# Loft conversions in Wembley

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> Hip-to-gable and rear dormer loft conversions for Wembley's 1930s semis, from a builder based at Wembley Park, with permitted development and Article 4 checks.

Most of our Wembley loft conversions are on 1930s semi-detached houses with hipped roofs, where squaring off the hip and adding a rear dormer makes room for a double bedroom and a shower room.

### The typical Wembley loft

The interwar semis of Barn Hill, Preston, North Wembley and the streets around Wembley Park were built with hipped roofs. On their own, those roofs leave too little headroom over the stairs, which is why a hip-to-gable conversion is so common here. The sloping side becomes a vertical gable wall, the new staircase can continue up in line with the existing one, and a rear dormer adds full-height space at the back. On the smaller terraces near Wembley Central, a rear dormer on its own is more usual.

### Can it be done without planning permission?

Often, if your house keeps its permitted development rights: a semi-detached house can add up to 50 cubic metres of roof space, which normally covers a hip-to-gable and rear dormer. The exceptions are the conservation areas in and around Wembley, including Barn Hill, Wembley High Street, Northwick Circle and Sudbury Court, where Article 4 directions apply and an application is needed. If you do apply, Brent's 2025 SPD supports rear dormers up to the full width of the roof, set at least 0.2 metres up from the eaves.

### Before work starts

We confirm the route with a survey and drawings, apply for a lawful development certificate where permitted development applies, serve party wall notices on the attached neighbour, and obtain Building Regulations approval for the steels, the protected staircase and the insulation. Event days at the stadium can affect deliveries and scaffolding, so we plan the programme around them.

Wembley loft conversions: common questions

Do I need a lawful development certificate for a Wembley loft conversion?

It isn't compulsory, but we recommend one when a loft is built under permitted development. It confirms the work was lawful, which helps when you sell, and it is particularly useful in Brent, where some streets are covered by Article 4 directions.

Does my neighbour have to agree to my loft conversion?

On a semi-detached house, the steels usually bear on the party wall, so you must serve notice under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996. Your neighbour can consent or appoint a surveyor, but they cannot simply block lawful work.