What floor plans do you need for a planning application in the UK?

Why do you need drawings at all?

When you submit a planning application, your local council needs to understand exactly what you're proposing to build or change. They can't approve something they can't see clearly — so drawings are how you show them. Without the right drawings, your application will be returned or rejected before it's even assessed.

The good news is that for most residential projects — extensions, loft conversions, outbuildings — the drawings required are straightforward. You don't need an architect. You need clear, accurate drawings that show what exists now and what you're proposing.

The four drawings most planning applications need

1. Existing floor plans

These show the current layout of your property — room by room, as it is right now. The council needs these so they can compare what's there against what you're proposing. Without them, they have no baseline.

For an existing floor plan to be useful, it needs accurate room dimensions, door and window positions, and labels for each room. It doesn't need to be fancy — it needs to be accurate.

2. Proposed floor plans

These show the new layout after your works are complete. If you're adding an extension, knocking through a wall, or converting a loft, your proposed floor plan shows exactly what the result will look like.

Proposed floor plans need to clearly show what's new. Councils often want new walls shown in a different line weight or hatching so they can see at a glance what's changing.

3. Existing elevations

Elevations are drawings of the outside of your property — front, rear, and sides — showing what it currently looks like. They show window positions, roof lines, building heights, and external materials.

These matter to the council because they want to know what the building looks like now before assessing what it will look like after your works.

4. Proposed elevations

The proposed elevations show how the outside of your property will look once the work is done. If you're adding a rear extension, for example, your proposed rear elevation shows the new wall, any new windows or doors, and the roof line of the extension.

Height annotations are important here — councils check that proposed buildings don't exceed permitted heights, so these need to be clearly marked.

Do you always need all four?

Not always. It depends on the nature of your project:

• Internal alterations only — you may only need existing and proposed floor plans, no elevations required if nothing changes externally.
• External alterations only — such as adding a window or changing a door — you may only need elevations.
• Extensions — you'll almost always need all four: existing and proposed floor plans, and existing and proposed elevations.
• Loft conversions — floor plans for the new loft level plus elevations showing any new dormers or rooflights.

If you're unsure what your specific project needs, the simplest approach is to email your local council's planning department and ask — they'll tell you exactly what they require for your application type.

What about a site plan?

Most planning applications also require a site plan — sometimes called a block plan. This is an overhead view showing your property within its plot, including boundaries, the building footprint, driveways, and any outbuildings.

Councils use site plans to check setbacks — how far the proposed building sits from boundaries and neighbouring properties. They're particularly important for extensions that come close to a boundary.

You'll also usually need a location plan — an OS map extract showing where your property sits within the wider area. This is typically provided at 1:1250 or 1:2500 scale. You can purchase these from Ordnance Survey or planning portal providers.

What scale do the drawings need to be?

UK planning drawings are typically produced at the following scales:

• Floor plans and elevations — 1:50 or 1:100
• Site/block plans — 1:200 or 1:500
• Location plans — 1:1250 or 1:2500

The scale needs to be clearly marked on every drawing, along with a scale bar. This allows the council to check dimensions even if the drawing is printed at a different size.

Can you produce the drawings yourself?

Technically yes — there's no legal requirement for a professional to produce planning drawings for a standard householder application. However, poorly drawn or inaccurate submissions are one of the most common reasons applications are delayed or returned.

The most practical approach for most homeowners is to measure up the property yourself and send those measurements to a drafting service. You don't need specialist knowledge — you just need a tape measure and to record every room accurately. We can then turn your measurements into professional, council-ready drawings.

What do you need to send us to get started?

To produce your planning drawings we need one of the following:

• A hand-drawn sketch of each floor with all measurements written on — room lengths, widths, wall thicknesses where possible, door and window positions.
• Annotated photos of each room with a tape measure visible showing the key dimensions.

The drawings don't need to look neat — they just need to have the measurements on them. We work from rough sketches every day and know exactly what we need from you.

Common mistakes to avoid

These are the most frequent reasons planning drawings get rejected or cause applications to be returned:

• No scale bar on the drawing — always required.
• Missing north point on site and location plans.
• Existing and proposed drawings not clearly labelled.
• Heights not shown on elevations.
• Drawings that don't match each other — for example, a floor plan showing a window that doesn't appear on the elevation.

A professional drafting service will check all of these before delivering your final drawings. Our 98% first-submission approval rate reflects the care taken on every project.

Summary

For most residential planning applications in the UK you'll need existing floor plans, proposed floor plans, existing elevations, proposed elevations, a site plan, and a location plan. The exact set depends on your project type.

The most important thing is accuracy — councils can approve or reject based on what the drawings show, so getting the dimensions right matters. If you have your measurements, we can handle everything else.