extension leaving space for side access

[edibletreats]

hello,

our house has the potential for a side double storey extension. The area to the side of the house is 2.8 metres. We were hoping that all this could be used in the extension but our architect has advised we leave a gap of 0.8m for side access. he also said the council (redbride) will look more favourably on the application as they ultimately want to preserve the semi detached character of the properties. If we went right up to the boundary and the neighbour in the future wanted to do the same, then the properties essentially become terraced.

my question is will this still give ample space? the area will house bathrooms, a utility room, a study, a play room and a boot room. (across two floors). I'm a bit concerned that the width of

typo - the council is REDBRIDGE!

The people who owned our house before us built over the sideway (also in Redbridge). It devalued the house. It was difficult to remove garden rubbish as it all had to go through the house. However it was more secure as no gate.

It would be better to keep the side access, however you could ask the architect to make the floor above the ground floor a little wider. It's called cantilevering it I believe.

Most Council's require a 1m gap at first floor level between the flank wall and hte boundary. It is usually OK to go to the boundary at ground floor level in planning terms, although every site is different.
Some Council's also require the first floor of side extensions to be set back from the front elevation of the property. Make sure your architect is familiar with any design guidance issued by Redbridge Council.

www.redbridge.gov.uk/planning-and-building/planning-policy/supplementary-planning-documents/ Look at the Householder Design Guide and Urban design Framework here for guidance.

www.redbridge.gov.uk/media/4934/10-redbridgelocal-plan_070318_web-1.pdf Also Section 5 of the Local Plan here.

We did a very similar extension. Our first plans were rejected and we were made to leave a wider gap between the house wall and boundary. I'm not sure it was specifically for side access but the council didn't want building too close to the boundary. We are the end house in a row of semis so the boundary was actually up to the side of a field not a neighbour.
It was a bit annoying- especially as they took 3 months to approve the amended plans with the boundary gap. It set our build start date back. In hindsight though the side access is very useful and we were lucky enough to still have a wide enough extension.

You could surely build over the gap on the first and second floor while leaving space for access on the ground floor? Not having access except through the house is horrendous if there's a garden. And if you have bikes or whatever, they end up in the house rather than parked in the garden.

I'd check the house prices for people who've effectively terraced and ask if you can see other peoples'?

thanks for the comments. it seems that redbridge do like for a gap to be left between the house and the boundary. Although there are plenty of examples of where this building up the boundary has been approved. I have lived in houses with side access and without an I do see the benefits of it especially with a husband who is a keen cyclist.

we are applying for a 6m rear extension too so if that is approved, I think I could compromise on a narrower side extension as we will be adding on a lot of space through that.

Ring the council and ask for advice?

We extended up to the boundary and it’s never been a problem, apart from having to take the lawn mower through to cut the front lawn. We just got rid of the grass and planted shrubs instead. Bikes go in the garage accessed from the front.
The extra space inside more than makes up for not having a very narrow side passage. Our friends kept a passage way where bikes are dumped; it’s so narrow that all the bikes have to be moved to get one out or to get a wheelie bin past anyway.

Have a think about things like where you will store your bins, how you will clear garden waste etc- are you happy for stuff to go through house if you have no side access?

there are 2 things that instantly turn me off a house.

No side access
Shared driveway (with no way of making it unshared)

If your garden is bigger than a courtyard garden in most circumstances I would see it devaluing the house or atleast limiting your pool of future buyers. Plan to stay there forever.. doesn’t matter.

Bear in mind who owns the boundary fence too. It is is yours then you need to allow some space for that, AND space to get along the side passage. A metre is a sensible minimum for both in my view, less would make taking anything through to the back garden very awkward. Fences usually have 10cm posts so would leave 90cm width which is just bigger than a standardish exterior door width of 83.8 cm. Try taking a bike or bin down a narrow corridor!

We are currently doing this and won't have side access to the garden anymore. We decided that for the handful of times a year where we have to take things through to the garden it was worth it for the bigger space. That's just our personal preference though and we intend to stay here forever.

hmmm we are going to see what the plans look like once all drawn up and if they serve the purposes for our indoor space. We can then make a decision accordingly.

I suppose there is no harm in applying for the build up to the boundary and see what the council say. Then we will know if we even have the option of doing so or if the plans will always be rejected on that basis.