There is no fixed number. No UK rule says a scheme needs six, ten or thirty CGI images. The right count depends on what the images must do (win planning, sell homes, convince investors), how sensitive the surroundings are and how many distinct views, house types and spaces the scheme has. This guide shows you how to work out your own number before you brief anyone, so you pay for the images that earn their place and no others.

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TL;DR

  • No standard or statutory image count exists in the UK. Guidance asks for a proportionate approach, and each local authority sets its own validation requirements.
  • For planning, the number is driven by viewpoints: how many places the scheme can be seen from, and how sensitive those places are. One published energy scheme identified 31 viewpoints needing the most detailed visuals, which is an example of scale and not a benchmark.
  • For marketing, think in a suite: one hero image, then exterior, principal interiors, the wider development and variety for digital channels.
  • Plan the set once, by purpose and audience, so that planning, brochure, listing and investor deck images share the same models.

Table of Contents

Why there is no standard number

Most searches for this topic land on pages about film CGI and megapixels. A property project is a different question, and the honest answer starts with what the guidance actually says.

The Landscape Institute’s technical guidance on visual representation of development proposals calls for a proportionate approach. It ties the work to project type and scale, to purpose and audience, and to the sensitivity of the people and places affected and the magnitude of visual change. It also says authority-specific photographic and photomontage requirements should normally be followed, and it recommends engaging early.

The same logic applies on the marketing side. A residential marketing agency’s guidance on how many CGIs a housing development needs says there is no universal figure: a small scheme can work with a tightly curated suite, while a large one with many house types and phases may need considerably more.

So the useful question is not “how many?” but “which images, for whom, and what decision does each one support?”

What decides the count

The Landscape Institute’s guidance points to a handful of determinants. Translated into the choices you make on a real project:

Factor What it means in practice Pushes the count
Project type and scale A single dwelling extension versus a 200-home scheme or a tall building Up with scale
Purpose and audience Planning officers, neighbours, buyers, lenders, investors Different sets for each
Receptor sensitivity Conservation areas, listed buildings, Green Belt, protected landscapes Up where sensitivity is high
Magnitude of visual change A modest infill versus a scheme that changes a skyline or open view Up with change
Number of viewpoints How many places the scheme is visible from and need illustrating Directly sets planning count
Visualisation type and detail Wireline, photomontage or verified view Affects cost per image more than count

The guidance also notes that scope depends on how many viewpoints need photographic illustration and how many of those then need visualisations. That two-step filter is the quickest way to keep a planning set under control: photograph widely, then visualise only where the change is real.

How many images for a planning application

For planning, the number comes from the local authority and the site, not from your preference. Validation lists differ by council, and they usually frame photomontage as something that may be required when certain triggers apply.

  • Hyndburn Borough Council’s 2025 draft validation checklist says photographs or photomontages may be needed for demolition, conservation-area or listed-building impacts, heritage settings, buildings over 18 metres, buildings substantially taller than their surroundings, and significant skyline, townscape or landscape effects.
  • Derbyshire County Council’s local list says photographs and photomontages may be required where development significantly changes a building or landscape, and that computer-generated images may also help.
  • Dorset Council’s validation list, revised in 2026, includes photographs and photomontages among possible local requirements next to landscape and visual impact assessments and heritage statements. It does not set an image count.

None of these names a number. That is the pattern: the council tells you when visuals are likely, and the viewpoints are then agreed through pre-application discussion or the landscape and visual assessment.

Scale: what a large scheme looks like

To see how far the count can stretch, look at nationally significant projects. A Planning Inspectorate-published Environmental Statement appendix from June 2024 identifies 31 viewpoints requiring Type 3 visuals for one scheme. That is a project-specific figure for a very large development. Most housing, care or mixed-use applications will need far fewer, but the example shows the count follows visibility, not a template.

Choosing the viewpoints

Viewpoints are not picked at random. A Planning Inspectorate-published LVIA chapter for the Great North Road Solar and Biodiversity Park says viewpoints should represent a range of distances, directions and receptors. They sit in areas of visibility identified through Zone of Theoretical Visibility studies and site surveys, and they are refined through consultation.

A Statement of Common Ground recorded for Dean Moor shows four kinds of view that can each serve a different assessment need: representative, specific, illustrative and sequential. In practice:

  1. Representative: stands for a group of similar viewers, such as residents along one street.
  2. Specific: a named place, such as a listed building or a public right of way.
  3. Illustrative: shows a point the assessment wants to make, such as the effect of a design change.
  4. Sequential: a series along a route, so you see how the scheme appears as someone moves past.

Match the type of visual to the viewpoint

The Landscape Institute identifies four visualisation types: annotated viewpoint photographs, 3D wirelines or models, photomontages or photowires, and survey or scale-verifiable photomontages or photowires. A sensible set mixes them. A low-sensitivity view may only need an annotated photograph. A view toward a heritage asset may need a verified photomontage. Spending verified-view effort on every viewpoint is rarely proportionate, which is exactly the guidance’s point.

If your site is in the Green Belt or touches heritage, these pages explain how we approach it: proportional verification for Green Belt photomontages and Type 4 heritage context photomontage. For the wider picture, see our practical guide to CGI renders for planning applications.

