At a glance: Single-storey rear extension deepened from 3m to 6m under the larger home extension scheme · London Borough of Ealing · Prior approval refused after a neighbour objection · Written representations appeal · Appeal allowed
Our clients already had a single-storey rear extension three metres deep. They wanted to extend it to six — taking advantage of the ‘larger home extension’ allowance the government introduced in 2013, which lets attached houses extend up to 6 metres and detached houses up to 8 metres without a full planning application.
Why the council refused it
Larger home extensions go through prior approval rather than a planning application: you submit a form and a block plan, and the council notifies your immediate neighbours. If nobody objects, permission is granted automatically. If a neighbour does object, the council gains the power to assess the proposal — but only on one question, the impact on neighbouring amenity.
A neighbour objected, and Ealing refused. This is a familiar pattern: many councils refuse these applications whenever an objection gives them the opening, treating a 6-metre depth as unacceptable in principle rather than assessing the actual relationship between the extension and the houses either side.
How we argued the case
Depth is not the point — height is. We argued that the extension was low in single storey form and simply not tall enough to be overbearing, or to cause a material loss of light or outlook to the neighbours on either side. The scheme should not be treated as unacceptable in principle merely because it used the full allowance Parliament had granted; the council was required to show real harm, and it could not.
What the inspector decided
The inspector agreed with our assessment on every point and granted prior approval. The clients got the extension they had originally wanted.
The lesson
The narrow scope of prior approval cuts both ways. Because the council can only consider the effect on neighbours — not design, not character, not anything else — a single-storey extension of modest height has very little to answer for. That makes these among the most winnable appeals we take on. If a neighbour’s objection has blocked your 6m or 8m rear extension, it is well worth a professional look — and if the refusal talks about the extension being overbearing or blocking light, those judgements can be tested.
Prior approval refused for a larger home extension? Get free initial advice from a chartered town planner — send us your refusal and we’ll tell you honestly whether your case is worth pursuing. Our fixed fee is £399.