In 2013, the government shook up the planning system by changing permitted development rights to allow ground floor rear extensions of up 6m deep on a terraced or semi-detached house and up to 8m on a detached house.
Unlike most permitted development rights, you must apply for prior approval before starting work. You submit an application form and block plan and the council notifies the immediate neighbours. If no one objects, permission is granted automatically. If an objection is received, the council must assess the proposal in terms of its possible impact on neighbours.
Many councils have been refusing lots of these applications when they get the opportunity to. But they should be showing some flexibility – extensions to 6m or 8m should not be considered unacceptable in principle.
We were delighted this week to win an appeal against a refusal of prior approval for a larger home extension in the London Borough of Ealing. The clients already had a single-storey extension to a depth of 3m, but they want to extend it to 6m to take advantage of the new allowance.
We successfully argued that the extension was low in height and not tall enough to be overbearing or lead to a material loss of light or outlook to the neighbours either side. The inspector agreed with our assessment and granted prior approval.
If you have been refused permission for any kind of development, you should consider taking advantage of our £99 case review service or our £399 appeal service. We would be delighted to help!