How many images for marketing

Marketing has no viewpoint list to follow, so discipline has to come from you. The R.E.M. guidance recommends one strong hero image, supported by a secondary suite. That suite covers the exterior architecture, the principal living spaces, the wider development, variety for digital marketing, and a balance of emotional storytelling and detailed sales information.

Turned into a brief, that gives you a repeatable structure:

  • Hero image: the single picture that carries the brochure cover, the website header and the first social post. Spend the most here.
  • Exterior set: the front elevation and one or two secondary angles, ideally at different times of day.
  • Interior set: the spaces buyers decide on, usually the main living area, kitchen and principal bedroom.
  • Context image: the wider scheme, landscaping and surroundings, which matters most on multi-phase sites.
  • Variety for digital: crops, alternative angles and a short animation so channels do not all repeat the same picture.

On a scheme with several house types, each type needs its own exterior, and at least one shared interior per distinct layout. That multiplier is why large developments need many more images than a single building, even when the quality per image stays the same.

Our pages on exterior CGI and interior CGI cover what each set involves.

How many images for an investor deck

Investors want to understand the scheme quickly and judge whether it is deliverable. They rarely need twenty pictures. A short, consistent set usually does the job: a hero view, a site-in-context image, one or two typical interiors, and a plan or floor layout that explains the mix. Planning-grade visuals add credibility if the application is already in or approved, because they show the design has been tested against real views.

Our guide to investor deck visuals for property professionals sets out the four image types planners expect, many of which carry straight into a deck.

Three worked examples

These are illustrative planning exercises, not published benchmarks. They show how the reasoning works, so adjust them to your site and your council.

A single house in a conservation area. The planning set is driven by sensitivity, not size. Expect a small number of viewpoints: the street approach, the nearest neighbour or listed building, and one longer view if the site is visible. A verified photomontage may be justified for the heritage view and plain annotated photographs for the rest. Marketing, if the house is for sale, adds a hero exterior and two or three interiors.

A 40-home residential scheme on the edge of a village. The planning set depends on the landscape assessment: several representative viewpoints around the edge, perhaps one sequential view along the main approach road. Marketing then needs one exterior per house type, interiors for each layout, and a context image. Because the same 3D models serve both jobs, planning the set together avoids paying twice for the same building. Our CGI workflow for residential planning applications shows how this fits together.

Three worked examples — overview diagram

A care home development. Planners look at massing and neighbours, while operators and investors look at how the building will feel inside. Exterior views, a garden or landscape image and key shared spaces serve both audiences. See CGI for care operators.

A five-step way to set your own number

  1. List the audiences. Planning officers, neighbours, buyers, lenders, investors. Each one needs something different.
  2. Ask the council early. Check the local validation list and raise visuals at pre-application stage so the viewpoints are agreed before you commission.
  3. Photograph widely, visualise selectively. Capture more viewpoints than you will use, then choose those where the change is significant or the receptor is sensitive.
  4. Build the marketing suite around a hero. Add exterior, interiors, context and digital variety in that order, stopping when each image no longer adds new information.
  5. Reuse the models. Brief planning and marketing together, so one model produces both and cost per image falls.

What drives the cost of a set

The count is only half of the budget. The Landscape Institute says cost depends on available technology, the nature, type, size and scale of the development, and the degree of realism required. It also says time, effort, technical expertise and cost should be proportionate to those factors, and that cost should not override reasonable requirements for appropriate visualisations. In short: do not cut a required viewpoint to save money, and do not buy verified-view treatment for a view that does not need it. For our own view of typical budgets, see our page on property CGI costs in the UK.

Where we can help

We produce planning visuals, verified views, photomontages, exterior and interior CGI, floor plans, virtual staging and animation for developers, architects, planning consultants and estate agents. Every image is made in-house by one experienced operator, so you speak to the person doing the work. If you want a view on how many images your scheme needs before you commit, send us the site and the purpose through our planning visuals page, or look at the full list of services.

Our perspective

The most common mistake we see is deciding on a number first and a purpose second. Clients ask for “six images” because that was the last quote, and then discover that the planning officer wanted a view they do not have, or that the brochure has three near-identical exteriors.

We start the other way round. What decision does this image support, and who makes it? Because we do all the work ourselves, with no outsourcing, we can plan the planning set and the marketing set together, build the model once and adapt the workflow to each audience. It also means deadlines stay predictable: the person you briefed is the person producing the work.

Our advice is to be generous with early conversation and strict with the final list. Agree viewpoints with the council, put your money into the hero image and the sensitive views, and let every other image prove it adds something new.

— Paride

FAQ

No. Local validation lists say photographs or photomontages may be required in certain circumstances, such as heritage settings or tall buildings, but they do not set a count. The number of views is agreed through the council’s requirements and the landscape and visual assessment.

How many CGI images should an estate agent or developer use to market a new home?

There is no fixed figure, but a good starting structure is one hero image, an exterior set, the principal interiors and a context view. Add one exterior per house type on larger schemes. Stop adding images when a new one repeats information already shown.

Do all viewpoints need a verified photomontage?

Not normally. The Landscape Institute’s guidance asks for a proportionate approach, so annotated photographs may be enough for low-sensitivity views, while verified photomontages suit sensitive receptors or significant change. Confirm with the planning authority before commissioning.

Can the same images be used for planning and marketing?

Sometimes, but the purposes differ. Planning images must be accurate and neutral, while marketing images are composed to sell. Using one 3D model for both saves cost, but the final views are usually produced separately.

Sources