Rear extensions in Redbridge depend on the house. Typical homes here: 1930s semi-detached houses in Gants Hill, Barkingside, Newbury Park, Clayhall, Fullwell Cross and Hainault; Victorian and Edwardian terraces in Ilford, Seven Kings, Goodmayes, Chadwell Heath and Cranbrook. Designations to check first: Green Belt; Conservation areas; Article 4 direction on HMOs. Applications are decided by London Borough of Redbridge and the Redbridge Local Plan 2015–2030.
The permitted development rules for rear extensions
On a house, a single-storey rear extension is permitted development if it projects no more than 3 m from the original rear wall on a terraced or semi-detached house, or 4 m on a detached house, is no higher than 4 m, has eaves no higher than 3 m where it comes within 2 m of a boundary, and uses materials similar in appearance to the house. The larger home extension route allows 6 m or 8 m through a 42-day prior approval, where the council consults the neighbours.
Flats and maisonettes have no householder permitted development rights, so any rear extension to a flat needs planning permission. Previous extensions count against the allowance, and the larger home extension route is not available in conservation areas.
What changes in Redbridge
In a conservation area a single-storey rear extension can still be permitted development within the 3 m or 4 m limit, but cladding it in materials that differ from the house is not, and the 6 m and 8 m prior approval route is closed.
The local constraints that most often decide the route in Redbridge are listed below, taken from our Redbridge area page. Each one is a reason to confirm the address on Redbridge's constraints map before relying on permitted development.
- Green Belt. The north and east of the borough, including Hainault Forest, Fairlop Waters, Claybury and land around Woodford Bridge, is Green Belt. Source
- Conservation areas. Redbridge's conservation areas are concentrated in Wanstead and Woodford, including Wanstead Village, Woodford Bridge and Monkhams. Source
- Article 4 direction on HMOs. Redbridge has used an Article 4 direction to remove permitted development for converting a house into a small house in multiple occupation (C3 to C4), so HMO conversions normally need planning permission. Source
- River Roding flood risk. The River Roding runs the length of the borough from Woodford Bridge through Wanstead and Ilford, and land alongside it sits in Flood Zones 2 and 3. Source
- Epping Forest land. Wanstead Flats, Wanstead Park and the Forest land in Snaresbrook and Woodford are protected open space within the Epping Forest Special Area of Conservation. Source
- Listed buildings. Wanstead, Woodford and the older centres of Ilford and Barkingside contain listed houses and churches. Source
What Redbridge planning officers look for
On the 1930s semis that dominate the borough they look for two-storey side extensions set back from the front wall and below the main ridge, a gap kept to the side boundary so the pair does not read as a terrace, rear extensions that pass the 45-degree test to the neighbour's nearest habitable window, and hipped roofs kept where a gable would unbalance the pair. Common refusal reasons are full-width box dormers, side extensions that create a terracing effect, and roof extensions on front slopes in conservation areas. Outside conservation areas, hip-to-gable and rear-dormer lofts within 50 m³ on a semi are routinely lawful and we secure a Lawful Development Certificate as proof. Redbridge offers a paid pre-application service.
Fees and timelines
Redbridge decides a householder application or a Lawful Development Certificate within 8 weeks of validation. The council fee is £528 for a householder application and £264 for a Lawful Development Certificate (England, from 1 April 2025; verify before applying).
Our own fee is fixed once quoted. The quote tool gives an indicative figure in minutes and a written quote follows within 24 hours.
Primary sources
- The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015, Schedule 2: the permitted development limits quoted above.
- Planning Portal: do you need permission: the national guidance and the application service every council accepts.
- London Borough of Redbridge: planning: the council's own constraints map, validation checklist and pre-application service.
