Extensions and loft conversions in Ealing
Ealing’s Edwardian houses in Ealing, Northfields and Pitshanger are generous, often semi-detached with a side passage, which makes them prime candidates for a two-storey side extension with a rear addition and a rear dormer or hip-to-gable loft. The Victorian terraces of Acton, Hanwell and West Ealing suit the side-return infill and L-shaped rear extension, with a rear dormer within the 40 m³ permitted development (PD) allowance where the street is not in a conservation area.
North of the A40, Greenford, Perivale, Northolt and Southall are 1930s semis on wide plots: hip-to-gable lofts, 4–6 m rear extensions and full wraparounds are common and often achievable under PD with a Lawful Development Certificate (LDC).
Planning constraints in Ealing
- Conservation areas including Brentham, Bedford Park, Ealing Common, Hanger Hill Garden Estate and Hanwell Village Green, where roof extensions lose PD rights.
- Article 4 directions in the garden suburbs and estates remove PD for most external alterations.
- Residential Extensions SPG guides depth, set-back and dormer form.
- Flood risk along the River Brent and the Grand Union Canal.
- Green Belt and Metropolitan Open Land at Northolt, Horsenden Hill and the Brent River Park.
- HMO Article 4 may require permission for small HMOs; check with the council.
What Ealing planning officers look for
Officers assess householder applications against the Development Management DPD, the Development Strategy and the residential extensions guidance. They look at the 45-degree line from neighbouring windows, set-back and set-down of two-storey side extensions, depth of rear extensions relative to neighbours, dormers kept inside the roof slope and below the ridge, and matching brick, tile and window proportions. Terracing between semis and loss of daylight to a neighbour’s rear rooms are the usual refusals. Ealing offers paid pre-application advice. Council fees from April 2025 are £528 for a householder application and £264 for a proposed-use LDC; verify before applying.
Our services in Ealing
- Planning documentation
- House extensions – two-storey, side, rear and wraparound
- Loft conversions – hip-to-gable and rear dormer designs
- Permitted development and LDCs
- Building Regulations drawings
- Outbuildings and garden rooms
- Commercial to residential (Class MA) – for Acton, Southall and Greenford high streets
Example projects nearby
- Two-storey extension in Ealing – side and rear extension on an Edwardian semi
- Loft conversion in Richmond upon Thames – nearby, south of the river
Guides
Read Do I need planning permission for a rear extension in London? and Conservation areas: extensions and lofts.
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