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Photo: Tima Miroshnichenko / Pexels

House extension plans · London Borough of Havering

House extension plans in Havering, £895 fixed

Havering's Residential Extensions and Alterations SPD (March 2011) says as a general rule houses can be extended from the rear wall of the original dwelling by up to 3 metres for a terrace house and up to 4 metres for a semi-detached or detached dwelling. Any greater depth should be within a 45 degree angle.

Planning drawings£895
Building regs£795
Council fee£548
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Boroughs33/33
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Photo: Huy Phan / Pexels

The back of a house extension at shell stage, with a large glazed opening, blockwork walls and a scaffold tower
An extension at shell stage: the opening, the blockwork and the beam above it are what the building regulations drawings describe. Photo: Brett Jordan / Pexels.

What Havering Council asks of a house extension

From the council's Residential Extensions and Alterations SPD (adopted March 2011, council page).

  • As a general rule, houses can be extended from the rear wall of the original dwelling by up to 3 metres for a terrace house and up to 4 metres for a semi-detached or detached dwelling. Any greater depth should be within an angle of 45 degrees taken from the 3 metre or 4 metre dimension on the property boundary. (source, checked 15 October 2026)
  • The total height of a single storey extension with a flat roof should generally be no more than 3 metres; for pitched roofs an equivalent degree of protection should be given to neighbours, and if the roof pitch is overly steep the application is likely to be refused. (source, checked 15 October 2026)
  • Two storey rear extensions should be set in from the common boundary with any attached dwelling by not less than 2 metres and should project no more than 3 metres; in exceptional local circumstances up to a maximum of 4 metres may be acceptable. Two storey rear extensions to terraced houses are rarely acceptable. (source, checked 15 October 2026)
  • For terrace or semi-detached houses originally built with rear projections, a rear extension of almost any size in the recess between pairs of houses would not normally be acceptable, although joint proposals made simultaneously by adjoining neighbours may overcome this. (source, checked 15 October 2026)
  • The creation of a balcony on the roof of an extension will generally not be permitted. (source, checked 15 October 2026)
  • Two storey side extensions should be set back at least one metre from the front wall at first floor level, and side extensions will not be permitted where they break a 45 degree line taken from the sill of a primary original habitable room window on the side wall of an adjoining house. (source, checked 15 October 2026)

What Havering house extension drawings have to show

Havering measures from the rear wall of the original dwelling, so the drawings dimension the depth from that wall against 3 metres for a terrace house or 4 metres for a semi-detached or detached one, which the SPD calls a general rule. Any greater depth is drawn in plan within an angle of 45 degrees taken from the 3 metre or 4 metre dimension on the property boundary. A flat-roofed single storey extension should generally be no more than 3 metres high in total; for pitched roofs an equivalent degree of protection should be given to neighbours, and if the pitch is overly steep the application is likely to be refused. A balcony on the roof of an extension will generally not be permitted.

A two storey rear extension should be set in from the common boundary with any attached dwelling by not less than 2 metres and should project no more than 3 metres; in exceptional local circumstances up to 4 metres may be acceptable, and two storey rear extensions to terraced houses are rarely acceptable. Two storey side extensions are set back at least one metre from the front wall at first floor level, and will not be permitted where they break a 45 degree line taken from the sill of a primary original habitable room window on the side wall of an adjoining house. A rear extension of almost any size in the recess between pairs of houses would not normally be acceptable, although joint proposals made simultaneously by adjoining neighbours may overcome this.

The council's checklist (checked 10 October 2026) asks for the application form to include the data required by the Greater London Authority Data Standard, and drawings of new or replacement architectural features at a minimum of 1:20, with photomontages and contextual drawings where a listed building or conservation area is affected. Havering has 11 conservation areas, and an Article 4 direction confirmed on 24 June 2016 withdraws permitted development rights from dwelling houses in Gidea Park. The SPD is dated March 2011; the council still lists it on its supplementary planning documents page, as checked on 15 October 2026.

Havering guidance · rear depth

How deep Havering expects a single-storey rear extension to be

Terraced3 mSemi-detached or detached4 mDepth beyond the original rear wall · dashed line: permitted development
Source: Residential Extensions and Alterations SPD. The marker shows the national permitted development depth (GPDO 2015, Schedule 2, Part 1, Class A, A.1(f): 4 m detached, 3 m otherwise), which applies only where no application is needed.
Permitted development · Class A

How far a single-storey rear extension can go before it needs more than a drawing

Terraced or semi-detached

Existing houseNo applicationPrior approvalPlanning application3 m6 mDepth beyond the original rear wall

Detached

Existing houseNo applicationPrior approvalPlanning application4 m8 mDepth beyond the original rear wall

Height, side view

HouseBoundary2 m4 m maxoverall height3 m eaveswithin 2 m of boundary
Source: GPDO 2015, Schedule 2, Part 1, Class A: A.1(f) (3 m, or 4 m if detached; 4 m high), A.1(g) (6 m, or 8 m if detached; not on article 2(3) land such as conservation areas, nor on a site of special scientific interest), A.1(i) (eaves over 3 m within 2 m of a boundary) and the prior approval procedure in A.4. Terraced and semi-detached houses are the “any other dwellinghouse” case. Other conditions still apply: check the permission section and run the checker.
PS2 · at a glance

Havering: 985 householder decisions

Havering
Approvals, prior approvals included85.9%

846 of 985 granted. London: 85.8%.

Decided within 8 weeks97.7%

558 of 571 applications, prior approvals excluded.

Source: MHCLG PS2, 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026. Dark tick: London.
A bright kitchen with white cabinets, a stainless steel range cooker and extractor hood, and a window over the sink
A kitchen in a rear extension: the wide opening into it from the old house is carried by a beam. Photo: Curtis Adams / Pexels.

What it costs in Havering

  • Planning drawings: £895, plus £548 to Havering Council.
  • Building regulations drawings: £795.

House extension plans across London · Havering planning rules · every price

Answers

Havering house extension questions

How deep can a rear extension be in Havering?
As a general rule the SPD says houses can be extended from the rear wall of the original dwelling by up to 3 metres for a terrace house and up to 4 metres for a semi-detached or detached dwelling. Any greater depth should be within an angle of 45 degrees taken from the 3 metre or 4 metre dimension on the property boundary.
Can I build a two-storey rear extension in Havering?
The SPD says two storey rear extensions should be set in from the common boundary with any attached dwelling by not less than 2 metres and should project no more than 3 metres; in exceptional local circumstances up to a maximum of 4 metres may be acceptable. Two storey rear extensions to terraced houses are rarely acceptable.
Can I infill beside the rear projection on a Havering house?
For terrace or semi-detached houses originally built with rear projections, the SPD says a rear extension of almost any size in the recess between pairs of houses would not normally be acceptable. Joint proposals made simultaneously by adjoining neighbours may overcome this. A balcony on the roof of an extension will generally not be permitted.

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