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The back of a semi-detached house with a rendered extension in blockwork under construction, scaffolding and building materials on the lawn

Rear extension drawings in Waltham Forest from £625

Walthamstow, Leyton, Leytonstone and Chingford: a new SPD, adopted this June, limits the height at your side boundary once you go past 3 metres.

£625 £475 drawings + £150 survey (£625 total), no VAT to add

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The short answer

Waltham Forest’s Residential Alterations and Retrofit SPD, adopted in June 2026, replaced the 2010 guide. For single-storey rear extensions where planning permission is needed, the ridge must be lower than any first-floor sill, and where the extension is over 3 metres long and the neighbour has no extension, the height at the side boundary should not exceed 2.4 metres. Our fee is £475 drawings + £150 survey (£625 total), no VAT to add; the council’s fee is separate.

Rear extension drawings

from £625

Drawings
£475
Measured survey
£150
Total you pay
£625
VAT
None to add
  • A measured survey of the back of the house, the outrigger if there is one, and the neighbours’ extensions
  • The boundary height set against the 2.4 metre guide and the first-floor sills
  • Infill and wrap-around layouts tested against the 3 metre outrigger limit
  • A check of your address against the borough’s nine Article 4 conservation areas
  • Plans to the 2025 householder checklist, and the route that fits submitted for you

£475 drawings + £150 survey (£625 total). A starting fee: we confirm one fixed figure after checking your address. The council’s own fee, where there is one, is paid to the council.

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How a Waltham Forest rear extension runs

  1. Neighbour and sill check

    We check whether the neighbour has extended and where your first-floor sills sit.

  2. Survey

    We measure the back, the outrigger and the boundary heights.

  3. Design

    You choose length and roof, with the boundary height and route written down.

  4. Draw and submit

    We prepare the pack to the 2025 checklist and submit it, then answer the case officer.

What the 2026 SPD requires

Section 7.5 of the Residential Alterations and Retrofit SPD, which the council says supersedes the 2010 Residential Extensions and Alterations SPD, sets rules for a single-storey rear extension needing permission. The ridge must be lower than the sill of any first-floor window, and the remaining garden must be of a good size, quality and usable. For terraced or semi-detached houses with no extension at the immediate neighbour, extensions longer than 3 metres should not exceed 2.4 metres in height at the side boundary, measured from the adjoining ground.

There is no stated maximum depth: length and boundary height work together. For example, a 4 metre kitchen next to an unextended neighbour needs the boundary wall and eaves at 2.4 metres or less, which usually means a roof that slopes up and away from the boundary or a lantern in the middle.

Infills, wrap-arounds and balconies

Most Waltham Forest houses are Victorian or Edwardian terraces with an outrigger. For an infill, which fills the side space between an outrigger and the side boundary, the ridge must be below the first-floor sills and the boundary height no more than 2.4 metres where the neighbour has not extended. A wrap-around must not extend more than 3 metres from the end wall of the outrigger, and also needs a lightwell or skylight for daylight and ventilation.

Balconies and terraces on an extension roof may be supported case by case. Under Class A permitted development gives 3 or 4 metres, or 6 and 8 with prior approval, but nine borough conservation areas have Article 4 directions on single dwelling houses, so we check your road.

Side return extension drawings

Validation and CIL

For validation, the 2025 householder checklist wants a scale bar of 5 metres on every drawing, paper no larger than A3, and a fire safety strategy or reasonable exception statement. The council writes within 10 working days about missing information and allows 21 days to put it right.

Waltham Forest CIL is £108.79 or £117.15 a square metre for permissions granted in 2026, on 100 square metres or more of new floor space, so a typical extension is outside it. Mayoral CIL is in band 2.

Rear extensions in Waltham Forest in numbers

Questions about rear extensions in Waltham Forest

How deep can I go in Waltham Forest?

The SPD sets no depth. Past 3 metres, with an unextended neighbour, the height at the side boundary should be no more than 2.4 metres. Permitted development gives more through prior approval.

Why does my first-floor window matter?

The ridge of a single-storey extension must be lower than the sill of any first-floor window, so the roof cannot rise in front of it.

Can I wrap the extension round the outrigger?

Yes, but no more than 3 metres from the outrigger’s end wall, with boundary height of 2.4 metres or less.

Do I pay CIL on a kitchen extension?

Not normally. CIL applies from 100 square metres of new floor space or a new dwelling.

See how far your Waltham Forest house can go

Send the address and a photo of the back. We reply with the route and a fixed fee, from £475 drawings + £150 survey (£625 total).

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