Local plan
The Croydon Local Plan 2018, adopted on 27 February 2018, is the adopted borough plan; the council also identifies the London Plan and South London Waste Plan as development-plan documents. [2] [1] [38]
For home projects, important starting points are DM1 on housing choice and the retention of family homes, DM10 on design and neighbours’ amenity, DM18 on heritage, DM25 on flooding and drainage, and DM26 on Green Belt and Metropolitan Open Land. [3]
Check the property against the council’s policy-map service and relevant place-specific policies, rather than assuming that a design accepted in another part of Croydon sets the standard for your site. [6] [3]
The replacement Local Plan remains at examination: the council’s published update describes outstanding work and preparation of main modifications for consultation, not adoption of a replacement plan. [5]
Council guidanceHouseholder design guide
Do not use the former Suburban Design Guide SPD2 as current guidance: following the council’s decision on 25 July 2022, it ceased to be material guidance for determining applications from 26 July 2022. [7]
Revocation did not remove the Local Plan policies, so extensions and roof alterations still need to address DM10’s requirements for local character, siting, scale, massing and materials. [7] [4]
In particular, DM10 addresses overlooking and loss of neighbours’ light, retention of contributing original features where possible, and a roof design that responds sympathetically to its surroundings. [4]
For a conservation-area property, also use its appraisal and management plan and the Conservation Area General Guidance, rather than treating a borough-wide extension diagram as sufficient heritage justification. [4] [17]
Council guidanceValidation list
Use Croydon’s Local Validation List, May 2026, matching the general requirements with the sections for your application type, development scale and site constraints. [8] [9]
Its checklist includes CIL information and a Fire Statement or Reasonable Exception Statement, while its flood assessment requirement is expressly proportionate: a house extension may need a brief explanation, flood-map checks and suitable drainage measures rather than the report required for a major development. [9]
Additional information must also be considered against NPPF policy DM2, published on 17 August 2026, which requires justified and proportionate application information. [11]
Householder applications remain exempt from biodiversity net gain; from 6 August 2026, sites of 0.2 hectares or less are exempt unless the development impacts priority habitat, while the separate self-build exemption was removed for applications made on or after that date, with transitional treatment for earlier applications. [10]
Council guidanceArticle 4 directions
Croydon’s confirmed borough-wide HMO direction took effect on 28 January 2020, removing the Class L(b) permitted-development route from a C3 dwellinghouse to a C4 small HMO. [13]
The Chatsworth Road direction, effective 21 January 2016, covers the mapped conservation area and specified house alterations, roof alterations, porches, hard surfaces and other works listed in the sealed instrument. [14]
The separate direction effective 21 January 2016 at 5–23 The Waldrons, inclusive, concerns hard surfaces and gates, fences, walls or other means of enclosure; it is not a direction covering every property and alteration throughout that conservation area. [15]
The council also lists other site-specific directions, including Kenley Aerodrome and land at Kenley Lane and Hawkhirst Road: check the relevant instrument and map for the actual address and proposed work. [12]
Council guidanceConservation areas
Start with Croydon’s conservation-area directory to find the relevant boundary map and area-specific appraisal and management plan. [16]
Adopted policy DM18 requires consideration of heritage significance and setting, and directs proposals to the Conservation Area General Guidance SPD, adopted on 22 April 2013, and the relevant area appraisal. [4] [17]
For example, the currently linked Chatsworth Road appraisal says that roof extensions or large dormers visible from a public highway are unlikely to be acceptable because of the consistent rooflines; this is an area-specific design assessment, not a borough-wide prohibition on loft conversions. [18] [19]
Keep design guidance separate from the works controlled by an Article 4 direction: the Chatsworth Road and The Waldrons instruments have different scopes, so the existence of a conservation area does not tell you which particular direction applies. [14] [15]
Council guidanceBasement policy
Croydon addresses basement proposals through DM25, Table 8.1 and supporting paragraph 8.34: Table 8.1 does not permit basement dwellings in Flood Zones 3a or 3b. [20]
Where groundwater flood risk is identified, paragraph 8.34 requires a Basement Impact Assessment informed by ground investigations, forming part of the Flood Risk Assessment submitted with the application. [20]
The May 2026 validation list also identifies basement assessment requirements in groundwater-risk areas and requires a topographical survey for basement proposals, so the design needs to explain existing and proposed levels as well as the excavation itself. [9]
Do not treat a Flood Zone 1 label as clearance of every flood issue: assess relevant surface-water and groundwater risks, and distinguish a self-contained basement dwelling from a differently used basement when applying the vulnerability classifications. [21]
Council guidanceCIL rates
Croydon’s existing charging schedule has applied since 1 April 2013 and distinguishes the Croydon Metropolitan Centre from the rest of the borough; its mapped boundary is essential when checking residential CIL. [23] [22]
For C3 residential development under that schedule, the 2026 indexed borough rate is £209.61/m² outside the Metropolitan Centre, while the borough residential rate inside it is £0/m². [23] [24]
The council’s separate 2026 Mayoral CIL rate is £30.30/m²: a zero local residential rate does not by itself remove the Mayoral charge, and these rates are not a calculation of a particular project’s final liability. [24] [23]
A replacement schedule is proposed, with the council’s 9 September 2026 announcement identifying 21 October 2026 for Council consideration; that meeting date is not an established commencement date, so do not substitute draft rates before the replacement’s adoption and effective date are confirmed. [26] [25]
Council guidancePre-application advice
The currently linked tariff, effective from 1 May 2025 and checked on 3 October 2026, lists £300 plus VAT for the Level A householder and small-scale service. [28] [29]
It lists £1,313 plus VAT for Level B, including one to four new dwellings or conversion to up to four flats, and £639 plus VAT for Level G alterations and householder extensions to listed dwellings; these are initial meeting fees. [28]
For the ordinary householder service, send the proposal, drawings and photographs to development.management@croydon.gov.uk; the council says that a site visit is not included. [27]
For conservation-area work, confirm the category before paying: the live Level A webpage includes small works in conservation areas, but the linked tariff excludes conservation-area development from that service. [27] [28]
Council guidanceBuilding control
Contact Croydon Building Control at building.control@croydon.gov.uk or 020 8760 5637, with published telephone hours of Monday to Friday, 10am–4pm. [30]
Its postal address is Bernard Weatherill House, 8 Mint Walk, Croydon, CR0 1EA. [30]
The council accepts full-plans applications and payment online, with construction drawings, sections and materials information; structural calculations may also be required for work such as loft conversions and removal of load-bearing walls. [31]
For new homes, check the Future Homes and Buildings Standards commencement on 24 March 2027, the separate 24 September 2027 date for specified higher-risk work, and the applicable transitional provisions before deciding which requirements govern the build. [34]
Council guidance