Loft conversions in Ealing

Ealing's SPD 4 on roofs

• Dormers should be at least 0.5 metres down from the ridge, 0.5 metres in from the sides of the roof and 0.5 metres above the eaves.
• Rear dormers are generally more acceptable than side dormers; front dormers rarely are.
• Dormers shouldn't wrap around two roof slopes, rise above the ridge or take up the entire roof slope.
• Raising the ridge for headroom, and mansard extensions that change the slope of the roof, won't usually be accepted.
• Where planning permission is required, changing a hipped roof to a gable on a semi-detached or terraced house will normally be refused.

Why permitted development matters more in Ealing

Because Ealing's guidance is stricter on hip-to-gable and mansard designs, permitted development is often the more practical route for a larger loft here: up to 40 cubic metres on a terraced house and 50 cubic metres on a semi-detached or detached house, with the enlargement set back about 20 centimetres from the eaves. That route isn't available in conservation areas, or where Article 4 directions or planning conditions remove it, so we check before design work starts. Ealing also discourages balconies on roof extensions and dormers, because of overlooking and their visual impact.