Maidenhead sits in the SL6 postcode district, inside the Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, ringed by Metropolitan Green Belt and edged by the Thames flood plain. Those three facts decide most projects here before a line is drawn.
MCIAT chartered drawings for planning, building regs, lofts and extensions — fixed fees 30% below typical London architects. Tell us what you need and we’ll reply the same working day.
The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, a unitary authority. There is no second tier — Berkshire County Council was abolished in 1998 — so the borough is the sole planning authority, the building control authority and the highway authority for the town.
Statutory fees are national: £258 for a householder application, £129 for a Lawful Development Certificate, £578 for a new dwellinghouse, £120 for larger home extension prior approval, and no fee for listed building consent. Determination is eight weeks from validation for householder work.
The town is tightly bounded by Metropolitan Green Belt on almost every side, which is why Maidenhead grows by intensification rather than sprawl. Inside the Green Belt an extension is judged against whether it is a disproportionate addition over and above the original dwelling, and extensions built by previous owners count against that allowance. Replacement dwellings are tested against whether the new house is materially larger than the one it replaces.
The Thames runs along the eastern edge through Boulter’s Lock, Bray and Cookham, and Flood Zone 2 and 3 designations follow it inland further than most owners expect. Where they apply you will need a flood risk assessment, minimum finished floor levels and often flood-resilient construction; basements are frequently ruled out entirely.
Heritage is concentrated rather than blanket. Cookham village, Bray village and the older river frontages carry conservation-area status, and there is a scatter of listed buildings through the town centre and the surrounding villages. Much of the interwar and post-war residential stock north and west of the centre is undesignated, which is where permitted development still does real work.
| Package | Fixed fee | Turnaround |
|---|---|---|
| Essentials — measured survey, existing and proposed plans | £840 | 14–20 working days |
| Loft conversion package — survey, plans, sections, elevations | £1,225 | 14–20 working days |
| Mansard / roof rebuild package | £1,575 | 18–24 working days |
| Complete — planning plus building regulations drawings | £1,750 | 20–28 working days |
The Royal Borough of Windsor and Maidenhead, a unitary authority. It is the planning authority, the building control authority and the highway authority for the town — Berkshire County Council was abolished in 1998, so there is no second tier.
The town itself is largely washed over or tightly bounded by Metropolitan Green Belt, and the surrounding villages including Cookham and Bray sit within it. Extensions there are tested against whether they are a disproportionate addition to the original dwelling.
If the property falls in Flood Zone 2 or 3 — which reaches further inland from the river than most owners expect — you will need a flood risk assessment, and the design will be governed by minimum finished floor levels and flood-resilient construction. Basements are frequently ruled out.
Yes, by arrangement, normally within five to ten working days of instruction. The measured survey is the only part of the appointment that has to happen in person; everything after it is handled remotely through your client portal.
The same fixed fees as our London work: £840 for the Essentials planning package, £1,225 for a loft, £1,575 for a mansard or roof rebuild and £1,750 for planning plus building regulations from a single survey.
Send the SL6 postcode. We confirm the Green Belt, flood zone and conservation position before quoting.
Get a fixed-fee quote