‘Larger home extensions’ are single-storey rear extensions which project up to six metres from the original rear wall of a house, or up to eight metres in the case of a detached dwelling. They are permitted under an additional permitted development regime which goes beyond the usual depth limits of three metres, or four metres for detached houses.
To benefit from these extended limits, an application for prior approval must be made to the council. Where no adjoining neighbour raises an objection, the development is normally allowed to proceed without further assessment.
If an objection is received, however, the council must consider whether the proposed extension would result in unacceptable impacts on the amenity of neighbouring occupiers. In practice, it is common for prior approval to be refused on the basis of alleged harm to outlook, light or overbearing impact, particularly where the extension projects close to a boundary.
We regularly advise on planning appeals against refusals of prior approval for larger home extensions, and have a strong success rate in these cases. Inspectors often agree that, given their limited height and single-storey form, such extensions do not normally give rise to the level of harm suggested by councils.
In this case, an appeal was not required. The client approached us after prior approval had been refused, but by that stage the appeal deadline had passed. We therefore advised on submitting a fresh prior approval application, supported by a detailed statement addressing the council’s earlier concerns and drawing attention to recent appeal decisions in comparable circumstances.
On reconsideration, Redbridge council accepted the arguments advanced and granted prior approval for the extension.
If you have been refused prior approval or planning permission for an extension, we can advise on whether an appeal, a fresh application, or an alternative approach is likely to be the most effective way forward.
