What a completed Wren application actually looks like.

This Planning Statement has been prepared in support of a householder planning application for the erection of a single-storey rear extension at 42 Elgin Avenue, Maida Vale, London, W9 1JR. The application is submitted to the City of Westminster as the Local Planning Authority (LPA).

The proposal comprises the erection of a single-storey rear extension to the kitchen, projecting 4 metres from the original rear elevation. The extension features a flat roof incorporating a rooflight, external walls of London stock brick to match the existing dwelling, and bi-fold doors opening onto the rear garden.

The site falls within the Maida Vale Conservation Area and is subject to an Article 4 Direction that removes permitted development rights for basement development. The proposed works are entirely at ground-floor level to the rear of the host dwelling and do not engage the Article 4 Direction. The building is not listed.

This statement demonstrates that the proposal accords with the development plan, in particular the Westminster City Plan 2019-2040 (2021) and the National Planning Policy Framework (December 2024) (NPPF), and that there are no material considerations that weigh against the grant of permission.

The application site is located at 42 Elgin Avenue, Maida Vale, London, W9 1JR. The site has an area of 300 square metres (0.03 hectares) as drawn on the application boundary plan.

Elgin Avenue is a residential street in the Maida Vale area of the City of Westminster. The character of the immediate locality is predominantly Victorian and Edwardian terraced and semi-detached housing, typically constructed in London stock brick with stucco detailing to front elevations and pitched or mansard roof forms. Rear gardens are a consistent feature of the streetscape pattern.

The site falls within the Maida Vale Conservation Area, which is characterised by its well-preserved late-Victorian and Edwardian residential townscape, consistent building lines, ornate stucco detailing, and mature tree cover.

The building is not listed. No listed buildings have been identified within 500 metres of the application site.

The site is in Flood Zone 1 (low risk) as defined by the Environment Agency and is not within the Green Belt.

The Article 4 Direction applicable to the site removes permitted development rights for basement development. The proposed works are above ground level and are unaffected by this Direction.

[TO BE CONFIRMED: number of storeys and existing floor plan of the host dwelling from architectural drawings]

[TO BE CONFIRMED: existing use of the property - assumed single dwellinghouse (Use Class C3)]

No planning history records were returned by our data sources (planning.data.gov.uk / PlanIt) for this site. The reviewer should verify the LPA's own online planning register to confirm whether any prior applications have been made and determined in relation to 42 Elgin Avenue.

The proposal constitutes a householder extension to an existing single-family dwellinghouse. No change of use is involved. The principle of extending a residential property to improve its accommodation is well-established in planning policy.

Section 38(6) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 requires that applications be determined in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise (NPPF para 47). The development plan for this site comprises the Westminster City Plan 2019-2040 (2021).

Westminster City Plan 2019-2040 Policy 8 protects all existing residential units, uses, floorspace and land, and supports the delivery of new homes including through appropriate extensions. Policy 12 requires all new homes and residential extensions to provide a well-designed, energy-efficient and high-quality living environment. The proposal enhances the residential accommodation of the existing dwelling and does not involve any loss of residential floorspace or any change of use.

The NPPF at paragraph 11 establishes a presumption in favour of sustainable development, requiring that applications that accord with an up-to-date development plan be approved without delay. The proposal is consistent with that presumption.

LPA decision-makers are encouraged to approach decisions in a positive and creative way and to work proactively with applicants (NPPF para 38). No policy objection to the principle of this form of development has been identified.

The proposal has been assessed against the relevant policies of the Westminster City Plan 2019-2040 (2021) and the NPPF (December 2024). The principal policies engaged are set out below.

