In South Tottenham, Haringey allows three named roof extensions and no others. Everywhere else it accepts rear dormers and rooflights. We tell you which of those routes your street is on before you commission drawings.
Photo: Bill Boaden, BY-SA 2.0
The House Extensions in South Tottenham SPD of October 2013 does something few councils do: it lists the permitted forms and says they are the only standard types. Type 1 is a full-width dormer to the rear only, no higher than the existing ridge, with flush rooflights allowed at the front. It may be permitted development, though the council recommends discussing it first. Anything projecting from the front slope, including a dormer, is not acceptable.
Type 2 removes the roof slope and replaces it with an extra floor and a flat roof behind a parapet in wall to match the existing first floor, with a cornice. The SPD sets no height limit beyond proportionate and not excessive, and says the flat roof should not be lower than neighbouring roofs. Type 3 is a full second-floor extension with loft accommodation possible within a pitched roof above, in matching materials.
The SPD adds a plain warning. Some houses lack the height to make a Type 1 conversion work at the required finished floor to ceiling heights, and in those cases Type 1 is not acceptable; the householder should consider Type 2 or 3 or look at alternatives to extending. A survey of the existing loft height is therefore the first step, not the last.
The SPD says the permissible forms of roof extension in that area are these three and no others.
| Type | What it is | Route |
|---|---|---|
| Type 1 | Full-width rear dormer no higher than the ridge; flush front rooflights | May be permitted development; council suggests a conversation first |
| Type 2 | Whole extra floor, flat roof behind a parapet with cornice | Planning application; match the floor below |
| Type 3 | Full second floor, loft possible in a pitched roof above | Planning application; structural and fire work throughout |
Haringey Council, House Extensions in South Tottenham SPD, October 2013, section 2.
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The SPD is blunt about what a bigger roof extension involves. A Type 3 extension needs very substantial structural work and means of escape throughout, and because party walls have to be strengthened and underpinned, there are real benefits in extending a pair of houses together. For a loft floor more than 7.5 metres above ground, the SPD says means of escape in case of fire is critical, and lists the options: an alternative route through the property, a separate route out, or sprinklers.
Outside South Tottenham, paragraph 2.6 says that smaller loft conversions with rooflights or rear dormer windows are the only form of roof extension acceptable elsewhere in the borough. For example, a Muswell Hill semi can usually take a rear dormer within Class B, while a front-facing dormer is a case the council will resist.
Haringey's conservation area list links Article 4 directions for Noel Park, Peabody Cottages, Rookfield Estate and Tower Gardens, and conservation areas remove the dormer right altogether. In the year to June 2026 Haringey decided 408 householder applications with prior approvals set aside, 369 inside 8 weeks.
Every figure is linked to the page or document we read.
Haringey's South Tottenham SPD of October 2013 names 3 standard types of roof extension and says permissible forms are these and only these.
Source: Haringey Council, House Extensions in South Tottenham SPD, October 2013, section 2The SPD (para 2.6) says smaller loft conversions with rooflights or rear dormers are the only roof extensions acceptable elsewhere in the borough.
Source: Haringey Council, House Extensions in South Tottenham SPD, para 2.6For a loft floor more than 7.5 metres above ground the SPD says means of escape in case of fire is critical.
Source: Haringey Council, House Extensions in South Tottenham SPD, para 3.38Haringey's conservation area list links 4 Article 4 directions: Noel Park, Peabody Cottages, Rookfield Estate and Tower Gardens.
Source: Haringey Council, List of conservation areas in HaringeyHaringey says outside a conservation area a larger home extension of 3 to 6 metres on a terrace or semi can proceed after notifying the council.
Source: Haringey Council, Planning advice for common projects: rear extensionsHaringey decided 408 householder applications between July 2025 and June 2026, prior approvals excluded, and 369 of them were decided within 8 weeks.
Source: MHCLG, Planning application statistics PS2, July 2025 to June 2026Class B permits a roof extension of up to 40 cubic metres on a terraced house and 50 cubic metres in any other case.
Source: legislation.gov.uk, GPDO 2015, Schedule 2, Part 1, Class BTell 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.
The 2013 SPD allows three: a full-width rear dormer no higher than the ridge, a whole extra floor with a flat roof behind a parapet, and a full second-floor extension with loft accommodation above. It says these are the only standard types permitted.
Not in South Tottenham: the SPD says any window or structure projecting from the front roof slope, including a dormer, is not acceptable, though flush rooflights are. Elsewhere in the borough the council accepts only rear dormers and rooflights.
It can be. The SPD says a Type 1 extension may be permitted development, and Class B allows up to 40 cubic metres on a terrace and 50 on other houses, but not in a conservation area or on a flat. Haringey recommends discussing it first.
For a top floor more than 7.5 metres above ground, the SPD says means of escape is critical, and lists an alternative route through the house, a separate route to safety, or sprinklers. Building Regulations approval is needed in every case.
£765 inc survey (£565 if you supply measured drawings) for a rear dormer. That covers the measured survey, the drawings and the submission, with free revisions until the council decides. Haringey's own application fee is separate.
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