Rear Extension Drawings in Golders Green NW11
Fixed-fee, MCIAT-chartered rear extension drawings for Golders Green (NW11) homeowners — London Borough of Barnet validation and local constraints handled from the start.
Golders Green (NW11) contains two very different designations. The Golders Green conservation area covers the Edwardian and interwar core around Golders Green Road and Hoop Lane. To the north-east lies Hampstead Garden Suburb — a planned Arts and Crafts estate that is one of the most tightly controlled residential environments in London, and Barnet has an Article 4 direction covering it.
That Article 4 direction is the single most important fact for anyone building in the Suburb: it removes permitted development rights across the conservation area, so even modest external work needs a full planning application. Because the Suburb was designed as a complete composition, the controls extend past the buildings to the hedge lines, materials and rooflines that make up the original scheme — a level of detail most London conservation areas do not reach. Barnet's separate HMO Article 4 direction removes the permitted change to small houses in multiple occupation across the district. We establish whether an NW11 address is inside the Suburb boundary before drawing to Barnet's guidance, because the answer changes the entire route to consent.
Planning in Golders Green (NW11): what to know before you apply
NW11 spans two conservation areas with very different regimes. Hampstead Garden Suburb is covered by a Barnet Article 4 direction removing permitted development rights across the Suburb, so even modest external alterations need a full planning application, and because the Suburb is a planned Arts and Crafts composition the controls extend to hedge lines, materials and rooflines as part of the original design. The Golders Green conservation area controls the Edwardian and interwar core around Golders Green Road. Barnet's HMO Article 4 direction also removes the permitted change to small houses in multiple occupation across the district.
Typical Golders Green housing stock
Edwardian and interwar semi-detached and detached houses around Golders Green Road and Hoop Lane, and the planned Arts and Crafts housing of Hampstead Garden Suburb toward Temple Fortune.
Streets we regularly draw for in Golders Green
Golders Green Road · Finchley Road · Hoop Lane · Temple Fortune Lane
What NW11 is actually built of
Measured from 428 classified residential buildings in NW11, not from a description of the area.
Golders Green NW11 housing mix
Residential building form across the NW11 postcode district, from 428 classified buildings.
| Attached on more than one side | 21% |
|---|---|
| Attached on one side | 61% |
| Detached | 18% |
| Median building footprint | 95 m² |
| Addresses per buildingAbove about 2 means flats and maisonettes dominate | 1.51 |
| Buildings classified | 428 |
Source: Ordnance Survey National Geographic Database (derived statistics). Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains Royal Mail data © Royal Mail copyright and database right 2026. Extracted 2026-08-17.
Rear Extension Drawings for Golders Green (NW11) homes: the package and the process
Depth is the number the application turns on, and it has to be measured from the original rear wall of the house rather than from whatever is there now. The drawings carry that dimension, the eaves and ridge heights, the position of any rooflight, and the boundary distances on both sides.
Where the scheme goes beyond the standard allowance and relies on the larger home extension route, the drawings serve a second purpose: they are what the council sends to the neighbours during the consultation. A clear, dimensioned proposed elevation answers the objection about overshadowing before it is made.
Depth is limited by the plot as much as by the rules. A long garden behind a terrace can take the full allowance, while a short one runs out before the rules do — and on a semi or detached house the same depth reads very differently from the boundary.
Do I need planning permission for a rear extension in London?
Many single-storey rear extensions qualify as permitted development, meaning no planning application is needed, provided depth, height and materials stay within set limits. That changes if your property sits in a conservation area or is subject to an Article 4 direction, both of which can remove permitted development rights across a street or borough — in that case a full householder planning application is required regardless of size.
Even where an extension qualifies, most homeowners obtain a Lawful Development Certificate to confirm that status in writing before building — useful for mortgage lenders, buyers and Building Control. We check your property against your borough's constraints before recommending a route.
How deep can a single-storey rear extension go?
Depth is the main constraint on a rear extension, and it depends on your house type and whether you use standard permitted development or the larger home extension scheme.
Permitted development
Standard permitted development allows a single-storey rear extension up to 3 metres deep for terraced and semi-detached houses, or 4 metres for detached houses, generally with eaves height limited to match or stay close to the existing house.
Larger home extension scheme
The prior-approval scheme extends this to 6 metres for terraced and semi-detached houses and 8 metres for detached houses. Your council writes to affected neighbours; if none object within the notification period, approval follows without a full planning application. If an objection is raised, the council assesses the impact on neighbouring light and outlook itself, rather than automatically refusing, so a well-considered design still has a good chance of approval.
Designing the kitchen-diner: rooflights, bi-folds and daylight
Most rear extensions exist to create one open-plan kitchen, dining and living space, so the drawing work focuses on getting light and flow right within the depth you are allowed.
- Structural opening sized for bi-fold or sliding doors across most of the rear elevation
- Rooflights or a roof lantern positioned to light the centre of the room, away from the shadow line of the main house
- Open-plan layout tested against the 45-degree rule, which protects daylight to your neighbours' windows and can limit how close a flank wall or roof comes to the boundary
- Floor build-up and threshold detail coordinated so the new floor meets the existing one without a step
| Route | When it applies | Typical fee |
|---|---|---|
| Permitted development (Lawful Development Certificate) | Depth within 3m (terraced/semi) or 4m (detached), height and materials within PD limits | PD/LDC pack ~£950–£1,450 |
| Larger home extension (prior approval) | Depth up to 6m (terraced/semi) or 8m (detached), with neighbour notification | from £1,100 |
| Full householder planning permission | Extension exceeds PD/larger-home limits, or the property is in a conservation area with an Article 4 direction | Full Planning pack ~£1,600–£2,400 |
| Planning + Building Regulations (structural) | Combined planning and construction-ready pack with structural calculations for the opening and roof | Planning + Building Regs pack ~£2,200–£3,850 |
Rear Extension Drawings in Golders Green NW11 — FAQs
How much does a rear extension cost to design in London?+
Do I need an architect for a rear extension?+
How long does it take to get rear extension drawings?+
What is the 45-degree rule?+
Will I need a Party Wall Agreement for a rear extension?+
Do I need planning permission for a loft or extension in Barnet?+
What is different about building in Hampstead Garden Suburb?+
Is a hip-to-gable loft conversion allowed on my Barnet semi?+
How long does Barnet take to decide an application?+
How much do Barnet planning drawings cost?+
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