Planning in Hillingdon

Before submission

Validation requirements

The council requires applicants to submit both the appropriate statutory fee and all necessary supporting information to progress an application. Detailed requirements specific to the application type must be reviewed using the council's official validation checklist.

• All necessary supporting information and appropriate fees must be provided for an application to be progressed.
• Applicants should consult the official validation checklist provided by the council for application-specific requirements.
• Applications are deemed invalid if required items are missing, and will only become valid upon receipt of these items.
• Relevant high-rise residential projects must include a fire statement and include the Health and Safety Executive as a statutory consultee under planning gateway one.

SourceHillingdon — application requirements(opens in a new tab)· checked 2026-10-07

Timescales

Realistic decision times

Statutory target

The national determination period set in law, counted from validation. A target, not a guarantee.

Actual processing time

What the council's published performance data shows in practice, including extensions of time.

Allow for validation before the decision period starts. The usual statutory determination periods in England are 8 weeks for non-major applications, 13 weeks for major development and 16 weeks where environmental impact assessment is required, unless a different period is agreed.

• These are statutory targets, not a measured borough average or a guarantee. No current borough-specific average has been verified for this guide.
• An incomplete submission, amendments, committee referral or an agreed extension of time can extend the overall programme.
• Ask the planning team about its current validation queue before setting a construction date. Prior approval and other specialist applications can have different statutory periods.

SourceGOV.UK — determining a planning application(opens in a new tab)· checked 2026-10-07

Permitted development

Article 4 restrictions

These are selected directions, not an exhaustive address search. Read the council’s current map, schedule, commencement date and any later modifications for your property. A conservation area is not automatically an Article 4 area, and a direction affecting changes of use does not necessarily restrict a home extension. Confirm the responsible planning authority too: some development-corporation areas have separate arrangements.

Hillingdon's July 2021 notice proposed restrictions on Class ZA demolition and residential rebuilding in mapped employment locations, including Uxbridge Industrial Area and Stockley Park. This historical notice alone does not establish the current direction status for an address.

• The notice concerns Class ZA, Part 20, Schedule 2 development within identified areas, not every home extension.
• Affected areas include Strategic Industrial Locations, Locally Significant Employment Locations, and specific business or growth hubs.
• Ask the council for the confirmed direction, any later modifications and the current map before relying on permitted development rights.
• The direction was proposed to come into force on 30 July 2022, subject to consultation and formal confirmation.

SourceHillingdon — Article 4 information(opens in a new tab)· checked 2026-10-07