Brentwood Planning Consultant
Where 89% of the borough is Green Belt
Cedar Planning is an independent Chartered Town Planning consultancy led by Dan Malloy MRTPI. We prepare planning applications and land promotion for clients across Brentwood Borough, from Brentwood town centre, Shenfield and Hutton to Ingatestone, Doddinghurst, Kelvedon Hatch, Blackmore and West Horndon.
We work across England, including Essex, and deal with Brentwood Borough Council and neighbouring authorities; site visits are arranged as needed. All work is priced as a fixed-fee quotation before we start.
- RTPI Chartered
- Fixed-fee quotations
- Direct advice from a Chartered Planner
Planning in Brentwood: a commuter borough ringed by Green Belt
Brentwood sits on the edge of London, between the M25 and the A12, with fast rail links from Brentwood and Shenfield stations on the Elizabeth line. The borough combines a busy town and suburbs with a string of villages set in open countryside. Demand for housing and extensions is high, and the scope to build is tightly limited.
According to the adopted plan, 89% of the borough lies within the Metropolitan Green Belt, which the council notes is the sixth highest share of any authority in England. Outside the town and village envelopes, almost every proposal is tested against Green Belt policy, both locally and in the National Planning Policy Framework.
The Brentwood Local Plan 2016-2033 was adopted on 23 March 2022. It plans for 7,752 net new homes over the plan period and released land from the Green Belt for strategic sites. The largest is Dunton Hills Garden Village, allocated under Policy R01 near West Horndon, which has outline permission for up to 3,700 homes between the A127 and the c2c railway.
The plan also allocates Brentwood Enterprise Park at M25 Junction 29 under Policy E11. Because the adopted plan acknowledged a shortfall against housing need, the council committed to an early review, which is now under way.
Promoting land through the Brentwood review
The Local Development Scheme published in February 2025 programmed Preferred Options consultation for 2026, publication in 2027 and adoption in 2029. We prepare Local Plan representations and land promotion strategies for Green Belt and edge-of-settlement sites.
Brentwood-specific planning issues
Extensions and outbuildings to houses in the Green Belt must not be disproportionate to the original building. Previous additions count, so the planning history of the property matters from the outset.
Since December 2024 some Green Belt land can count as grey belt. Brentwood Inspectors have tested the national criteria closely, including whether the site is in a sustainable location.
Brentwood adopted CIL on 27 September 2023 and began charging on 15 January 2024. It applies to one or more new dwellings of any size and to over 100 square metres of other net new floorspace.
In Shenfield, Hutton and Warley, flats and infill schemes are assessed for density under HP03, and Policy NE07 protects garden land that contributes to character.
Our planning services in Brentwood Borough
Brentwood work is dominated by the Green Belt and by high-value suburban plots. These are the services we are most often asked for.
Householder Applications
Extensions, loft conversions and outbuildings in Shenfield, Hutton and the Green Belt villages, with volume calculations and a clear case against the proportionality test where it applies.
View servicePlanning Applications
Infill houses, replacement dwellings and small flatted schemes, tested against BE14 on successful places, HP06 housing standards and the parking guidance before submission.
View serviceGreen Belt Advice
Assessment of whether a Green Belt site could qualify as grey belt or previously developed land, and whether a scheme is worth pursuing now or through the plan review.
Read the guideHeritage Statements
Statements for the borough's conservation areas and its many listed buildings, including historic cores in Ingatestone and Blackmore and properties in the town centre.
View serviceCall for Sites and Representations
Site submissions and evidence-based representations through each stage of the Local Plan Review, from Preferred Options to examination.
View serviceLawful Development Certificates
Certificates confirming that outbuildings, pools or extensions are permitted development, or that a use or building is immune from enforcement, useful in Green Belt properties with long histories.
View serviceThe Brentwood Local Plan policies that shape applications
Strategic Policy MG01 sets the spatial strategy and MG02 protects the Green Belt from inappropriate development, supporting beneficial uses such as outdoor recreation and access. MG03 defines the settlement hierarchy, and MG05 deals with developer contributions alongside CIL. MG06 commits the council to reviewing and updating the plan.
For design, Strategic Policy BE14, Creating Successful Places, is the policy most often quoted in officer reports on houses, flats and extensions. BE16 covers the historic environment, while BE13 applies parking standards. On the housing side, HP03 deals with residential density and HP06 sets standards for new housing, including space.
The natural environment chapter includes NE03 on trees, woodland and hedgerows and NE04 on the Thames Chase Community Forest, which reaches across much of the south west of the borough. New homes also fall within the scope of the Essex Coast RAMS, which the plan recognises as the response to in-combination recreational pressure on protected coastal sites.
Key policy areas we navigate
The local Green Belt policy, applied together with the NPPF exceptions, including grey belt and limited infilling.
The main design and amenity test for new buildings and extensions across the borough.
Residential density and standards for new homes, often decisive for flats and conversions in Shenfield and Brentwood.
The strategic allocation for the garden village, relevant to nearby landowners and to West Horndon.
A Consultancy That Works With You, For You
In a borough where nearly all open land is Green Belt, the difference between approval and refusal can be a few cubic metres of volume, a clear planning history or a persuasive grey belt assessment. Early professional advice helps you avoid spending on designs the council cannot support.
We also help clients decide whether to apply now or to wait for the review, and we prepare representations to make sure a site is properly considered.
RTPI Chartered
Led by a Chartered member of the Royal Town Planning Institute with more than ten years of public and private-sector planning experience.
Honest Prospects
A realistic view of the planning risks and options before you commit time or money.
Fixed, Transparent Fees
Fixed-fee quotations agreed before work starts, so you know the cost from the outset.
Direct Access
You deal with the Chartered Planner doing the work, not an account manager.
Planning Consultants Across Essex
We cover every council area in Essex. See our main Essex planning consultant page. If your application has been refused, see our Brentwood planning appeal page.
Brentwood Planning FAQs
How big can I extend a house in the Brentwood Green Belt?
There is no fixed percentage in national policy. The test is whether the extension is disproportionate to the original building, meaning the house as it stood in 1948 or when first built. Earlier extensions count towards the total. Our Green Belt extension guide explains the calculation.
Does Brentwood charge the Community Infrastructure Levy?
Yes. CIL has been charged since 15 January 2024. It applies to developments creating one or more new dwellings, whatever their size, and to other development adding over 100 square metres of net floorspace. Exemptions and reliefs exist, but some must be claimed before work starts, so check early.
What is happening at Dunton Hills Garden Village?
The site was released from the Green Belt in the 2022 plan and allocated under Policy R01. Outline permission covers up to 3,700 homes, with schools, a village centre, care homes and employment space, on land between the A127 and the c2c line near West Horndon.
When will Brentwood have a new Local Plan?
The council's February 2025 Local Development Scheme set out Preferred Options consultation in 2026, a publication draft in 2027, submission in early 2028 and adoption in 2029. Timetables often move, so we check the latest position before advising on site promotion.
Can I build a new house in a Brentwood village?
It depends on whether the plot is inside a settlement excluded from the Green Belt or washed over by it. In washed-over villages, limited infilling may be acceptable under national policy. Elsewhere, a grey belt or previously developed land case may be possible. We assess this before any design work.
Get a Free Quote
Tell us what you are trying to achieve and where the property or site is. We will give you an initial view and a fixed-fee quote.
Or email us at info@cedarplanning.co.uk with the relevant information.
For projects in Brentwood, Shenfield, Ingatestone or the villages, book a free 15-minute call or read our pre-application advice guide first.