Rear extension drawings in East Sheen, SW14
On the larger home extension route in East Sheen, a neighbour's objection about lost sunlight means the council must judge the extension's impact on the amenity of all adjoining premises before it decides. Clear drawings of depth and height help. DrawingsDirect prepares them from £695, a fixed fee.
Fixed fee from £495 drawings + £200 survey (£695 total) · all prices
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Where sunlight objections come into a rear extension
Light is an easy loss for a neighbour to picture when a deeper back extension is proposed: a taller, longer wall beside their kitchen window or patio. How the council treats the objection depends on the route you take.
On the larger home extension prior approval route, if an adjoining owner or occupier objects, the council's decision turns on the impact on the amenity of any adjoining premises, and it must consider the amenity of all adjoining premises, not only the ones that complained (GPDO 2015, Schedule 2, Part 1, Class A.4). On a full householder application the officer weighs the same worry against the council's policies.
What the permitted depths are before you reach that point
On a terraced or semi-detached house, a single-storey extension can project 3 metres from the original rear wall without prior approval, or 4 metres if the house is detached (GPDO 2015, Schedule 2, Part 1, Class A.1(f)(i)). Under the larger home extension route those figures become 6 metres and 8 metres respectively, subject to prior approval (Class A.1(g)). The statutory fee for that prior approval, from 1 April 2026, is £249.
Staying within 3 or 4 metres removes the prior approval step, though not every other condition on the right. Those conditions are set out in the Order on legislation.gov.uk, and our prior approval glossary entry explains the extra step.
The national register shows 85 conservation-area entries for Richmond in our analysis of the MHCLG Planning Data Platform conservation-area dataset (snapshot retrieved 14 Aug 2026).
How Richmond has decided these cases
East Sheen is in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames. In the eight quarters 2024 Q3 to 2026 Q2 the council determined 177 larger home extension prior approvals and granted 74% of them (our analysis of MHCLG planning application statistics, table PS1). Those counts cover only cases where the council found prior approval was required.
On householder applications overall, Richmond granted 83% of its decisions in the four quarters 2025 Q3 to 2026 Q2 (our analysis of MHCLG planning application statistics, table PS2). Read them as background about the borough, not a forecast for your house. Our prior approval guide shows how the process runs.
Drawings that answer the light question
A neighbour's objection is easier to resolve when the officer can see the facts: how far the extension projects, how high the eaves and roof are, where the neighbour's windows are and how the roof falls. Plans, elevations and sections drawn to scale give them that, and a pitched or stepped roof shape can be shown against the flat alternative.
If you expect a dispute, a formal daylight and sunlight assessment is a separate specialist report, and a right-to-light claim is a private legal matter between neighbours that planning consent does not settle. Our rear extension drawings service covers the drawings.
Conservation areas and our fixed fee
The national register shows 85 conservation-area entries for Richmond in our analysis of the MHCLG Planning Data Platform conservation-area dataset (snapshot retrieved 14 Aug 2026). Use Richmond's map to see whether your East Sheen street is inside one before settling on permitted development; our conservation area guide explains the extra limits.
DrawingsDirect's rear extension drawings start from £695. Council fees are separate.
Sources
Every figure on this page, where it comes from and a link to the original.
| Figure | Source | Link |
|---|---|---|
| 3 metres | GPDO 2015 Sch 2 Pt 1 Class A.1(f)(i): single-storey rear extension max depth, house other than detached (source wording: 3 metres) | www.legislation.gov.uk |
| 4 metres | GPDO 2015 Sch 2 Pt 1 Class A.1(f)(i): single-storey rear extension max depth, detached house (source wording: 4 metres) | www.legislation.gov.uk |
| 6 metres | GPDO 2015 Sch 2 Pt 1 Class A.1(g): larger home extension (prior approval, A.4) max depth, house other than detached (source wording: 6 metres) | www.legislation.gov.uk |
| 8 metres | GPDO 2015 Sch 2 Pt 1 Class A.1(g): larger home extension (prior approval, A.4) max depth, detached house (source wording: 8 metres) | www.legislation.gov.uk |
| £249 | Statutory fee from 1 April 2026: prior approval for a householder larger rear extension (GPDO Part 1 Class A) | assets.publishing.service.gov.uk |
| 177 | Our analysis of MHCLG planning application statistics, table PS1 (district open data table) (released 24 Sep 2026, quarters to 2026 Q2) | www.gov.uk |
| 74% | Our analysis of MHCLG planning application statistics, table PS1 (district open data table) (released 24 Sep 2026, quarters to 2026 Q2) | www.gov.uk |
| 83% | Our analysis of MHCLG planning application statistics, table PS2 (district open data table) (released 24 Sep 2026, quarters to 2026 Q2) | www.gov.uk |
| 85 | Our analysis of MHCLG Planning Data Platform conservation-area and article-4-direction datasets (bulk snapshot retrieved 14 Aug 2026) | www.planning.data.gov.uk |
| £695 | DrawingsDirect starting fixed fee for rear extension drawings, from the published price list | drawingsdirect.co.uk |
Questions people ask
Can a neighbour stop my rear extension because of loss of sunlight?
Do I need a daylight assessment for an East Sheen extension?
Does planning permission remove a neighbour's right to light?
Photographs: David Hawgood (CC BY-SA 2.0).
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