Kitchen Extensions on a Victorian Terrace house - Can they still be constructed without formal Planning Permission?

The design of most traditional Victorian terraced houses usually have a rear projection or tower often housing the kitchen and bathroom at he ground floor level - well originally anyway. This rear projection often left a gap to one of the neighbouring boundaries which was very popular for filling in with a kitchen extension. Until October 2008, most could be constructed under the sited permitted development allowances without formal Planning Permission.

After this date the PD rules changed and many kitchen extensions to Victorian terrace houses can no longer be erected under permitted development. This is mainly due to technicalities with the wording of the new PD rules which are at best vague and at worst very confusing. Even the appeal inspectors cannot agree on some real core issues of detail.

Therefore, our recommendation is to seek professional advise from an experienced house extension designer or architect right from the start as many of these side/rear infill kitchen extensions to Victorian Terraced houses are no longer allowed even under formal Planning Consent. This is because most kitchen extensions to Victorian terraced houses will interfere or block rights of light to the adjoining neighbours habitable room windows.

Most Planning policy for which house extensions are judged against will have some form of policy wording on protecting neighbours light to habitable room windows and to their private amenity areas. Much of this planning policy is very restrictive and simplistic which is usually enough ammunition for the Planners to refuse your kitchen extension on a Victorian terrace house.

Sometimes it is possible to amend the design of the kitchen extension on a Victorian terraced house by trying to reduce its height and bulk to minimal levels. If this is possible the homeowner is still able to benefit from the additional floor area created but within the extension there may be an element of reduced head height from the sloping ceiling line for example.