Westminster City Plan 2019-2040

• Policy 7 requires development to be neighbourly, protecting amenity in terms of daylight, sunlight, sense of enclosure, overshadowing, privacy and overlooking. The assessment of these matters is set out in the Residential Amenity section below.
• Policy 12 requires residential extensions to provide a well-designed, energy-efficient and high-quality living environment and to meet the Nationally Described Space Standards where units are self-contained. As the works extend an existing dwelling rather than create a new self-contained unit, the Space Standards do not apply to this proposal. The extension is designed to a high quality and will improve the living conditions of the occupiers.
• Policy 38 requires new development to incorporate exemplary standards of urban design and architecture, to positively contribute to Westminster's townscape and streetscape, and to respect the character and appearance of the existing area, adjacent buildings and heritage assets. The use of London stock brick to match the existing dwelling responds directly to this requirement.
• Policy 39 requires development to preserve or enhance the character and appearance of Westminster's conservation areas. The assessment is provided in the Heritage Impact section below.
• Policy 40 requires alterations and extensions to respect the character of the existing and adjoining buildings, avoid adverse visual and amenity impacts, and not obscure important architectural features or disrupt uniformity, patterns, rhythms or groupings that contribute positively to Westminster's distinctive townscape.

NPPF (December 2024)

Chapter 12 of the NPPF requires development to be visually attractive, sympathetic to local character and history, and to maintain a strong sense of place (NPPF para 130(b), 130(c)). The proposal satisfies these requirements through the careful choice of matching materials and a subservient rear position. Development of poor design that fails to take available opportunities for improving character and quality should be refused (NPPF para 131); the proposal does not fall into that category.

The proposed single-storey rear extension has been designed to be subordinate to and compatible with the host dwelling and the wider Maida Vale Conservation Area.

Form and Scale

The extension projects 4 metres from the original rear elevation of the host dwelling at single-storey height. A flat roof form is proposed, which is an established and widely accepted approach for rear extensions in the Victorian and Edwardian residential stock of the Maida Vale area, where it avoids competition with the original pitched or parapet roof form of the main building. The rooflight introduces natural light into the extended kitchen without adding visual bulk above the ridge line of the extension.

[TO BE CONFIRMED: eaves height and overall height of proposed extension from elevations]

[TO BE CONFIRMED: width of proposed extension from elevations and floor plans]

Materials

The external walls are to be constructed in London stock brick to match the existing dwelling. This choice directly responds to the requirements of Westminster City Plan 2019-2040 Policy 38 and Policy 40, which require that alterations and extensions respect the character of the existing and adjoining buildings and use materials that positively contribute to Westminster's townscape. London stock brick is the characteristic building material of the Victorian and Edwardian terrace typology prevalent throughout the Maida Vale Conservation Area.

Public Visibility

The extension is positioned to the rear of the dwelling and will not be visible from Elgin Avenue or the principal public vantage points of the street. It will be visible only from the rear garden and potentially from the rear windows and gardens of immediately adjoining properties. Its impact on the public realm and the streetscape character of the conservation area is therefore negligible.

Bi-fold Doors

The bi-fold doors opening onto the rear garden are a functional and proportionate element that improves the relationship between the kitchen and the outdoor amenity space. Their design and materials should be confirmed by the architect's specification to ensure compatibility with the host building and the conservation area.

[TO BE CONFIRMED: material, colour and finish of bi-fold doors from architect's specification]

The proposal accords with Westminster City Plan 2019-2040 Policies 38 and 40, and with NPPF paras 130(b), 130(c) and 135.

Westminster City Plan 2019-2040 Policy 7 requires development to protect and, where appropriate, enhance amenity by preventing unacceptable impacts in terms of daylight and sunlight, sense of enclosure, overshadowing, privacy and overlooking. NPPF para 130(f) requires development to create places with a high standard of amenity for existing and future users.

Daylight and Sunlight

The extension projects 4 metres from the original rear elevation at single-storey height and is therefore of a modest scale. Its capacity to reduce daylight or sunlight to adjoining properties depends on its height, its proximity to shared boundaries, and the orientation of neighbouring windows. A full assessment requires the measured drawings.

