Single-storey, double-storey, rear and side-return extension drawings across all 5 East London boroughs — Barking and Dagenham, Hackney, Havering, Newham and Redbridge. Householder approval here averages 86%, ranging from 84% in Redbridge to 89% in Hackney, and the council deciding yours sets what you can build.
The permitted-development rules for extensions are national, but the answer you get in East London is local. 5 councils — Barking and Dagenham, Hackney, Havering, Newham and Redbridge — read the same rules against their own local plans, their own rear-garden and daylight policies, and their own street character. The 5-point spread between Hackney and Redbridge in the table below is that difference made visible.
The stock decides the shape. East London is built largely from interwar Becontree cottage-estate semis and short terraces, Georgian and early-Victorian terraces, interwar and postwar semi-detached houses, dense Victorian and Edwardian terraces and interwar semi-detached houses, and the extension that works follows from it: a side-return infill where terraces have a narrow alley beside the back addition, a straight single-storey rear where there is a full-width garden, a wraparound where both exist. Depth is where applications fail — the single-storey rear limits (3 metres on a terrace or semi, 4 on a detached house, or 6 and 8 under the larger-home prior-approval route) are counted from the original rear wall, not the one standing today.
Then the designations. East London holds conservation areas including Barking Town Centre (Abbey), Becontree Estate and Chadwell Heath, where extension permitted-development rights are curtailed and materials are assessed, and 5 of its 5 boroughs add Article 4 directions street by street. Neither follows a borough boundary, which is why we check the address itself before drawing, and why the regional average is context rather than a prediction.
Hackney grants the highest share of householder applications in East London at 89%, Redbridge the lowest at 84%, against a regional average of 86%. Rates are the share of householder decisions granted, from official planning statistics. Read each alongside the borough's stock and Article 4 position — a high rate reflects what gets submitted as much as who decides it.
| Borough | Householder approval rate | Article 4 directions? | Dominant housing stock | Extension it supports |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hackney | 89% | Yes — street-level check needed | Georgian and early-Victorian terraces | Side-return or wraparound infill |
| Newham | 86% | Yes — street-level check needed | dense Victorian and Edwardian terraces | Side-return or wraparound infill |
| Havering | 85% | Yes — street-level check needed | interwar and postwar semi-detached houses | Single-storey rear, side infill available |
| Barking and Dagenham | 84% | Yes — street-level check needed | interwar Becontree cottage-estate semis and short terraces | Side-return or wraparound infill |
| Redbridge | 84% | Yes — street-level check needed | interwar semi-detached houses | Single-storey rear, side infill available |
Source: MHCLG householder decision statistics per local planning authority, covering Barking and Dagenham, Hackney, Havering, Newham and Redbridge. Conservation-area and Article 4 status is street-specific — we confirm yours on your address before drawing.
We draw the depth from the original rear wall, the daylight line to next door and the boundary relationships every East London case officer checks first — then tune the pack to the borough deciding it, whether that is prior approval, a certificate or a full householder application.
Tell us about your project and get a fixed, no-obligation quote back within one working day. If you don't need planning permission at all, we'll tell you that too — for free.
Each East London council decides against its own local plan and its own housing stock. What that means where you are:
Barking and Dagenham grants a fair majority of householder applications, with the design consistency of the Becontree cottage estate the defining constraint across much of the borough. Extensions here go onto interwar Becontree cottage-estate semis and short terraces, Victorian and Edwardian terraces around Barking and postwar and modern infill. Drawn to Barking and Dagenham Local Plan 2037 and the borough's residential design guidance.
Hackney approves the large majority of householder applications, but the borough's dense web of conservation areas is the single biggest factor shaping what design will pass. Extensions here go onto Georgian and early-Victorian terraces, later Victorian terraces and villas and warehouse and industrial conversions. Drawn to Hackney Local Plan 2033 (LP33) and the Development Management supplementary guidance.
Havering grants a fair majority of householder applications, with extensive Green Belt on its eastern side the main brake on what larger schemes can achieve. Extensions here go onto interwar and postwar semi-detached houses, detached houses on larger plots and village-core cottages and period frontages. Drawn to Havering Local Plan 2016–2031 and the borough's residential extensions and alterations guidance.
Newham approves a fair majority of householder applications, with the intense conversion and HMO pressure on its terraced streets the dominant constraint on new schemes. Extensions here go onto dense Victorian and Edwardian terraces, converted terraced flats and maisonettes and postwar and modern infill housing. Drawn to Newham Local Plan and the borough's supplementary guidance on residential extensions and conversions.
Redbridge grants a fair majority of householder applications, though the symmetry of its paired interwar semis is the recurring issue that decides many roof and side schemes. Extensions here go onto interwar semi-detached houses, Edwardian terraces around Ilford and detached houses in Woodford and Wanstead. Drawn to Redbridge Local Plan 2015–2030 and the borough's householder alterations and extensions guidance.
It depends on your borough and your street, not the region. Across East London a modest single-storey rear extension within the permitted-development depth limits is often lawful. You will normally need a full application if any of these apply:
One process, tuned per council — most drawings are submission-ready within seven days of survey, in any of the 5 boroughs.
Give us your East London postcode. We identify which of the 5 councils decides it, confirm conservation and Article 4 status on your street, and score your odds against that borough's live record — not the 86% regional average.
We measure the original rear wall, boundary distances, levels and the neighbouring windows — the numbers the depth calculation and daylight assessment depend on.
Chartered designers develop the rear, side-return or wraparound your plot supports, drawn inside the permitted-development limits or to the deciding council's extension guidance.
We submit, manage validation and case-officer queries with that borough, and revise the drawings free until the decision is issued.
On the published record Hackney grants the largest share of householder applications in East London at 89%, against a 86% regional average and 84% in Redbridge. Read it as context, not a verdict — the figures reflect what applicants submit as much as how councils decide, and a complete, policy-literate drawing pack shifts your odds much further than your postcode does.
Often not. A single-storey rear extension within 3 metres on a terrace or semi, or 4 metres on a detached house, under 4 metres high and covering less than half the original garden, is usually permitted development anywhere in East London. Depths of 6 or 8 metres need prior approval. The exceptions hold across all 5 boroughs: flats, conservation areas such as Barking Town Centre (Abbey), Becontree Estate and Chadwell Heath, and streets under Article 4.
The permitted-development rules are national and identical. The overlay is not: 5 of East London's 5 boroughs apply Article 4 directions on named streets, each council publishes its own extension and rear-garden guidance, and conservation-area coverage varies widely between them. That is how an identical drawing can be lawful in one borough and refused in its neighbour.
Three metres from the original rear wall on a terraced or semi-detached house, four on a detached one — and critically, "original" means the house as first built, so an existing rear addition already spends part of that allowance. Six and eight metres respectively are possible through the larger-home extension prior-approval route, which every East London council operates but which triggers a neighbour-consultation period.
Every council in East London works to the same statutory targets: eight weeks for a householder application, and 42 days for larger-home prior approval. Validation delay is the real variable and the one you control — an incomplete pack can burn weeks before the clock starts. We submit validation-complete drawings and manage the case-officer queries.
Every plot differs, so we quote each project individually — a fixed, no-obligation price back within one working day, wherever in East London you are. The quote covers the full drawing pack with free revisions until the council approves, and we tell you upfront whether your extension qualifies as permitted development. Call 020 7864 7245 to start.
Answer five quick questions and get a free planning score for your exact address — instantly. Then, if you want the full picture, unlock the detailed analysis: your council's live approval rates, local precedents, constraints on your street and a step-by-step route to permission.
Every borough we cover in East London — with that council's own approval rate, policies and drawing requirements.