Extensions and Conservatories

Extensions are also a common means of adding more living, utility or recreational space to the homes of growing families, but they can have quite a dramatic effect on the form and coherence of the Conservation Area and so require careful management through the planning system.  The Highgate Society will examine applications for extensions to properties, and test these against the parameters of scale and design, for the purposes of working to protect and enhance Highgate’s heritage, character and appearance. So, for example, side extensions which disrupt the rhythm of an historic building pattern along the street, or which block out the distinctive gaps between buildings will not be supported.  Similarly, rear extensions should always be subordinate to the main house, and it is essential to consider the effects they might have on the daylighting and privacy of neighbours, or whether they might produce an undesirable sense of enclosure on adjoining properties. Nor is it acceptable for the depth of any rear extension to compete with the original footprint of the house.  Permitted Development Rights (page in preparation) allow for single-storey extensions of 3m to semi-detached or terraced housing and 4m to detached homes, although these depths are also subject to restrictions based on the size of the original structure and its original use. Conservatories must likewise be entirely subsidiary in terms of scale and form to the main building, and be only one storey.  In all cases, the Society will recommend that as many original doors and windows be retained on the rear elevation as is possible, in order to preserve the integrity of the original garden front.