020 8004 4464Discuss your project

CASE STUDY · APPROVED

New side windows and widened rear French doors in an Article 4 conservation area

Hale Gardens, Acton · London Borough of Ealing

Planning permission was sought to add two ground-floor side windows and widen the rear doors of a semi-detached house in a conservation area covered by an Article 4 direction. We prepared the Design and Access Statement, Heritage Statement and the full drawing set, including 1:20 window and door details.

Rear of the house and garden before works (Design and Access Statement)
Rear of the house and garden before works (Design and Access Statement)

The site

The site is a two-storey, 19th-century semi-detached house of red facing brick with painted stucco mouldings, an original slate roof and painted timber sash windows. It lies in the Creffield Conservation Area, which was designated in 1993 and extended in 2004 to include the road. The area is covered by an Article 4 direction and is an archaeological priority area. A Grade II listed war memorial stands opposite and a locally listed church about 16m away.

The challenge

Because of the Article 4 direction, even minor window and door changes needed planning permission. These had to meet the council's conservation guidance on frame material, proportions, glazing bars and brick detailing. The new openings had to bring light and ventilation into the open-plan kitchen and dining area without harming the house or the wider conservation area.

What was submitted

  1. Design and Access StatementExplained how the two obscure-glazed side windows and the wider rear doors would light and ventilate the ground-floor dining area. It tested the scheme against London Plan policies D3, D4 and HC1, Ealing policies 7.4, 7B and 7C, SPD4 and the council's 2023 Generic Management Plan for Conservation Areas. It also cited approved precedents nearby.
  2. Heritage StatementAssessed the significance of the conservation area and the nearby listed and locally listed buildings. It concluded the new windows would be visible only from within the property and not from the street or bordering properties. Soldier-brick heads and matched door proportions were used to keep the existing character.
  3. Proposed window and door details (1:20)Detailed obscure-glazed, black aluminium-framed side windows 1350mm by 350mm, and a double-glazed French door set 2250mm wide by 2400mm high, made up of 1300mm doors and 475mm side panels, in black-painted aluminium.
  4. Existing and proposed plans, elevations and sectionPlans, elevations and a section showed that the front elevation, first floor and roof were unchanged, with the work limited to the ground-floor side and rear.

Outcome

The London Borough of Ealing approved the side windows and rear door alterations on 6 September 2024. The property already had approvals for a single-storey rear extension (225040HH) and a rear dormer roof extension (224949HH).

From the reports

Proposed window and French door details with sections at 1:20 (Proposed window and door details)
Proposed window and French door details with sections at 1:20 (Proposed window and door details)
Proposed rear elevation showing the widened French doors (Design and Access Statement)
Proposed rear elevation showing the widened French doors (Design and Access Statement)

Images and findings are taken from the documents submitted with the planning application. The full application is available on the council's planning register.

YOUR NEXT STEP

Planning something similar?

Tell us about the site and what you want to achieve. We will tell you which reports the council is likely to need and what they should cost.

Call 020 8004 4464 or email info@greencodeconsultants.com.

Make an enquiry