Planning permission in Hillingdon
Constraints: planning.data.gov.uk (ingested 2026-09-08) · Prices: HM Land Registry UK House Price Index, January 2026 · 169 sales in January 2026 · Open Government Licence
Search Hillingdon planning applications
Looking for an existing application rather than checking a new project? Open the council's official planning service to find its application search. Our guide explains how to compare useful precedents without treating another address's approval as a guarantee for yours.
Open the official Hillingdon planning service →How to read planning applications →
Planning in Hillingdon — the detail
Hillingdon is London's second-largest borough by area, running from the Metro-land suburbs of Ruislip, Eastcote and Northwood, through Uxbridge and Hayes, to Heathrow and the Colne Valley regional park on its western edge — much of it Green Belt. Its conservation areas protect a string of historic village cores — Ruislip Village, Eastcote Village, Harefield Village, Ickenham Village, Harmondsworth Village (with its medieval tithe barn) and Old Uxbridge — and the Eastcote Park and Northwood estates.
Hillingdon's Article 4 directions are unusually wide-ranging and recorded in the national dataset. They include a borough-wide HMO direction (requiring planning permission to convert a house to a small HMO), a direction removing the permitted development right to add residential extensions in defined areas, and directions controlling commercial-to-residential conversion and the demolition-and-rebuild of commercial buildings. The result is that the permitted-development fallback is removed in more situations here than in most boroughs.
Outside the conservation areas, Green Belt and Article 4 areas, much of Hillingdon's suburban stock keeps permitted development rights for rear extensions, side extensions and loft conversions. The address-level check is decisive — Green Belt, a conservation area, or one of the borough's several Article 4 directions can all change the route.
Policy detail lives in the Hillingdon local plan and applications are submitted via the Hillingdon planning portal.
Conservation areas in Hillingdon
Real · planning.data.gov.ukEvery designated conservation area in Hillingdon from the official dataset — inside one, permitted development narrows and design scrutiny rises.
- Black Jacks Lock
- Botwell: Nestles
- Botwell: Thorn EMI
- Bulls Bridge
- Copper Mill Lock
- Coppermill Lock
- Cowley Church (St. Laurence)
- Cowley Lock
- Denham Lock
- Eastcote (Morford Way)
- Eastcote Park Estate
- Eastcote Village
- Harefield Village
- Harlington Village
- Harmondsworth Village
- Hayes Village
- Hillingdon Village
- Ickenham Village
- Longford Village
- Northwood Town Centre, Green Lane
- Northwood, Frithwood
- Old Uxbridge / Windsor Street
- Rockingham Bridge, Uxbridge
- Ruislip Village
- Ruislip, Manor Way
- Springwell Lock
- The Glen, Northwood
- The Greenway
- Uxbridge Moor
- West Drayton Green
- Widewater Lock
Source: planning.data.gov.uk · Open Government Licence. Boundaries are checked at address level by the area report.
Article 4 directions in Hillingdon
Real · planning.data.gov.ukHillingdon's Article 4 directions are recorded in the national dataset and are unusually wide-ranging: a borough-wide HMO direction (planning permission to convert a house to a small HMO), a direction removing permitted development for residential extensions in defined areas, and directions controlling commercial-to-residential conversion and the demolition-and-rebuild of commercial buildings. Green Belt covers much of the borough's west. Use the area report, or the council's Article 4 register, for the direction that applies at a given address.
Source: planning.data.gov.uk · Open Government Licence · 4 directions recorded. Checked at address level by the area report.
Key Hillingdon planning figures
| Conservation areas | 31 |
| Article 4 directions | 4 |
| Householder applications granted | 90.2% (1,068 of 1,184) |
| London average grant rate | 85.6% |
| Rank for lowest grant rate | 21 of 33 |
| Average house price | £475,808 |
| Annual price change | +1.3% |
Conservation areas and Article 4 directions: planning.data.gov.uk, ingested 2026-09-08 · Householder approval rates: MHCLG district planning application statistics (PS2), 2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 · House prices: HM Land Registry UK House Price Index, January 2026 · Open Government Licence. Figures are as published on those dates; a designation missing from the national dataset is a gap in the dataset, not proof it does not exist.
What gets built in Hillingdon
Ruislip, Eastcote and Uxbridge stock extends under PD; the village conservation areas, Green Belt and the borough's extension Article 4 can need a full application.
Rear extension in Hillingdon →Workable on the Uxbridge and Hayes terraces; the village conservation areas and the borough's Article 4 directions can need a full application.
