Extensions and remodelling
If you have outgrown your home but love where you live, we can design an extension or a new layout that gives you the room you need. We then prepare the drawings and application and keep in touch with the Council for you.
Dronfield · Derbyshire
Planning consultants in Dronfield
If you own a home or a site in Dronfield, your planning application will go to North East Derbyshire District Council rather than to Sheffield City Council, even though the city is close by. It is worth knowing from the start, because the Council’s policies and expectations are its own.
In most cases we can tell you early on whether your project needs permission, whether your home is in a conservation area, and what the Council is likely to want to see from you.
Key contact
Richard Pigott
Managing Director – Chartered Town Planner
How we can help
Planning and design for homes in Dronfield
Whether you want more space, a new house on a spare plot or sensitive changes to an older building, you will find the right kind of help here. Our advice always starts from what North East Derbyshire District Council is likely to support for your home.
Architecture and new homes
If you have a spare plot or a garden large enough for a new house, our architects can design a home that suits the town and its setting. We will tell you early whether your site is likely to be supported.
Conservation area schemes
If your property is in one of Dronfield’s conservation areas, we help you plan changes that respect the character of the street. We usually do that by helping you choose the right materials and details at the start.
Heritage advice
If you look after an older or listed building, we can prepare the heritage statement and any listed building consent your plans need. We explain what matters about your building before any design is fixed.
Local context
Planning in Dronfield
Whether you live on one of Dronfield’s residential streets or near its older centre, the help you need will depend on your home and your plans. For many people it is more space, through an extension or a better layout. For others it is a new house on a spare plot, or changes to an older building that need a lighter touch.
Because North East Derbyshire District Council decides applications here, its policies rather than Sheffield’s apply to your project. Parts of the town are conservation areas, where permitted development rights are reduced, so some changes you could make elsewhere without an application will need one. In those areas the Council will look closely at materials and detail, and we help you settle them early rather than argue about them later.
When you come to us, a planner and an architect will usually look at your project together, and one of our heritage specialists joins them if an older or listed building is involved. Your design, your planning case and any heritage statement are prepared together, so they give the Council one consistent account of what you want to do and why.
However large or small your project, you will know which council you are dealing with, what it is likely to expect and what happens next.
A different council from Sheffield
Your application will be decided by North East Derbyshire District Council rather than by Sheffield City Council, even though the city is next door. We prepare your design and your case with that Council's approach in mind from the first sketch.
Conservation areas
If your home is in one of Dronfield's conservation areas, permitted development rights are reduced and changes to the outside are looked at more closely. We check your address first, then help you choose materials and details that suit the character of your street.
Older and listed buildings
If your home is listed, changes inside and out may need listed building consent as well as planning permission. We can prepare the heritage statement and both applications together, so you put forward one clear case.
RIBA
RTPI
IHBC
ARB
Common questions
Planning questions in Dronfield
Which council decides planning applications in Dronfield?
North East Derbyshire District Council decides planning applications in Dronfield, even though Sheffield is only a short distance away. Its policies differ from the city’s, so your application is best prepared with that Council in mind, which is how we approach it.
Is my home in a conservation area?
Parts of Dronfield are conservation areas, and some changes that would not need an application elsewhere do need one there. Send us your address and we will check for you, and explain what it means for your plans before you start on a design.
Do I need planning permission for an extension?
Plenty of single-storey rear extensions can go ahead under permitted development, so you may not need to apply at all. Your rights depend on the kind of house you have, what has been built before and whether you are in a conservation area, and we can check all three for you.
Can I build a house in my garden?
A new house on a garden or infill plot can be possible where there is room for it without harming your neighbours or the character of the street. The Council will think about access, parking and privacy, so we give you a realistic view of your plot before you spend money on a design.
Can you help with a listed building?
Listed building consent is separate from planning permission and can cover changes inside your home as well as outside. We can prepare both for you, together with the heritage statement the Council will expect to see alongside them.
How long does an application take?
The statutory period for deciding most householder applications is eight weeks from validation, and thirteen weeks for major schemes. The weeks before you apply, spent on design and preparation, are yours to shape, and we will agree a realistic timetable for them with you.
Find us
Our nearest office
Planning & Design Practice — Sheffield
The Workstation, 15 Paternoster Row, Sheffield, S1 2BX
Sheffield and South Yorkshire
Planning authorities
Get started
Would you like a view on your Dronfield project?
Is there an extension you have been planning, an older building you are unsure about, or a plot you think might take a new home? Tell us a little about it and we will let you know how things look, usually the same day. We do not charge you for the first conversation.