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The rear of a brick terrace of houses, with the narrow side returns between the back wings and the next house visible

Side return extension drawings in Redbridge from £665

Ilford, Wanstead, Woodford and Barkingside: Redbridge prefers an infill that stops at the outrigger’s back wall, and treats a wrap-around with care.

£665 £515 drawings + £150 survey (£665 total), no VAT to add

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The short answer

Redbridge’s Housing Design SPD, adopted in September 2019, says the council’s preferred approach to a rear projection is an infill extension that does not go beyond the rear elevation of that projection. A wrap-around needs particularly careful consideration, with low eaves and a shallow pitch, and in every case the eaves should be kept to 2.4 metres above ground. Our fee is £515 drawings + £150 survey (£665 total), no VAT to add; the council’s fee is separate.

Side return extension drawings

from £665

Drawings
£515
Measured survey
£150
Total you pay
£665
VAT
None to add
  • A measured survey of the outrigger, the side return, the boundary walls and the neighbour’s nearest windows
  • The infill drawn to stop at the back wall of the rear projection, with eaves set at 2.4 metres
  • A wrap-around, if you want one, checked against the maximum depths in paragraph 3.2.2
  • Plans to the April 2024 validation list, and a check of your road against Redbridge’s Article 4 directions
  • The route that fits, submitted for you, with party wall notice advice

£515 drawings + £150 survey (£665 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 Redbridge side return runs

  1. Which shape

    We decide with you whether the plan is an infill, which Redbridge prefers, or a wrap-around.

  2. Survey

    We measure the return, the rear projection’s back wall and the eaves on the boundary.

  3. Design

    You pick the roof and glazing, with the 2.4 metre eaves line fixed on the drawings.

  4. Draw and submit

    We prepare the pack to the validation list and submit it.

Paragraph 3.3.5: stop at the back of the outrigger

Under the heading “Extensions to rear projections”, the SPD says the council’s preferred approach is for the infill extension not to extend beyond the rear elevation of the rear projection. Where a wrap-around is proposed, it asks for particularly careful consideration, with low eaves and shallow pitched roofs to reduce the effect on the people next door. In all instances the eaves should be kept to 2.4 metres above ground level.

A wrap-around must also stay within the maximum depths in paragraph 3.2.2, measured from the rear projection: 3.5 metres for a terraced or semi-detached house and 4.5 metres for a detached one. For example, a Wanstead terrace with a 2.5 metre outrigger can take an infill to the outrigger’s back wall without breaching anything, but a wrap-around reaching 4 metres past the main rear wall would need a case for going beyond 3.5 metres.

Heights, and where the neighbours come in

The general height rules still apply: a flat roof extension should generally be 3 metres high, with a parapet kept to 150 millimetres, and a pitched roof should have eaves no higher than 3 metres and a maximum height of 4 metres without encroaching on the first floor. The 2.4 metre rule for rear projections is tighter, so it governs a side return.

Depths greater than the guideline are acceptable only where they match the neighbours’ existing extensions, and “creep” beyond the adjoining neighbours is generally not supported.

Rear extension drawings in Redbridge

Conservation areas, validation and CIL

Many side returns fit permitted development, which allows a single-storey extension up to 4 metres high and no wider than half the original house, but not in conservation areas. Redbridge has 16 conservation areas, including the Aldersbrook and Lake House Article 4 direction of 28 October 2020, and we check your address first.

Redbridge’s April 2024 validation list asks for a roof plan on all but change-of-use applications. Redbridge CIL is £125.56 a square metre for permissions granted in 2026, on 100 square metres or more of new floor space, so a side return is outside it. Mayoral CIL is in band 2.

Side returns in Redbridge in numbers

Questions about side returns in Redbridge

How far can an infill go?

Redbridge prefers it to stop level with the back wall of the rear projection, with eaves kept to 2.4 metres.

Can I wrap the extension around the outrigger?

It is allowed but needs careful consideration: low eaves, a shallow pitch, and no deeper than 3.5 metres on a terrace or semi, 4.5 on a detached house.

Is a flat roof acceptable?

Yes, generally up to 3 metres, but the 2.4 metre eaves line is the tighter test for a side return.

Do I pay CIL on a side return?

No. It is far under the 100 square metre threshold, and the extension creates no dwelling.

See what the side of your Redbridge house can take

Send the address and a photo of the back. We reply with the route and a fixed fee, from £515 drawings + £150 survey (£665 total).

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