A London studio built around planning outcomes

Who we are

Magna Studio is a group of architectural designers with more than 15 years’ experience, working from London on extensions, loft conversions, outbuildings and conversions for homeowners and builders. We have spent that time inside the householder planning system: reading Local Plans, sitting in pre-application meetings and learning what each council's officers will and will not support. The studio does one thing and does it thoroughly: documentation that planning officers can approve and builders can build from.

You deal with one designer from survey to decision, with the rest of the team checking the drawings, the planning case and the Building Regulations package behind them. Where a project needs a structural engineer, a party wall surveyor or a specialist report, we say so early and coordinate it.

How we work

• Planning-first. We design for the officer who will assess the scheme and the neighbours who will see it. Approval is the brief.
• Buildable. Drawings are coordinated with structure and services so the builder can price and build without guesswork.
• Fixed fees. You know the fee before you commit. Scope changes are agreed in writing before they cost anything.
• Plain English. Every report and email is written so a first-time client can act on it without a glossary.

Where we work

We are based in London and work across every London borough and the towns around the capital, from Watford and St Albans to Sevenoaks, Woking and Windsor. We keep council-by-council notes on Local Plan policies, Article 4 directions, conservation-area guidance and the design expectations of each planning department, and we publish the useful parts on our area pages.