundary consistently and show where the proposed extension sits relative to the house, garden and neighbouring buildings. Include existing and proposed floor plans and elevations. Add a roof plan or sections where they make the proposal easier to understand, such as when the roof meets an upper window or the ground slopes towards a shared boundary.
Show the main dimensions, eaves and ridge heights, materials and openings. Label existing and proposed views clearly, give each sheet a number and revision, and check that the same depth, roof form and window positions appear throughout. Keep the application form description consistent with those drawings.
3. Check Solihull’s Own Requirements
Read the council’s House Extension Guidelines while the design is still flexible. Check how the proposal relates to the original house, its street and neighbouring properties. The council says national requirements are sufficient in most cases, but tells applicants to check its local validation criteria before submitting. Add supporting information that actually applies to the address and proposal. Complete the application form, relevant ownership certificate and any required notices, and check the fee before payment.
Example: A Rear Extension in Shirley
Imagine a semi-detached house with an existing rear addition and a neighbour’s kitchen window close to the boundary. Mark the original rear wall and the existing addition separately. On the proposed drawings, show how the new roof and wall sit relative to that window and the boundary. If the patio steps down to the garden, include a section through the levels. That gives the case officer information a floor plan alone would miss.
4. Keep the Submission and Construction Records Separate
Save the submitted PDFs, application reference and final approved drawings together. If the proposal changes during assessment, update the drawing register and retain the decision notice and its conditions. Then arrange the separate Building Regulations drawings and approval route before construction. Use the planning approval to identify the agreed design and the technical pack to describe how it will be built.
If you have an address and a sketch, ask Ashbridge Design to scope the planning drawings.