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What can I build, and will it pay? The planning rules, what neighbours have built, planning decisions, energy upgrades, and whether extending pays.
| California | Birmingham | England and Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Postcodes in a conservation area | 1% | 4% | 10% |
| Postcodes under an Article 4 direction | 100% | 100% | 16% |
| Listed buildings | 3 | 4 | 12 |
| Postcodes in a tree preservation order zone | 86% | 40% | 3% |
| Flats | 9% | 24% | 22% |
| Building | Grade | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| Remains of Weoley Castle | II | 190 m |
| Stone House Farmhouse | II | 260 m |
| Home Farm | II | 520 m |
| Harborne Home Barn and Farmbuildings Adjoining | II | 550 m |
Grade I and II* are the most important few per cent. Listing means consent is needed for most changes, inside and out. Contains Historic England data © Historic England 2026 (via planning.data.gov.uk), OGL.
planning.data.gov.uk (OGL), Historic England. The rules at one address are on its postcode's Improving page. General guidance, not planning advice.
| Home | Work | Seen | Space added | Rooms |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 332, Alwold Road | Extension | 2026 | +13 m² | 3 → 4 |
| 75, Weymoor Road | Extension | 2026 | +28 m² | 5 → 5 |
| 123, Kemberton Road | Extension | 2026 | +50 m² | 4 → 5 |
| 24, Weymoor Road | Extension | 2026 | +9 m² | 4 → 5 |
| 72, Beckbury Road | Extension | 2026 | +44 m² | 4 → 7 |
| 217, Quinton Road | Extension | 2026 | +10 m² | 6 → 6 |
| 47, Derry Close | Extension | 2025 | +9 m² | 4 → 5 |
| 3, St Andrews Close | Extension | 2025 | +27 m² | 5 → 6 |
| 96, Osmaston Road | Extension | 2025 | +57 m² | – |
| 45, Burnel Road | Extension | 2025 | +22 m² | – |
Planning applications outside London aren't published as open data yet, so search the council's own register: the drawings, the decision and the agent are there. Find the council's planning register on GOV.UK ↗
| California | Birmingham | England and Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rated A or B | 2% | 8% | 12% |
| Rated E, F or G | 15% | 20% | 16% |
| Homes on mains gas | 99% | 89% | 86% |
| Gas use per home (kWh a year) | 10,809 | 12,721 | 11,043 |
| Households in fuel poverty | 14% | 14% | 10% |
| Homes built before 1919 | 1% | 23% | 20% |
A home's own recommended upgrades and their costs are on its energy certificate, shown on its page.
MHCLG energy certificates; DESNZ fuel poverty.
Across England and Wales, homes extended by a typical 30 m² and then resold rose about 11.1% more than similar homes nearby over the same years (124,884 resales); in West Midlands, 8.9% (9,962 resales).
Rough build costs and resale evidence, not quotes or a valuation. How extensions pay off by size, type and region.
The money you don't get back either way, for the same extra space in California.
| Stamp duty on the new home | £5,250 |
|---|---|
| Estate agent on yours 1.2% + VAT | £3,456 |
| Solicitors, buying and selling | £3,000 |
| Survey | £600 |
| Removals | £1,500 |
| Money gone | £13,806 |
| Building, plus 15% for design, planning and contingency | £57,500 |
|---|---|
| Less what it adds to your home's value 60% of the local price | −£39,000 |
| Money gone | £18,500 |
On these figures, moving loses about £4,694 less. Moving also changes the area, the schools and the commute; extending means months of building work and depends on planning.
Building costs vary a lot (a single-storey rear extension is often £2,000–£3,000 per m², more in London). How much space adds depends on the home and street: what extensions added to resale prices. A guide, not advice; nothing you type leaves this page.
Where people extend most, and where the planning rules are tighter.
| Extension |
| 2025 |
| +20 m² |
| – |
| 97, Weymoor Road | Extension | 2025 | +23 m² | 6 → 6 |
|---|
| Flat 1, 33, Kemberton Road | Extension | 2025 | +9 m² | 2 → 2 |
|---|
| 20, Osmaston Road | Extension | 2025 | +24 m² | – |
|---|
| 294, Quinton Road | Extension | 2025 | +49 m² | – |
|---|
| 66, Wentworth Way | Extension | 2025 | +35 m² | – |
|---|
| 108, Castle Road | Extension | 2025 | +143 m² | 1 → 6 |
|---|
| 32, Wyckham Close | Extension | 2025 | +77 m² | 4 → 8 |
|---|
| 11, Wyckham Close | Extension | 2025 | +48 m² | – |
|---|
| 21, Stableford Close | Extension | 2024 | +19 m² | – |
|---|
| 343, Northfield Road | Extension | 2024 | +35 m² | – |
|---|
| 24, Osmaston Road | Extension | 2024 | +49 m² | – |
|---|
| 280, Quinton Road | Extension | 2024 | +28 m² | – |
|---|
| 4, Camino Road | Extension | 2024 | +11 m² | 7 → 8 |
|---|
| 65, Alwold Road | Extension | 2024 | +10 m² | 4 → 3 |
|---|
| 121, Jervoise Road | Extension | 2024 | +11 m² | 5 → 5 |
|---|
| 396, Alwold Road | Extension | 2024 | +19 m² | 5 → 6 |
|---|
| 396, Alwold Road | Loft conversion | 2024 | +19 m² | 5 → 6 |
|---|
| 59, Beckbury Road | Extension | 2024 | +25 m² | – |
|---|
| 26, Stonehouse Lane | Extension | 2023 | +15 m² | – |
|---|
Not every extension shows here. We only see building work when a new energy certificate is lodged, which happens when a home is sold, let or newly built. A loft or extension added since then won't appear, even with planning permission and building control sign-off, because those records aren't published as open data outside London. Missing work doesn't mean missing paperwork.
From energy certificates: an extension where a later certificate shows more floor space, a loft conversion where roof rooms appear.
Sort by any column; open a neighbourhood for the same view.
| Neighbourhood | Council | England and Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Homes with solar panels | 0.6% | 0.6% | 1.2% |
| Heated by a heat pump | 0.0% | 0.2% | 1.0% |
| Mains gas | 97.9% | 84.1% | 84.0% |
| Oil or LPG | 0.0% | 0.1% | 4.1% |
| Electric heating | 2.1% | 14.1% | 8.3% |
| Community heating | 0.0% | 1.4% | 2.1% |
From each home's latest energy certificate, so panels or heat pumps fitted since aren't counted and the shares are lower than today's real figures. Compare areas in the data explorer.