Side return extension in Hillingdon →Strong on the Ruislip and Eastcote semis under PD; the village conservation areas scrutinise dormer design.
Loft conversion in Hillingdon →Uncommon on the borough's suburban plots; a full application with structural and ground-condition evidence is expected, with Green Belt limits in the west.
Basement extension in Hillingdon →Large suburban and Green Belt-edge gardens suit garden rooms under PD; conservation areas and the borough's Article 4 directions are where outbuilding rights tighten.
Garden room in Hillingdon →Hillingdon postcode by postcode
UB10 covers Hillingdon village and eastern Uxbridge — the Hillingdon Village conservation area among them. Hillingdon's wide-rangi…
UB10 planning report →UB8 is Uxbridge — the Old Uxbridge / Windsor Street and Uxbridge Moor conservation areas and the Grand Union Canal. Conservation d…
UB8 planning report →HA4 covers Ruislip and Eastcote — the Ruislip Village, Eastcote Village and Eastcote Park Estate conservation areas, with Ruislip …
HA4 planning report →HA6 is Northwood — the Frithwood and Green Lane conservation areas and the wooded, higher-value streets on the borough's northern …
HA6 planning report →UB7 covers West Drayton and Harmondsworth — the West Drayton Green and Harmondsworth Village conservation areas (the latter with i…
UB7 planning report →UB3 is Hayes in Hillingdon — industrial-edge and suburban streets with regeneration pockets. Hillingdon's Article 4 stack is unusu…
UB3 planning report →UB4 covers Yeading and the Hayes end of Hillingdon — suburban plots with more side access than inner terraces. Outside conservatio…
UB4 planning report →UB9 straddles the London boundary: Harefield and South Harefield sit in Hillingdon, while Denham and the Colne-side fringe lie out…
UB9 planning report →Hillingdon planning, asked straight
Do I need planning permission to create an HMO in Hillingdon?
Could an Article 4 direction affect my Hillingdon extension?
Is my Hillingdon property in the Green Belt or a conservation area?
Do I need planning permission for a rear extension or loft in Hillingdon?
How do I check constraints for a Hillingdon address?
Related reading
The designation nobody's heard of until it refuses their extension.
Read the guide →Designated land edits the rulebook — here's the exact redline.
Read the guide →Real ranges from real projects — not brochure numbers.
Read the guide →What applies at your address?
Borough-level rules only narrow it down. Enter a Hillingdon postcode for the live constraint check — conservation area, Article 4 and sold-price comparables, cited to source.
Free, and it stays free — no account, no payment. The check reads official geometry at the property's own coordinates; it cannot read a lease, a listing or the condition of the building.
Who to talk to about a Hillingdon property
Constraint data tells you what applies. It does not draw a scheme, argue a case with Hillingdon's planners, or inspect a building. For that this site points at two separately regulated practices — which one you need depends on the job in hand.
The architect's door: designing the scheme and getting it consented — drawings, the planning application and the building-regulations package.
- Residential design for extensions, lofts, basements and conversions
- Planning applications, pre-application advice and appeals
- Lawful development certificates
- Building-regulations and technical design drawings
- Conservation-area design and listed building consent applications
The chartered-surveyor door: professional judgement on condition, risk, party wall matters and leasehold process.
- Building surveys, RICS home surveys and defect diagnosis
- Party wall matters and awards
- Technical due diligence before a purchase
- Leasehold and major-works advisory (Section 20)
- Dilapidations and building pathology
Both practices are independent and separately regulated — Hampstead Chartered Surveyors & Building Consultancy is an RICS-regulated firm (Firm Reg. 923064); Hampstead Architecture and Planning are ARB-registered architects. We publish no fees for their work: each quotes directly for the job in front of them. Your enquiry goes to the practice you choose — we never pass your details to builders or other third parties.
Planning terms on this page
Conservation Area · Article 4 Direction · Permitted development · Full planning · LDC · Determination period
Plain-English definitions · full planning glossary →
Planning Permission Checker provides planning and cost intelligence for early feasibility only. It is not legal, planning, valuation, architectural, structural, or surveying advice. All estimates are indicative and must be verified by qualified professionals before purchase, design, planning submission, or construction.
Cost estimates are indicative only — not a quotation. Final price depends on survey, specification, structure, access, party wall matters, VAT, professional fees, and contractor availability.
Planning outcomes are not guaranteed. Local planning authorities make final decisions.