Rear extensions and side returns
Adding a single-storey rear extension is one of the go-to ways to gain a bigger kitchen or living area, while a side-return extension closes off the narrow strip of garden running down the side of a house, a route often taken on terraced and semi-detached homes to open up an existing kitchen.
Permitted development and planning permission
A good number of single-storey extensions qualify under permitted development, provided they stay within set limits on depth, height and how much garden gets built over, though those limits are stricter for terraced and semi-detached houses than for detached ones. A project that goes past those limits needs a full planning application, and GOV.UK sets out the general position on when that's required.
Party walls and neighbours
Building an extension on or close to a boundary, or one that touches a shared wall, brings the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 into the picture, a formal process for giving neighbours notice and settling any objection before work gets underway. GOV.UK's guidance on the Act sets out when a notice is required and what it needs to include.
Foundations and matching materials
Foundation depth depends on ground conditions and anything nearby, including trees, whose roots can affect how the soil behaves, something worth flagging on the sandy Lower Greensand ground found through much of the Godalming area. Getting the brick, render or roof tiles to match the existing house tends to come up as part of the design conversation with an installer, especially where the extension will be visible from the road.
Frequently asked questions
Will a rear extension need planning permission?+
Frequently not, provided it stays inside permitted development limits, though those limits vary by house type and how much building has already taken place on the plot. It's worth confirming with the council responsible for your specific property.
What's a side-return extension?+
It's an extension built into the narrow side passage running along a house, a common choice on terraced and semi-detached homes looking to open up a kitchen or living area.
Will I need to notify my neighbours?+
Where the extension sits on or near a shared boundary or touches a party wall, the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 may call for formal notice, so it's sensible to raise this with your installer at an early stage.
Useful local links
- Waverley Borough Council – Do I need planning permission? — The planning authority covering Godalming and most of the surrounding villages.
- Guildford Borough Council – Do I need planning permission? — The planning authority covering Guildford and the villages to its west and south, a different borough from Waverley.
- GOV.UK – Planning permission: when you need it — Government guidance on when planning permission is required in England and Wales.
- GOV.UK – Party Wall etc. Act 1996 guidance — Government guidance on notifying neighbours and resolving disputes over shared or boundary walls, relevant to attached garage conversions.
- Planning Portal – Garage conversion — National guidance on when planning permission is needed for a garage conversion in England.
- Planning Portal – Outbuildings — National guidance on permitted development rules for garden buildings and outbuildings, including height and coverage limits.