What you could build at M1 2WH: the planning rules at this address, what neighbours have built and how big, planning decisions nearby, rough costs and the value an extension adds, and how to get started. In Piccadilly & Ancoats, Manchester.
102extensions seen within 600 m in the last 10 years
3loft conversions within 600 m in the last 10 years
34.2extensions per 1,000 homes in the neighbourhood (10 years)
● work seen on energy certificates · ● application approved · ● refused · ● pending or other · ● this postcode
The rules at this address
Houses usually have permitted development rights: some rear extensions (typically up to 3 m deep for a semi or terrace, 4 m detached), loft conversions within volume limits, and porches can go ahead without planning permission. Larger single-storey rear extensions (up to 6 m / 8 m) can use the “prior approval” neighbour scheme.
Not in a conservation area (from council registers).
No Article 4 direction recorded for this postcode.
Listed buildings need listed building consent for most changes, inside and out: check the National Heritage List.
To be certain work is permitted development, apply for a lawful development certificate (about £129 for householders in England). Building regulations apply either way.
Planning applications outside London aren't published as open data yet, so search the council's own register: the drawings, decision and the agent are there. Find your council's planning register on GOV.UK ↗
Cost and the value it adds
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). How extensions pay off by size, type and region.
Single-storey rear or side extension: about £2,000–£3,000 per m² (London £2,500–£4,000), plus fees and VAT
Loft conversion: about £45,000–£75,000 for a dormer; more for a mansard or hip-to-gable
Two-storey extension: about £1,800–£2,800 per m² of new floor
Garage conversion: about £15,000–£30,000
Basement: about £3,500–£5,000 per m², London mostly
Build costs are rough 2026 ranges from industry guides, not quotes. Get three quotes for your plans.
Move or improve?
The money you don't get back either way, for the same extra space in Piccadilly & Ancoats.
Move to a home 20 m² bigger (about £289,000)
Stamp duty on the new home
£4,450
Estate agent on yours 1.2% + VAT
£3,168
Solicitors, buying and selling
£3,000
Survey
£600
Removals
£1,500
Money gone
£12,718
Extend by 20 m²
Building, plus 15% for design, planning and contingency
£57,500
Less what it adds to your home's value 60% of the local price
−£41,400
Money gone
£16,100
On these figures, moving loses about £3,382 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.
Getting started
Look at what neighbours did. Open applications above to see drawings that were approved on similar houses, and who designed them.
Check the route: permitted development (with a lawful development certificate), prior approval for larger rear extensions, or full householder planning permission.
Get a measured survey and a designer: an architect, an architectural technologist or a designer who handles planning drawings.
Apply (householder permission is about £258 in England; councils aim to decide within 8 weeks).
Building regulations through the council's building control or an approved inspector, and party wall notices to neighbours if you build on or near the boundary.
Choose a builder: written quotes, a contract, staged payments, and check their insurance and references.
From energy certificates: an extension where a later certificate shows more floor space, a loft conversion where roof rooms appear. Certificates come with sales, lettings and some building work, so the year is when it was first seen.
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.