With over 25 years of experience, Horizon Architecture brings together architectural design, interiors and technical coordination. We work with you to understand the property, compare options and develop the information each stage needs. Clear fees, fast responses and an agreed programme keep you informed as your project moves forward.
Horizon Architecture · London and Essex
Architectural design and planning support for homeowners, property developers and businesses in Basildon.
We work with briefs across Basildon, Billericay and Wickford. Horizon Architecture provides design, planning drawings and technical coordination for residential and commercial projects. We serve the area by arrangement; this page does not describe a separate local office.
OFFICIAL PLANNING DATA / APRIL 2025–MARCH 2026
From 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2026, the authority received 907 applications and issued 806 decisions. Of those decisions, 698 were granted and 108 refused: a refusal rate of 13.4%.
Received applications and decisions are separate flows: a decision during the year may concern an application received earlier. The refusal rate is refusals divided by decisions, not by applications received. These council-wide figures do not predict the outcome of an individual proposal.
Householder developments accounted for 411 decisions, with 65 refusals (15.8%). This category includes qualifying extensions and alterations within a house’s curtilage; flats and the creation of additional homes fall outside it.
On a small screen, scroll the table sideways to see all figures.
| Development category | Decided | Granted | Refused | Refusal rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Major developments | 25 | 23 | 2 | 8.0% |
| Minor developments | 210 | 179 | 31 | 14.8% |
| Householder developments | 411 | 346 | 65 | 15.8% |
| Change of use | 53 | 45 | 8 | 15.1% |
| Advertisements | 102 | 100 | 2 | 2.0% |
| Listed building consent: alter or extend | 5 | 5 | 0 | 0.0% |
| Listed building consent: demolish | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Relevant demolition in a conservation area | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| All categories | 806 | 698 | 108 | 13.4% |
The eight categories are separate and add up to the authority total. “—” means no decisions in that category, so no refusal percentage can be calculated.
No. The official return combines full, outline and reserved-matters applications, section 73 variations or removal of conditions, and related consents such as listed-building and advertisement consent. Major and minor describe development categories, not the permission route. These tables do not supply a reliable full-applications-only total or received applications by category.
Prior approvals and lawful development certificates are reported separately. Discharge of conditions, non-material amendments and county matters are outside these totals.
The table shows refusals by development category. Householder developments had the largest number of refusals in this authority: 65. That is a count, not a measure of how difficult an individual proposal will be.
The aggregate return does not record reasons for refusal. For a particular property, review the council’s decision notice, officer report and relevant policies. Read our planning refusal review guide for the next steps.
Source: MHCLG January–March 2026 archived tables (ZIP), PS1 and PS2 returns; four quarters summed. Official definitions and exclusions. Published 19 June 2026; figures checked 30 October 2026.
LOCAL PLANNING / Basildon
Start with the property's planning record, particularly if the house has already been extended or converted. Basildon's official planning register accepts an address, postcode or application reference. Gather the approved drawings and decision notices as well as the current floor plan. This gives the design team a useful starting record and helps distinguish what was approved from what is physically present today.
Noak Bridge needs a specific heritage check: the government's planning data record identifies its conservation area. The parish council also links to the adopted Noak Bridge Neighbourhood Plan. For a property there, review both the conservation boundary and the neighbourhood plan before settling an extension's form or external finishes. We recommend photographing the whole street frontage, including roof shapes, garden boundaries and spaces between buildings, to inform the initial design discussion.
Permitted development requires more than a size check. The government's householder guidance explains that Article 4 directions or conditions on earlier permissions can remove rights. Confirm the position for the individual address; an unmarked online map is not proof that no restriction exists. A lawful development certificate can provide a formal determination where the proposal is intended to follow permitted development. Conservation status should therefore be resolved before ordering replacement windows or committing to a roof alteration.
The national householder target is eight weeks from a valid application, subject to agreed extensions of time. It is a decision target, not guaranteed approval. Allow a separate design and document preparation stage in your programme.
Our Essex two-unit residential design and construction drawings show the relationship between architectural layout, interiors and technical information. The published project identifies Essex rather than a specific council area, so it is presented as a wider-county example.
Check the exact property address and planning authority before preparing your submission. Postcodes and postal town names do not always identify the local planning boundary.
Basildon’s public planning register can be searched using an address, postcode or application reference. Start with the property itself, then compare the drawings, decision notices and conditions of relevant nearby applications. A neighbouring approval is useful context but does not establish that the same design will be acceptable on your site.
Official Basildon Borough Council guidance and records · Source reviewed 18 October 2026.
For a Billericay or Wickford house, send us the original house plans and any later extension approvals. That helps us distinguish the original building from subsequent additions before testing a rear, side or loft proposal.
Explore our house extension design, loft conversions, new build architecture, interior design and Building Regulations drawing packages. For an existing refusal, see our planning refusal review service.
Your appointment defines the services included. Statutory application charges, surveys and specialist consultant fees are identified separately. Council approval is an independent decision and cannot be guaranteed.
Yes. We start with the available plans, your brief and the site constraints, then agree whether a measured survey, planning submission and technical package are required.
The planning and technical stages serve different purposes. Your quotation should identify the construction details, engineering and other consultant inputs needed for the intended work.
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Send your site address, photographs, existing plans if available, a short brief and your intended timetable. We will review the information and explain the next step and scope of a quotation.
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