Planning guide · Barnet
Barnet planning permission: what the council really looks for
Barnet is our home borough, and we've learnt its habits the way you learn a neighbour's. It's fair, it's busy, and it cares a lot about the house next door. Get that right and most sensible extensions sail through.
Written by Dor Cohen, RIBA Chartered Architect, ARB Registered
Last updated
How does planning permission work in Barnet?
Barnet Council decides most householder applications against its Residential Design Guidance, which looks at light and outlook for neighbours, the scale of the extension against the house, and the character of the street. A householder application normally gets a decision within 8 weeks once validated. Homes in Hampstead Garden Suburb also need separate consent from the Hampstead Garden Suburb Trust, and conservation and Article 4 areas restrict what you can do without permission.
What Barnet looks for
Barnet's Residential Design Guidance is the rulebook officers reach for. In plain English, it boils down to four questions.
- Light and outlook for neighboursThe big one. An extension shouldn't leave next door's kitchen or garden in shadow, or make them feel boxed in.
- Scale against the houseExtensions should look like a sensible addition, not a takeover. Depth, height and roof form all matter.
- Street characterFront changes and side dormers get far more scrutiny than work at the back. Barnet likes streets to keep their rhythm.
- Garden and treesKeeping a usable garden, and steering clear of protected trees, avoids a lot of awkward questions.
The areas that need extra care
Same borough, very different rules. Here's a rough map of where the extra hoops are.
| Where | What applies | What it means for you |
|---|---|---|
| Hampstead Garden Suburb | Conservation area plus separate Trust consent | Even small changes need consent; detailing is reviewed closely |
| Mill Hill Village and nearby | Conservation areas | Materials and roof changes looked at carefully |
| Finchley Church End, Totteridge, Monken Hadley | Conservation areas | Front and side changes are the sensitive ones |
| Article 4 streets | Some permitted development rights removed | Work you could normally do freely may need an application |
| Most other Barnet streets | Standard planning rules | Many houses can use permitted development |
How long it takes
Barnet aims to decide householder applications within 8 weeks of validating them. Validation itself can take a week or two, and an officer may ask for tweaks along the way. From first chat to a decision, allow around four to five months including design.
Why applications get refused
- Too big next to a neighbourA deep or tall extension right on the boundary is the classic refusal.
- Dormers that dominateOversized dormers, or anything big facing the street, rarely get through.
- Thin drawingsOfficers can't approve what they can't understand. Clear, accurate drawings make a real difference.
- Ignoring the streetDesigns that clash with a conservation area or the street's pattern get pushed back.
Most refusals we see aren't about bad ideas. They're about good ideas drawn without thinking about the house next door.
How we take you through it
Check your address
Conservation area, Article 4, Hampstead Garden Suburb, listed status. Our checker gives a first answer in a minute.
Scan and 3D model
A Matterport scan becomes an accurate model of your home and the neighbours' windows, so we can test light and outlook properly.
Design to the guidance
We shape the concept around what Barnet tends to approve, and tell you honestly where we're pushing it.
Submit and manage
Drawings, forms and supporting documents through the Planning Portal; we deal with the officer for you.
Decision, then Building Control
About 8 weeks after validation. Then technical drawings for Building Control and builders' prices.
Questions
Everything you need to know about working with DOR Architects.
The target is 8 weeks from the date the application is validated. Allow a week or two for validation, and longer if the officer asks for changes.
That neighbours keep reasonable daylight and outlook, that the extension looks subordinate to the house rather than overpowering it, and that materials and roof form suit the property. Their Residential Design Guidance sets out the detail.
Yes, if your home is in the Suburb. The Trust's consent is separate from Barnet's planning permission, and you need both before you build.
Parts of it are, including Mill Hill Village. Many streets nearby aren't. Check your exact address with our free planning checker or Barnet's conservation area maps.
The usual reasons are an extension that's too deep or too tall next to a neighbour, a dormer that dominates the roof or faces the street, poor-quality drawings, or designs that ignore the character of a conservation area.
Yes. Barnet offers paid pre-application advice. For a straightforward householder project we usually design carefully to the guidance instead, and save pre-app for trickier sites.
Many Barnet houses can use permitted development for a modest rear extension or loft. Flats, conservation areas, Article 4 areas and bigger schemes need planning permission. Our permitted development guide explains the limits.
Planning help across Barnet
Planning something in Barnet?
Send us your brief and we'll tell you honestly how Barnet is likely to see it, and whether you need an application at all.