Section by section outline for a householder planning statement
Officers read householder statements looking for specific answers in a predictable order. This outline gives them in that order, with the numbers and policy tests a case officer has to check.
A householder planning statement does one job: it tells the case officer, in their own language, why your extension complies with the policies they have to apply. A householder planning statement outline that works runs to about eight short sections and three or four pages. Most of the ones that fail do so by describing the house at length and the policy test not at all. Officers read dozens of these a week and they are looking for specific answers, so give the answers in the order they will look for them.
Site and surroundings in two paragraphs
Describe the property and its context, then stop. The officer has the location plan and will visit the site.
What earns its place: the type and approximate age of the house, whether it is detached, semi-detached or terraced, what sits on either side and behind, the orientation of the rear garden, the levels if they are not flat, and any designation that applies. Conservation area, listed building, Article 4 direction, Tree Preservation Order and flood zone all belong here, with the source you checked them against.
What does not earn its place: the history of the street, the architectural merits of the neighbourhood, or an account of how much you love the house.
If the property is listed, the design and significance material goes well beyond this list, and the heritage statement outline for a Grade II house sets out what a council expects.
The proposal in measurable terms
This is where applications are won or lost on validation. Give the numbers, because the officer has to check them against permitted development limits and against policy, and will ask if they are missing.
For a rear extension: depth from the original rear wall, width, eaves height, ridge or parapet height, roof form, and the distance to each boundary. For a side extension: width as a proportion of the original dwelling, height relative to the main roof, and the set-back from the front elevation. For a loft conversion: dormer position, size and set-back from the eaves and ridge, and whether any part extends beyond the plane of the existing roof slope.
Also state what is being removed and whether the house has been extended before, because original means as built or as it stood on 1 July 1948.
Write the numbers once, in a short list, and make sure they match the drawings exactly. A statement that says three metres and a plan that scales to 3.4 metres invites a query at best.
Planning history of the property
List previous applications by reference number, description and decision, including refusals and withdrawals, and say what the relationship is to the current proposal.
This section matters more than its length suggests. Where a similar scheme was refused before, the officer will find it, and a statement that addresses the previous reasons for refusal head on is far stronger than one that hopes nobody looks. Where earlier permissions were implemented, the history also establishes what counts as the original dwelling.
Where a previous permission removed permitted development rights by condition, say so.
The policies that actually apply
Section 38(6) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 requires the determination to be made in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. So the development plan comes first and the National Planning Policy Framework second.
For a householder scheme the policies in play are usually a design policy, an amenity policy, a parking or highways policy, and whichever constraint policy applies to the site. Quote the policy number and a short phrase from it, then answer it. Two sentences per policy is enough.
Cite the Framework by edition, because it was renumbered in December 2024 and re-issued on 17 August 2026 with policy-coded chapters in place of paragraph numbers. Copying a paragraph number from an old document is the quickest way to look careless.
Most authorities also have a householder design guide or extensions supplementary planning document, and that is the document the officer will actually measure your drawings against. Find it and address it by name.
Design, scale and materials
Answer the design guidance point by point rather than in general terms.
The recurring tests are whether the extension is subordinate to the original house, whether the roof form follows the existing, whether the materials match or deliberately contrast in a considered way, whether window proportions follow the original, and whether the extension reads as part of the house from the street. Say which of these you have followed and, where you have departed from the guidance, say why and what you have done to mitigate it.
Honest departures land better than pretending there is no departure. An officer who spots an unacknowledged conflict starts reading the rest of the statement with suspicion.
Where the design reasoning is substantial, some applicants submit a short Design and Access Statement alongside, although one is not normally required for a householder application. The structure for a minor scheme is set out in the design and access statement outline.
Amenity: overlooking, overshadowing and overbearing
Take the three separately, and take each neighbour separately.
Overlooking means windows and any raised terrace. Give the distance from each new window to the nearest neighbouring window or garden boundary, state the use of the room, and say what obscure glazing or high cill levels you have used. A first floor side window serving a bathroom with fixed obscure glazing is a different proposition from a bedroom window.
Overshadowing means loss of light to neighbouring windows and gardens. Many authorities apply a 45 degree line test in plan and sometimes in section, taken from the nearest habitable room window of the adjoining property. Check the test in the design guide that applies to your site and show it on a drawing rather than describing it. Where the scheme is tall or close to a boundary, the methodology in BRE 209 is the recognised approach, and a Daylight and Sunlight Assessment may be proportionate.
Overbearing means bulk and proximity, judged as it will be experienced from the neighbour's window or garden. Distance to boundary, height at the boundary and the length of the flank wall are the figures that matter.
Access, parking and refuse
Short and factual. State the existing and proposed parking provision on site, measured, and compare it with the adopted standard. State whether any parking space is lost. State where bins are stored and the carry distance to the collection point. If the scheme adds a bedroom, say what the adopted standard requires for that number of bedrooms.
Where the drive is altered, cover surfacing and drainage: permeable surfacing or drainage to a soakaway within the curtilage, rather than water running onto the footway.
Closing the statement
End with the conclusion, not a recap. One short paragraph that states the proposal accords with the named policies, that no harm arises to neighbouring amenity for the reasons given, and that any conflict identified is outweighed by the stated benefits.
Then check the pack against the authority's validation list before you submit. A simple read-through against the published list catches more problems than another pass at the prose, and the sequence in the internal quality check is a useful discipline for that final pass.
A Planning Statement drafted on PlanScope follows this order and pulls in the constraints detected for your postcode, and the drawings and the numbers remain yours to verify. PlanScope provides AI-assisted draft reports for planning applications. Reports should be reviewed before submission. We do not guarantee planning approval.
This is general guidance, not legal advice; check the position with your local planning authority or a qualified professional before relying on it.
Frequently asked questions
How long should a householder planning statement be?
Three or four pages is usually right for an extension or loft conversion. Length is not the measure: a statement that gives measured dimensions, names the policies and answers the amenity tests in two pages beats one that spends six describing the house. Officers are checking specific points, so make each one findable.
Do I need a planning statement for a householder application?
It is not always on the national list of requirements, but most authorities accept one and many expect a short written justification for anything beyond the simplest extension. Where the scheme touches a constraint such as a conservation area or a protected tree, a written statement is effectively necessary to address the policy test.
Which policies should a householder statement cite?
The development plan policies first, because section 38(6) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 requires determination in accordance with them. In practice that means the design policy, the amenity policy, the parking policy and any constraint policy, plus the authority's householder design guide, which is what your drawings will be measured against.
What is the 45 degree rule for extensions?
A test used in many authorities' householder design guidance, drawing a line at 45 degrees in plan, and sometimes in section, from the nearest habitable room window of the adjoining property. If the extension crosses it, loss of light is presumed. The exact method varies, so check the guidance that applies to your site.
What counts as the original dwelling?
The house as it was built, or as it stood on 1 July 1948 if it was built before that date. Previous extensions count against the allowances even if they were carried out by a former owner. Setting out the extension history early in the statement avoids an argument about it later in the assessment.
Sources and further reading
This article is general guidance about the planning system in England and, where stated, the rest of the UK. It is not legal or professional advice. Check your local planning authority’s validation requirements and take professional advice for your specific site.