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Richmond upon Thames, London

Side return extension drawings in Richmond upon Thames

Richmond upon Thames has 85 conservation areas, more than any single side return should have to argue with, so the route is settled at the address before anything is drawn. We prepare side return extension drawings for Richmond upon Thames houses from £745 including VAT.

From £745 (VAT included)

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  • £2m PI insured
  • LABC Partnered
  • Fixed fees, 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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    House extension under construction with scaffolding, new glazed doors and building materials

    What the Richmond extensions guidance says about infill

    The council's House Extensions and External Alterations SPD deals with the exact case a side return presents: an infill extension to a Victorian house. Where such an extension goes beyond the depths the guide treats as normal, it asks for 2.2m eaves, to stop the new space feeling enclosed against the boundary.

    That one figure changes the section. A flat glazed roof or a lean-to sitting against the neighbour's wall has to stay under the stated eaves line, so the room height you imagined from the kitchen photographs may need working through with the roof build-up before you commit.

    The guidance sits under the Richmond Local Plan 2024-2039, and the council also publishes the Design Quality SPD. We draw to all three, and we note the eaves figure on the section so the officer can see it was designed in, not found afterwards.

    Brick house being extended, with a wide new opening supported over the ground floor

    Local figures for Richmond upon Thames

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    Infill extensions to Victorian houses that exceed those depths should keep the eaves height to 2.2m to limit the sense of enclosure.2.2m eaves—richmond.gov.uk, House Extensions and External Alterations SPD 2015, p.4, para 3.1.4
    Conservation areas85 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Listed building entries819 list entries (Historic England, within the LPA boundary)—planning.data.gov.uk
    Heritage at Risk entries17 Heritage at Risk Register entries within the LPA boundary (Historic England)—planning.data.gov.uk
    worldHeritageSites1 World Heritage Sites intersecting the LPA boundary—planning.data.gov.uk
    Householder decisions1,302 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications granted83.3 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications decided in time98.3 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Larger home extension prior approvals granted78 decisions2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Larger home extension prior approvals refused30 decisions2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Average price, terraced915,886 GBP2026-07publicdata.landregistry.gov.uk
    Householder: alterations/extensions to a single dwellinghouse, from 1 Apr 2026548 GBP—ribblevalley.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 Richmond upon Thames

    Householder applications by street in Richmond upon Thames

    Streets in Richmond upon Thames with the most householder applications, and the share approved
    StreetApplicationsApproved
    Waverley Avenue4072%
    Castelnau3981%
    Lyndhurst Avenue2883%
    Lincoln Avenue2687%
    Cole Park Road2583%
    Redway Drive2583%
    Sheen Road2565%
    Ormond Crescent2381%
    Ullswater Road2385%
    Gladstone Avenue2264%
    Madrid Road2280%
    The Vineyard2280%
    Haliburton Road21100%
    Houblon Road2190%
    Cleveland Gardens2083%
    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). Richmond upon Thames guidance: 25 and 45 degreesAB

    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)
    B · Richmond upon Thames guidance
    25 and 45 degrees

    Conservation, listing and the world heritage setting

    Richmond's character is its heritage. Besides the conservation areas, Historic England lists 819 buildings in the borough, and 17 entries sit on the Heritage at Risk Register. The borough also contains 1 World Heritage Site, which brings a wider setting to consider on nearby plots.

    Nationally the permitted route does not extend to these places: No side extensions under PD on article 2(3) land (conservation areas etc.). In practice, a side return in Kew, Barnes, Twickenham or Teddington is likely to be a householder application, and a listed house adds a separate consent and a heritage statement.

    We plot your plot against the published conservation area polygons first, then tell you which of those routes applies. The fee for a householder application is £548, paid to the council.

    The numbers on Richmond householder cases

    The council decided 1,302 householder applications in the latest twelve months of published figures. It granted 83.3 per cent and decided 98.3 per cent inside eight weeks or an agreed extension.

    Larger rear extensions under the neighbour-consultation route went the other way from many boroughs: 78 were granted and 30 refused. If your plan leans on that route, a precedent for your street matters more than the borough average.

    These are borough-wide records. They describe the past and say nothing certain about your application.

    Homes, values and the cost of building here

    59.8 per cent of households live in a house and 62.4 per cent own their home, so extending is the normal way to grow. A terraced house averaged £915,886 in the latest Land Registry figures, which is why owners care about getting the wide kitchen right once.

    The council's levy schedule is the Borough CIL Charging Schedule: £418.41/m² (Residential Higher Band); £317.99/m² (Residential Lower Band).

    Glazing, party walls and the drawing package

    A side return in a Richmond Victorian is usually mostly glass. The simple energy route allows this: Windows, roof windows, rooflights and doors in an extension should not exceed 25% of the extension floor area plus the area of openings removed or covered. Beyond it you need a calculation, and our SAP calculations service covers it.

    Where the extension meets the neighbour's wall, the notice for a new wall up to the boundary is: Line-of-junction (new wall) notice at least 1 month before work. Our party wall notices service prepares it from the drawings.

    Side return extension drawings in Richmond upon Thames cost from £745 including VAT. You receive plans, elevations and sections plus location and block plans, checked by a second chartered technologist.

    More from us in Richmond upon Thames

    The borough overview is on architectural drawings in Richmond upon Thames. To extend further, compare wraparound extension drawings in Richmond upon Thames with rear extension drawings in Richmond upon Thames.

    Across the boundary, the guidance differs. See side return extension drawings in Kingston upon Thames, Hounslow and Wandsworth. General rules are on the side return extension drawings page.

    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.
    Finished white-rendered rear house extension with large glazed doors
    Every side considered
    Flick across the turntable to spin it.

    Other services in Richmond upon Thames

    Side return extension drawings nearby

    Questions

    What does Richmond say about infill side extensions?

    The House Extensions and External Alterations SPD asks for 2.2m eaves where an infill extension to a Victorian house exceeds its normal depths.

    Do I need planning permission in Richmond upon Thames?

    Usually, if the house is in one of the 85 conservation areas, because permitted development for side extensions does not apply there.

    How much do side return extension drawings cost in Richmond upon Thames?

    From £745 including VAT. The council's fee of £548 is separate.

    Does a listed house change the process?

    Yes. With 819 listed buildings in the borough, a listed house needs separate consent and a heritage statement, which we scope before quoting.

    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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