Double Storey Extension Drawings in Kentish Town NW5
Fixed-fee, MCIAT-chartered double storey extension drawings for Kentish Town (NW5) homeowners — London Borough of Camden validation and local constraints handled from the start.
Kentish Town (NW5) is predominantly Victorian, with two conservation areas — Dartmouth Park on the rising ground to the north and Inkerman in the streets off Kentish Town Road — and Camden's Article 4 layer over the top. It is a district where the difference between one street and the next genuinely changes the route to consent.
Camden's Basements direction removes permitted development rights for basement works throughout, so lower-ground schemes need a full application. The Class E to C3 direction, in its outside-the-CAZ form, removes the permitted commercial-to-residential change here — which matters along Kentish Town Road and Fortess Road, where the shop-to-flat conversion is a common project and now needs planning rather than prior approval. In the Dartmouth Park and Inkerman conservation areas, frontages and rooflines are controlled, and the rise toward Dartmouth Park Hill means rear extension levels and overlooking are assessed against the slope. We check the boundaries and the Article 4 position for an NW5 address before drawing to Camden's guidance.
Planning in Kentish Town (NW5): what to know before you apply
NW5 falls under Camden's Basements Article 4 direction, removing permitted development rights for basement works, and the outside-CAZ Class E to C3 direction, which removes the permitted commercial-to-residential change — so shop-to-flat conversions along Kentish Town Road and Fortess Road need full planning applications rather than prior approval. The Dartmouth Park and Inkerman conservation areas control frontages and rooflines, and the rising ground toward Dartmouth Park Hill brings level and overlooking assessments into rear extension design.
Typical Kentish Town housing stock
Victorian terraces through the centre and along Fortess Road, larger Victorian semi-detached and terraced houses climbing Dartmouth Park Hill, and a substantial share of the stock converted to flats.
Streets we regularly draw for in Kentish Town
Kentish Town Road · Fortess Road · Dartmouth Park Hill · Lady Margaret Road
Double Storey Extension Drawings for Kentish Town (NW5) homes: the package and the process
Every double storey extension drawings we prepare for an Kentish Town property is drawn to London Borough of Camden’s validation standards and tuned to the NW5 constraints above. Here is what the drawing package covers and how the process runs from first survey to approval.
A double storey extension builds a second floor above a single-storey side or rear addition, typically adding a bedroom and bathroom upstairs over a widened kitchen or reception room below. Because the foundations and roof of a single-storey extension already carry most of the fixed cost of building, adding a floor on top is often the most cost-effective way to gain two rooms rather than two separate projects. The trade-off is scrutiny: a two-storey addition sits closer to eye level with neighbouring windows and gardens, so councils examine massing, roofline and boundary distance more closely than they would a single-storey extension.
DrawingsDirect draws double storey side and rear extensions for full planning and building regulations, with structural calculations for the additional floor load and foundations produced in-house by our MCIAT-chartered team, on a fixed fee. If a single storey is enough, see our Rear Extension and Side Return Extension pages, or combine both with a Wraparound if you are extending sideways as well as up.
Do I need planning permission for a double storey extension in London?
Almost always. Permitted development rights for two-storey extensions are far more restrictive than for single-storey work, particularly on how close the new structure can come to a boundary and how closely its roof pitch and eaves height must match the existing house, so most double storey projects are drawn and submitted as full householder planning applications rather than relying on permitted development.
Where the property sits in a conservation area or is subject to an Article 4 direction, any remaining permitted development allowance for a second storey is typically removed entirely, reinforcing the need for a full application. We check your property's status and your borough's design guidance before drawing.
How do councils control the impact of a double storey extension on neighbours?
Because a second storey introduces new windows and massing at first-floor level, London boroughs apply design guidance aimed specifically at protecting neighbouring light, privacy and outlook.
- The 45-degree rule, tested at neighbouring windows, to check the extension does not block an unreasonable amount of daylight
- A common design expectation that a two-storey side extension is set in roughly 1 metre from the shared boundary, rather than built hard against it
- A first floor commonly set back from the ground floor front elevation, so the upper storey reads as subordinate to the main house from the street
- Obscure or high-level glazing on flank walls facing directly into a neighbour's garden or windows, to limit overlooking
| Option | What it adds | Typical fee |
|---|---|---|
| Single-storey rear extension | A ground-floor kitchen-diner only, may qualify for permitted development | see Rear Extension Drawings, from £1,100 |
| Double storey side or rear extension | Two rooms across two floors, usually needs full planning | Full Planning pack ~£1,600–£2,400 |
| Double storey + Building Regulations (structural) | Combined pack including structural calculations for two-floor loads and foundations | Planning + Building Regs pack ~£2,200–£3,850 |
| Wraparound (rear + side return) | Combines two single-storey extensions into one L-shaped ground floor | see Wraparound Extension Drawings, from £2,200 |
Double Storey Extension Drawings in Kentish Town NW5 — FAQs
How much does a double storey extension cost to design in London?+
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