[TO BE CONFIRMED: distance from the proposed extension to each shared side boundary from site survey or drawings]

[TO BE CONFIRMED: height of proposed extension from finished floor level to top of flat roof from elevations]

On the basis of the information available, a single-storey flat-roof extension projecting 4 metres to the rear is a scale of addition that, in the typical Victorian and Edwardian terrace typology of Maida Vale, would not ordinarily cause a material reduction in daylight or sunlight to neighbouring dwellings, provided it is set away from the shared boundaries or does not significantly exceed the 45-degree envelope from the nearest neighbouring windows. The reviewer should confirm this assessment against the drawn proposals and, if any adjoining windows are close to the boundary, commission a daylight and sunlight assessment in accordance with the BRE guide 'Site Layout Planning for Daylight and Sunlight' (2022).

Overshadowing

The flat roof at single-storey height will cast a shadow into the rear gardens of the application site and potentially over the boundaries to adjoining properties. Given the modest projection and low height, overshadowing of neighbouring amenity spaces is unlikely to be significant, but the reviewer should verify this against the orientation of the site and the height confirmed on the drawings.

[TO BE CONFIRMED: site orientation and position of rear garden relative to neighbours, from site survey]

Privacy and Overlooking

The rooflight in the flat roof will be at or near ceiling level and, as a fixed overhead light, will not give rise to direct overlooking of neighbouring properties. The bi-fold doors open at ground level onto the rear garden and do not create any elevated viewing position. No overlooking concern is anticipated, but the reviewer should confirm the rooflight specification (fixed vs. opening, obscure vs. clear glazing) to ensure consistency with this assessment.

[TO BE CONFIRMED: rooflight specification (fixed or opening, clear or obscure glazed) from architect's drawings]

Sense of Enclosure

The extension is set within the curtilage of the application site and, at single-storey height, will not create a sense of enclosure for occupiers of adjoining properties materially beyond that created by the existing boundary conditions.

Subject to confirmation of the dimensions and the boundary distances noted above, the proposal is considered to comply with Westminster City Plan 2019-2040 Policy 7.

The application proposes an extension to an existing single dwellinghouse in residential use (Use Class C3). No commercial or non-residential use is present within the building or proposed as part of this application. The extended kitchen will be used for domestic purposes only.

There is therefore no noise or disturbance concern arising from the juxtaposition of a commercial use with new residential accommodation. Westminster City Plan 2019-2040 Policy 33 requires development to prevent adverse effects of noise and vibration and to minimise noise impacts on residential and sensitive uses; the proposal does not introduce any new noise-generating use and will not create any adverse noise environment for existing or future occupiers of the dwelling or neighbouring properties.

Construction noise and disturbance are a temporary material consideration. Any permission granted should be subject to a standard construction hours condition and the applicant should comply with Westminster's Code of Construction Practice (CoCP) as required by Policy 33F of the Westminster City Plan 2019-2040. Given the scale of the works, no formal Construction Logistics Plan is considered necessary, but the reviewer should advise the applicant of the CoCP obligations.

No acoustic report is required for this proposal.

The proposal involves the extension of an existing single dwellinghouse. No new dwelling units are created and no new residential floorspace is delivered by way of a separate self-contained unit.

Westminster City Plan 2019-2040 Policy 9 requires a minimum of 35% affordable housing provision where a development has a site area of 0.5 hectares or more, proposes ten or more residential units, or proposes 1,000 square metres or more of residential floorspace for sale or rent. The application does not meet any of these thresholds: the site area is 300 square metres (0.03 hectares), one existing dwelling is extended (not created), no new units are proposed, and the additional floorspace will be significantly below 1,000 square metres.

Policy 9D provides that a payment in lieu to the council's Affordable Housing Fund may be accepted only as a last resort where no sites are available for off-site provision. This route applies only where the Policy 9B thresholds are triggered. As those thresholds are not engaged by this proposal, no affordable housing contribution or payment in lieu is required.

