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 Thurrock.
We work with briefs across Grays, Tilbury, Stanford-le-Hope and surrounding communities. 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 692 applications and issued 671 decisions. Of those decisions, 547 were granted and 124 refused: a refusal rate of 18.5%.
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 383 decisions, with 69 refusals (18.0%). 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 | 31 | 24 | 7 | 22.6% |
| Minor developments | 176 | 138 | 38 | 21.6% |
| Householder developments | 383 | 314 | 69 | 18.0% |
| Change of use | 43 | 37 | 6 | 14.0% |
| Advertisements | 26 | 25 | 1 | 3.8% |
| Listed building consent: alter or extend | 12 | 9 | 3 | 25.0% |
| Listed building consent: demolish | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| Relevant demolition in a conservation area | 0 | 0 | 0 | — |
| All categories | 671 | 547 | 124 | 18.5% |
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: 69. 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 / Thurrock
Thurrock publishes a register of permitted-development conditions linked to planning application references. That is an important starting point for a house that has been built, extended or altered under an earlier consent. Locate the original decision and check its conditions before assuming a further extension or garden building is permitted development. We recommend keeping the approved plans and decision notice together with the measured survey, so the new design starts from a clear record.
The council's residential alterations and extensions guide also identifies Article 4 directions and previous permission conditions as possible restrictions. Confirm their precise scope at the address. This is a separate question from whether the proposed design would be acceptable on an application: removal of a permitted-development right means the consent route needs attention, rather than establishing the outcome of that assessment.
Thurrock's conservation areas include East Tilbury, West Tilbury, Orsett, Fobbing, Corringham, Purfleet and Horndon on the Hill. Its guidance emphasises relationships between buildings, street patterns, trees and open spaces. For a heritage-sensitive alteration, we suggest photographing the surrounding spaces as well as architectural details. Show how the proposal meets the ground, changes the roofline and relates to neighbouring properties; these contextual drawings can make the design intent easier to assess.
The council's application guidance describes a six-to-eight-week processing period for minor applications. For programming, use eight weeks from a valid householder application as the decision target and confirm the case-specific timetable with the council. This is not a promised approval date. Allow the planning-history review and supporting-document preparation before submission.
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.
Thurrock: permitted-development conditions register · Thurrock: residential alterations and extensions design guide · Thurrock: conservation areas · Thurrock: applying for planning permission
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.
Thurrock’s planning guidance links householders and smaller developers to a wildlife assessment check intended to help identify whether ecological advice may be needed. Use that as an early screening step alongside the planning history and site review; it does not replace a specialist assessment when one is required.
Official Thurrock Council guidance and records · Source reviewed 18 October 2026.
For a Thurrock extension, conversion or commercial development, we can help coordinate the design drawings with the relevant consultant inputs. Identifying those inputs early reduces the risk of preparing a package that later needs significant redesign.
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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