Medway is a unitary authority, so all Householder Applications and Prior Approval requests go to Medway Council directly. Standard national PD rules apply: single-storey rear extension up to 4m (detached) or 3m (semi/terrace), within 4m height, is PD. Prior Approval under the Householder Consultation Scheme covers up to 8m/6m. Side returns and two-storey extensions need a full Householder Application. Conservation area properties (Rochester Cathedral precinct, Chatham Historic Dockyard buffer) lose some PD rights and typically require a full application. Medway Council's planning team provides pre-application advice, which is recommended for any scheme near a conservation boundary.

The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 applies across Medway. Notice under Section 1 or 2 is required when building on or into a shared party wall, excavating within 3m of a neighbour's structure to a depth greater than their existing foundations, or excavating within 6m where a 45° line from those foundations is undercut. Medway properties in the valley floor (Rochester, Strood, lower Gillingham) sit on river alluvium which requires deeper foundations than the chalk upland, frequently pulling neighbouring properties into the 3m notice zone even for modest rear extensions. We assess party wall obligations as part of the site survey.

Yes — Rochester Castle and Cathedral precinct, the Chatham Historic Dockyard buffer and High Street Chatham are designated conservation areas with Article 4 directions that remove standard PD rights. Within those areas, extensions visible from public spaces require a Householder Application to Medway Council, and design guidance requires new works to respect the historic character — typically Kentish stock brick, natural slate or clay tile, and traditional window proportions. Properties within the Dockyard buffer must also address the character of the maritime industrial heritage when extensions are visible from the Medway waterfront.