Rear extension in Hackney

Outside a conservation area, most Hackney houses keep their full permitted development rights: a single-storey rear extension up to 3m (attached) or 4m (detached) needs no application, and the larger 6m/8m 'larger home extension' route is available too via prior approval. Inside one of Hackney's conservation areas, that basic single-storey allowance usually survives, but two-storey rear extensions lose the permitted development route entirely and always need a full application there. Hackney's Article 4 directions aren't in the national planning.data.gov.uk dataset at all — a data gap, not confirmation none apply — so a lawful development certificate or a direct check with the council is the only way to be certain before you design.

London's most active rear-extension market; contemporary design with good brickwork is mainstream.

That contemporary confidence extends across the borough's terrace stock: exposed brick, generous glazing and flat-roofed additions are standard fare on Hackney's Victorian streets, and officers weigh design quality on its own terms rather than defaulting to a period-matching brief. The distinction that actually matters for feasibility isn't style, though — it's which side of a conservation-area boundary a postcode falls on, since that decides between prior approval for a larger scheme and a full application argued on materials and neighbour daylight. Even inside the conservation areas, well-detailed modern schemes have a genuine track record of approval, not just tolerance.

Permitted development (GPDO Class A) covers single-storey rear extensions up to 3m beyond the original rear wall on attached houses and 4m on detached, with a maximum height of 4m. The 'larger home extension' route extends this to 6m/8m through prior approval with neighbour consultation — but that larger route is not available in conservation areas.

In conservation areas, the basic 3m/4m single-storey rear PD allowance usually survives — what conservation-area status removes is side extensions and two-storey rear extensions. An Article 4 direction can remove more, but Camden's directions in Hampstead and Belsize target front-and-side appearance (solar panels, window changes, boundary treatments), not the single-storey rear allowance. Flats have no PD rights at all. Two-storey rear extensions in conservation areas always need full permission.

Practical rule across London: check the address first. If a conservation area or Article 4 direction applies, budget for a full householder application decided on design, neighbour daylight (the 45-degree test) and materials.