The City of Westminster's Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) applies a residential rate of £550.00 per square metre. CIL liability is calculated on the net additional floorspace created. The gross internal area of the proposed extension should be confirmed from the architectural drawings to allow the applicant's CIL liability to be accurately calculated prior to submission.

[TO BE CONFIRMED: gross internal area (GIA) of proposed extension from floor plans, for CIL calculation purposes]

Conservation Area

The application site falls within the Maida Vale Conservation Area. Westminster City Plan 2019-2040 Policy 39K requires development to preserve or enhance the character and appearance of Westminster's conservation areas. Policy 39L establishes a presumption that unlisted buildings making a positive contribution to a conservation area will be conserved, and that buildings making a negative or neutral contribution may be replaced or refurbished where this results in a high-quality building that improves their appearance in the conservation area context. Policy 40D requires alterations and extensions to respect the character of existing and adjoining buildings.

The NPPF at paragraph 197 requires applicants to describe the significance of heritage assets affected, with the level of detail proportionate to the asset's importance. Paragraph 200 requires the LPA to identify and assess the particular significance of any heritage asset that may be affected. Where development leads to less than substantial harm to a designated heritage asset, paragraph 208 requires that harm to be weighed against the public benefits of the proposal.

The Maida Vale Conservation Area is characterised by its cohesive late-Victorian and Edwardian residential streetscape, built predominantly in London stock brick with stucco detailing to principal elevations, and by its mature garden settings to the rear. The character and significance of the conservation area derives principally from the consistency of the principal front elevations, building lines, plot widths and roofscape as viewed from the public realm.

Assessment

The proposed extension is located entirely to the rear of the host dwelling and will not be visible from Elgin Avenue or other public vantage points within the conservation area. It will not affect the established building line, the front elevation, the roofscape as seen from the street, or any other feature that contributes to the public-facing character of the conservation area.

The choice of London stock brick to match the existing dwelling ensures that the extension, to the extent it can be seen from rear gardens or from within the curtilage, will be visually compatible with the host building and the prevailing material palette of the conservation area.

The building is not listed. No listed buildings have been identified within 500 metres of the application site. No setting impact on any listed building arises from this proposal.

The proposal does not engage the Article 4 Direction (which removes permitted development rights for basement development only) and does not propose any works of a character that would require Listed Building Consent.

Conclusion

The proposal will preserve the character and appearance of the Maida Vale Conservation Area in accordance with Westminster City Plan 2019-2040 Policies 39 and 40. No harm to the significance of any designated heritage asset is identified. The proposal is consistent with NPPF paras 197, 200 and 208.

The proposal involves a single-storey rear kitchen extension to an existing residential dwelling. It does not involve any change of use, intensification of use, or reconfiguration of the site's access arrangements. No new vehicular access or alterations to the highway are proposed.

The extension will accommodate domestic kitchen use and is not expected to generate any additional trips to or from the site beyond those already associated with the existing residential use. No highways impact arises from the proposal.

Westminster City Plan 2019-2040 Policy 24 supports a sustainable pattern of development that maximises trips by sustainable modes. The application site on Elgin Avenue, Maida Vale is in a highly accessible inner-London location with good access to public transport. The proposal does not alter the site's transport characteristics.

Policy 27 applies the London Plan parking standards. No additional parking provision is required or proposed. No alteration to boundary treatments or provision of a new vehicular crossover is proposed. NPPF para 111 provides that development should only be refused on highways grounds if there would be an unacceptable impact on highway safety or severe residual cumulative impacts on the road network. No such impact arises from this proposal.

No Delivery and Servicing Plan, Construction Logistics Plan or Transport Assessment is required for a domestic extension of this scale.

