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Ealing, London

Side return extension drawings in Ealing

Ealing writes down its expectations for side extensions: the council's residential extensions guidance asks for a limit of 3 m height on a single-storey side addition. Our side return extension drawings for Ealing start at £745 including VAT. The guidance is short, so it is worth drawing to the letter.

From £745 (VAT included)

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    Architectural model of a four-storey London stucco townhouse in its terrace, with a portico, area railings, sash windows, a cornice and chimney stacks
    The house as it stands: four storeys over a lower ground floor.Existing Proposed worksAn illustrative model, built for this page.

    How we work on side return extension drawings

    Nine steps from first call to approval.

    The same model cut through the middle: every floor, the stair, the chimney breasts, the new mansard, rear extension and basement in section
    Section through the model: every floor on one datum.

    1. Enquiry and constraints check

      We check the property against conservation areas, listed status, Article 4 directions, tree preservation orders, flood zone and planning history. We choose the right route and send a fixed quote.

    2. Measured survey

      We survey the house on one datum: rooms, levels, boundaries, drains, trees and the neighbours' windows that the 45° and 25° tests depend on.

    3. Design options

      We model the house in Revit and show you options in 3D and plan, with the planning strategy and the precedents in your street.

    4. Design frozen

      You choose an option in writing. Nothing changes after this without your say.

    5. Independent check

      A second chartered technologist checks every sheet against the council's validation checklist and the policy. A senior review signs it off before anything is submitted.

    6. Submission

      We prepare the forms, certificates, fee and documents and submit through the Planning Portal.

    7. Officer liaison

      We answer the planning officer and make any amendments within five working days, at no charge until approval.

    8. Building regulations

      Technical drawings are coordinated with the structural engineer's calculations, the drainage and the planning conditions.

    9. Approval and hand-over

      Building control approval, then a next-steps pack covering the commencement notice, party wall timing and CIL.

    Free redraws until approval. Every drawing set is checked independently, and the checker is never the person who drew it.

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    Finished white-rendered rear house extension with large glazed doors

    Side return extension drawings in Ealing: what SPD 4 - Residential extensions says

    The relevant document is SPD 4 - Residential extensions, and its guidance on single-storey side extensions is specific: they should generally follow the depth of the house, be set back from the frontage, and be no more than a stated height, which the guidance gives as 3 m height. That figure is lower than the permitted development allowance in the national rules.

    A lower cap changes how the roof is drawn. A pitched or flat roof with a lantern may not fit within the height, so we start from the eaves height at the boundary and work upwards. If your design needs more ceiling height, we explain on the drawings why, and measure what the neighbours already have. The council can accept a departure, but only when it is argued.

    Set-back deserves its own line on the plans. On a semi-detached house the new side wall is usually pulled back so that the front door and the original bay still read as the main face of the house. We show the set-back dimension on the ground floor plan and again on the front elevation, so the officer does not have to scale it from the drawing and the builder cannot lose it between planning and site.

    Two-storey rear extension under construction on a semi-detached house

    Local figures for Ealing

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    Single-storey side extensions should generally follow the depth of the house, be set back from the frontage and be no more than 3 metres high.3 m height—ealing.gov.uk, SPD 4 Residential Extensions, p.11
    Conservation areas31 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Listed building entries309 list entries (Historic England, within the LPA boundary)—planning.data.gov.uk
    Householder decisions946 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications granted87.2 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications decided in time95.3 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Larger home extension prior approvals granted18 decisions2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Larger home extension prior approvals refused70 decisions2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Households living in a house50.3 % of households living in a house or bungalow (detached, semi-detached or terraced)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Average price, terraced711,468 GBP2026-07publicdata.landregistry.gov.uk
    Class A, condition A.3(a)Exterior materials must be of similar appearance to the existing house (conservatories excepted)—legislation.gov.uk

    A blank value means the figure has not been published, not that there are none. Check your own address with the council.

