Is Ealing's SPD 4 still in force?

Ealing retained SPD 4 Residential Extensions as interim guidance after its old Unitary Development Plan was superseded in 2013, pending a replacement SPD. It is still the council's main published guidance on house extensions.

Does Ealing allow two-storey side extensions?

They are not encouraged. Where acceptable, SPD 4 expects the roof to match the main roof pitch and the ridge to be at least 0.5 metres lower than the main ridge, so the extension looks subordinate.

← Builders in Ealing

Extensions · Ealing

House extensions in Ealing

We build rear, side-return and side extensions in Ealing, mostly on Victorian, Edwardian and interwar houses, designed around the council's SPD 4 guidance.

Area: Ealing
Planning authority: London Borough of Ealing

Kitchen-diner in a side-return extension of a Victorian terraced house, with a glazed roof along an exposed London stock-brick wall and glazed doors to a small courtyard — AI-generated illustration; not a completed Mirion project.

What to know in Ealing

Ealing's SPD 4 on extensions

Rear: in most cases, a single-storey extension up to 3 metres deep and 3 metres high is acceptable if the house hasn't been extended before and lines up with its neighbour; detached houses or wider separation may allow more.
Side: single-storey side extensions should generally follow the depth of the house, be set back from the front and be no more than 3 metres high.
Two-storey side: not encouraged; where acceptable, roofed at the same pitch as the main roof, with the ridge at least 0.5 metres below the main ridge, and not with a flat roof.
Parking: if an extension removes parking spaces, including a garage, you need to show where the displaced parking will go.

SPD 4 dates from the borough's old Unitary Development Plan, but Ealing has retained it as interim guidance pending a replacement, so it is still the main published reference for householder applications, alongside the current Local Plan policies.

Permitted development and conservation areas

Outside conservation areas, permitted development allows a 3-metre rear extension (4 metres if detached) without an application, and more through prior approval. Inside Ealing's conservation areas, including the six in Hanwell, side extensions always need planning permission. See the Planning Portal's guidance for the national limits.

How we approach extensions

Our process, from survey and design to building and handover, is explained on the main service page.

Go to our main extensions page

Ealing extensions: common questions

: Ealing retained SPD 4 Residential Extensions as interim guidance after its old Unitary Development Plan was superseded in 2013, pending a replacement SPD. It is still the council's main published guidance on house extensions.
: They are not encouraged. Where acceptable, SPD 4 expects the roof to match the main roof pitch and the ridge to be at least 0.5 metres lower than the main ridge, so the extension looks subordinate.