Ealing

Local plan

Ealing’s adopted framework still includes the Core Strategy adopted on 3 April 2012 and Development Management DPD adopted on 10 December 2013; “2026” in the Core Strategy’s title is its plan horizon, not a recent adoption date. [1][2][3]

For home projects, read policies 7.4 on local character, 7B on design and amenity, 7C on heritage and 5.12 on flooding, alongside the London Plan, applicable neighbourhood plans and mapped constraints. [1][4][25]

The replacement Local Plan submitted on 18 November 2024 remains emerging: the council’s 8 September 2026 guidance explains its potential weight under NPPF DM4, while the inspectors’ 18 June 2026 letter requires further work on main modifications rather than confirming adoption. [5][6][7]

Check the planning authority as well as the borough: land within the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation (OPDC) area has a separate authority and Local Plan, so Ealing’s borough guidance must not be applied there indiscriminately. [24][27]

Householder design guide

The council still lists SPD4: Residential Extensions as interim guidance pending replacement, not as a newly adopted design code. [8]

Use its side-extension, rear-extension and roof-alteration guidance to develop a design, but read the older UDP-linked document alongside the adopted design and amenity policies rather than treating its historic planning references as a current permitted-development checklist. [9][4]

The Planning New Garden Space SPD, adopted on 9 June 2015, is a separate companion covering the provision and quality of outdoor space. [10]

For a conservation-area property, also use the relevant area’s appraisal and conservation guidance; general extension diagrams do not displace the separate assessment of heritage significance. [21][4]

Validation list

Start with Ealing’s current application page, which links national submission requirements, identifies potentially applicable Design and Access Statements and CIL information, and requires the correct documents and fee before validation. [11]

Obtain the council’s current checklist for your application type before commissioning additional reports, and confirm any site-specific requirements with the planning team. [11]

For HMOs, the council’s practical note sets out drawings, room and occupancy schedules, management information and refuse arrangements, with transport and noise evidence where relevant; the council expressly says this note is not formal policy or guidance. [12][13]

Under current NPPF DM2, local lists should include nationally specified information, while additional assessments must have a development-plan policy basis and be proportionate to the proposal rather than imposed equally on every application. [14]

Article 4 directions

Ealing’s confirmed HMO directions remove the C3-to-C4 permitted-development route: the Perivale direction took immediate effect on 30 October 2024 and was confirmed on 11 April 2025. [15][16]

The separate direction confirmed on 11 July 2025 took effect on 14 November 2025, covering the mapped remainder of the borough but excluding Perivale and OPDC; these are two instruments, not one direction covering every Ealing address. [15][17]

The council also lists heritage directions for Bedford Park, Brentham Garden Estate, Churchfields at Half Acre Road, Ealing Town Centre at The Grove, Hanger Hill Garden Estate and Hanger Hill (Haymills) Estate, plus certain other listed-building sites. [18][19]

Those heritage controls differ by property and type of work: check the relevant instrument, confirmation and map rather than assuming every conservation-area alteration, or every commercial conversion, is covered by the HMO restriction. [18][19]

Conservation areas

Check the property against the council’s conservation-area information and the relevant area appraisal, then assess proposed alterations under the adopted heritage policy rather than relying on the appearance or age of the house alone. [21][4]

The council reports that its planning committee approved boundary changes on 19 November 2025, including a new Lammas Park conservation area. [20]

The review includes both extensions and reductions, with Ealing Green and Hanwell Clock Tower appearing in both lists, so an older directory or map is not sufficient to establish a particular boundary. [20][21]

For a property affected by the review, obtain the final designation notice and current boundary plan; the committee decision summary alone is not a substitute for the operative designation notice and map. [20][25][26]

Basement policy

Ealing has specific basement guidance: SPD4 section 10 addresses street appearance, lightwells, gardens and construction methods, while adopted policy 5.12 addresses surface-water, sewer and groundwater flooding as well as river flooding. [9][4]

In conservation areas, the March 2023 Generic Management Plan generally confines basements to the house footprint, with limited rear-garden extensions for larger houses with extensive gardens. [22]

Its paragraphs 5.117–5.118 limit excavation to half of each garden or open part, normally one storey with possible large-site exceptions, and oppose excavation beneath listed buildings; these are conservation-area guidance principles, not borough-wide permitted-development allowances. [22]

Agree the evidence needed for the particular site: the guidance identifies structural surveys, hydrogeological reports and basement construction plans where appropriate, alongside protection of trees, neighbouring buildings and sensitive lightwell design. [22]

CIL rates

Ealing’s new borough CIL schedule took effect on 1 March 2026, following approval on 16 December 2025, and applies to chargeable permissions granted on or after its effective date. [27][28]

For 2026, its residential rates are £300/m² in the mapped Central Ealing zone and £150/m² elsewhere in Ealing’s planning area; student housing and large-scale purpose-built shared living or other HMOs have a separate £350/m² rate. [28]

The separate 2026 Mayoral CIL2 rate is £72.73/m² for Ealing’s ordinary Band 2 development, not the unindexed £60 figure quoted in older material. [29]

OPDC is excluded from Ealing’s schedule and sets its own borough-level rates; use the charging map and applicable reliefs to calculate an actual liability, and do not deduct the proposed temporary London CIL relief without establishing its final implementing rules. [27][28][34]

Pre-application advice

Ealing offers a bookable planning appointment for householders, simple extensions and alterations, shopfronts and other specified smaller enquiries, with a separate route for larger projects. [30]

The prices displayed when checked on 3 October 2026 are £311.40 including VAT for a 30-minute verbal appointment, £386.14 including VAT with written advice, and £124.56 including VAT for an additional site visit. [30]

The separate larger-project tariff lists £6,027.19 including VAT for its minor-development category, including 1–9 residential units, so confirm the service category instead of assuming a new dwelling qualifies for the cheaper householder appointment. [31][30]

For the appointment, prepare the address, proposal description, photographs and existing/proposed drawings or sketches. The service pages do not identify a tariff commencement date, so confirm that the quoted price applies when booking. [30][31]

Building control

Ealing Council building control’s published general contact is bcontrol@ealing.gov.uk, telephone 020 8825 6020, at Perceval House 4SW, 14–16 Uxbridge Road, Ealing W5 2HL. [32]

From 1 February 2026, the published inspection schedule is Monday, Wednesday and Friday, 9am–4pm, with bookings requested as early as possible. [33]

The inspection page provides the online booking route; arrange the inspection through that service rather than treating a planning application as a site-inspection booking. [33]

The council separately warns of severe backlogs for cases reverting after a private provider’s failure, prioritises safety and does not guarantee response times for those cases, so obtain case-specific advice rather than relying on a generic turnaround estimate. [32]

The 2026 Future Homes and Buildings Standards regulations generally commence on 24 March 2027. Specified provisions for higher-risk building work and work to existing higher-risk buildings commence on 24 September 2027, with separate transitional arrangements. Confirm the provisions, application and start dates applicable to the project; the new-home standard is not a blanket requirement to retrofit an existing home. [36]