Westminster City Plan 2019-2040 Policy 36 promotes zero-carbon development and requires all development to reduce on-site energy demand and maximise the use of low-carbon energy sources, following the Mayor of London's energy hierarchy. Policy 38D requires development to enable the extended lifetime of buildings through the use of high-quality durable materials, optimisation of resource and water efficiency, and minimisation of the need for plant and machinery.

The proposal is a small-scale householder extension. The requirement for a full energy strategy applies to major developments. Nevertheless, the following sustainability measures are relevant and should be incorporated where practicable:

• The rooflight provides natural daylighting to the extended kitchen, reducing the need for artificial lighting and thereby improving the energy performance of the space.
• The use of London stock brick, a robust and durable material, is consistent with Policy 38D's requirement for high-quality durable materials that extend the building's lifetime.
• The bi-fold doors, if thermally broken and double- or triple-glazed, will contribute to the thermal performance of the extension. The specification should comply with Building Regulations Part L (Conservation of Fuel and Power) as a minimum.

[TO BE CONFIRMED: glazing specification (thermal performance / U-values) for bi-fold doors and rooflight from architect's specification]

Westminster City Plan 2019-2040 Policy 34 encourages developments to contribute to the greening of Westminster by incorporating green features. The retention of the rear garden and the use of permeable or planted surfaces where possible around the extension footprint would support the green infrastructure network of the conservation area.

[TO BE CONFIRMED: whether any soft landscaping or permeable surfacing is proposed around the extension in the rear garden]

No SuDS assessment is required for a development of this scale in Flood Zone 1, though Policy 35J encourages all new development to incorporate SuDS to manage surface water. The flat roof could incorporate a green roof or blue roof element as a proportionate sustainability measure; the reviewer should advise the applicant of this opportunity.

The proposal is consistent with Westminster City Plan 2019-2040 Policies 36 and 38.

This Planning Statement has demonstrated that the proposed single-storey rear extension at 42 Elgin Avenue, Maida Vale, London, W9 1JR is acceptable in planning terms.

The key conclusions are as follows:

• Principle: The extension of an existing dwellinghouse is acceptable in principle, consistent with Westminster City Plan 2019-2040 Policy 8 and the NPPF's presumption in favour of sustainable development (NPPF para 11).
• Design: The extension is modest in scale, subordinate to the host dwelling, and employs matching London stock brick materials. It responds positively to the requirements of Westminster City Plan 2019-2040 Policies 38 and 40, and NPPF paras 130 and 135.
• Heritage: The extension is entirely to the rear of the host dwelling and will not be visible from the public realm of the Maida Vale Conservation Area. No harm to the character or appearance of the conservation area or the significance of any designated heritage asset is identified. The proposal accords with Westminster City Plan 2019-2040 Policies 39 and 40, and NPPF paras 197, 200 and 208.
• Amenity: Subject to confirmation of the drawn dimensions and boundary distances, the proposal is not expected to cause unacceptable impacts on the amenity of neighbouring occupiers in terms of daylight, sunlight, overshadowing, privacy or overlooking, consistent with Westminster City Plan 2019-2040 Policy 7 and NPPF para 130(f).
• Noise: No noise or disturbance concern arises. The proposal is consistent with Westminster City Plan 2019-2040 Policy 33.
• Affordable housing: The proposal does not trigger the affordable housing thresholds in Westminster City Plan 2019-2040 Policy 9 and no contribution is required. CIL liability should be calculated on the confirmed GIA of the extension at the applicable rate of £550.00 per square metre.
• Highways: No highways or parking impact arises. The proposal is consistent with Westminster City Plan 2019-2040 Policies 24 and 27, and NPPF para 111.
• Sustainability: The extension incorporates features that support sustainable design in accordance with Westminster City Plan 2019-2040 Policies 36 and 38.
• Flood risk: The site is in Flood Zone 1 (low risk). No flood risk assessment is required.

No material considerations have been identified that would weigh against the grant of planning permission. The application should be approved in accordance with section 38(6) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 and NPPF para 47.