    Councils bordering Ealing

    Householder applications by street in Ealing

    Streets in Ealing with the most householder applications, and the share approved
    StreetApplicationsApproved
    Brentham Way4290%
    Corringway3476%
    Bilton Road2889%
    Norwood Road2872%
    Ashbourne Road2783%
    Fielding Road2689%
    Tentelow Lane2571%
    Brunswick Road24100%
    Ludlow Road2491%
    Meadvale Road2395%
    St Albans Avenue2391%
    Woodfield Road23100%
    Denison Road21100%
    Laughton Road2183%
    Rusthall Avenue2185%
    Counts of householder applications by street; no individual applications are shown. Streets with fewer than five applications are left out.Source: GLA Planning London Datahub, householder applications, all years held. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.
    The 45-degree test in planTest used in daylight assessments: 45 degrees (plan and elevation)A

    The 45-degree test in plan

    A line from the middle of the neighbour's nearest window: the extension should stay behind it.

    A · Test used in daylight assessments
    45 degrees (plan and elevation)

    Ealing's local plan and protected areas

    Ealing's policy base is the Ealing Local Plan: Development (or Core) Strategy DPD (2012), with Development Sites DPD and Development Management DPD (December 2013). It dates from 2,012 and carries the borough's design principles, but the detail comes from the SPD, which is why officers cite it. We check which policies are current on the day we submit.

    The borough has 31 conservation areas and 309 list entries. Outside them, permitted development may be open. The national material rule applies in both cases: Exterior materials must be of similar appearance to the existing house (conservatories excepted). A brick that is clearly different is a planning matter, not a permitted one.

    Decisions and prior approvals in Ealing

    Ealing decided 946 householder applications in its latest published year, granted 87.2 per cent and decided 95.3 per cent on time. Those are steady figures for a busy borough, and they suggest a predictable process for a clear application.

    The prior approval figures are sharper. For larger home extensions, Ealing granted 18 and refused 70. Refusals are many times the grants, which is the reason we do not advise a deep rear extension on the prior approval route without checking neighbour windows first.

    Houses, prices and what owners are buying

    50.3 per cent of Ealing households live in a house, and an average terraced house costs £711,468. The borough's interwar semis and Victorian terraces both suit a side return, though the details differ: semis often have a garage or a passage on one side, terraces a narrow strip beside an outrigger.

    If the side of your house has a garage, a conversion may be the simpler route, and our garage conversion plans page explains it. If it has a passage, the side return fills it, and we measure the boundary and the frontage closely because the SPD asks for a set-back from the front.

    Houses in multiple occupation

    Ealing has an Article 4 direction on houses in multiple occupation. A side return for a family is not affected, but if the extra space is meant for lettings, the use needs its own check. Tell us at the start, because the drawings and the route differ.

    Party wall notices come with most side returns. Our party wall notices page covers the timing, and our structural calculations page covers the beam over the opened-up side wall.

    Price and what you receive

    A set includes existing and proposed plans, elevations, a section and location and block plans, from £745 including VAT, fixed before you commit. The council's fee is paid separately: £548 for a householder application.

    A second chartered architectural technologist checks every sheet, and we redraw free until approval if Ealing asks for changes. See also rear extension drawings in Ealing, planning drawings in Ealing, and the overview of architectural drawings in Ealing.

    What you receive

    Planning drawing sheet for a rear extension with plans, elevations and sections
    Sample drawing. Planning drawings for a rear extension: plans, elevations and sections on one sheet set.
    House extension under construction with scaffolding, new glazed doors and building materials
    Every side considered
    Flick across the turntable to spin it.

    Other services in Ealing

    Side return extension drawings nearby

    Questions

    How high can a side extension be in Ealing?

    The SPD 4 - Residential extensions says no more than 3 m height, set back from the frontage and generally following the depth of the house.

    Does Ealing refuse many larger extension prior approvals?

    In the period we hold, it refused 70 and granted 18. We assess neighbour impact before you notify.

    Do I need planning permission for a side return in Ealing?

    Often yes. Ealing has 31 conservation areas, and a side return can exceed the national limits. We check the address first.

    How much are side return extension drawings in Ealing?

    From £745 including VAT, fixed before you commit. The council fee is separate.

    Sources and dates

    City of London skyline glowing at dusk across the Thames under a dramatic orange sky

    Tell us about your property.

    We check the constraints, then send a fixed fee. Messages before 3pm get a reply the same working day.

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