What you could build at SW2 1QN: 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 Brixton Hill East, Lambeth.
176extensions seen within 600 m in the last 10 years
29loft conversions within 600 m in the last 10 years
114.2extensions 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
Mostly flats at this postcode. Flats have no permitted development rights, so almost any extension or loft conversion needs planning permission, and the freeholder's consent under the lease.
In the Rush Common & Brixton Hill conservation area: permitted development is narrower (for example no side extensions or roof cladding), and demolition and works to trees need consent.
Article 4 direction (Modified Direction 3 - Town Centres): some rights normally allowed have been removed here. Check what it covers with the council before relying on permitted development.
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.
85, 85 Ramillies Close London Lambeth Sw2 5dq, Ramillies Close, Sw2 5dq
Windows, doors or cladding
Approved
May 2026
26/00104/FUL
How often householder applications are approved
Work
Brixton Hill East
Lambeth
London
Typical decision time
All householder applications
82% (28)
78% (1125)
80%
8 weeks
Loft or dormer
88% (16)
89% (593)
81%
8 weeks
Rear extension
100% (5)
65% (231)
79%
7 weeks
Two-storey extension
–
80% (10)
72%
8 weeks
Other householder work
–
59% (127)
70%
8 weeks
Side return or wrap-around
–
60% (45)
88%
8 weeks
Windows, doors or cladding
–
86% (28)
90%
8 weeks
Outbuilding or garden room
–
77% (44)
79%
8 weeks
Side extension
–
76% (21)
86%
8 weeks
Garage conversion or garage
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 (126,300 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 Brixton Hill East.
Move to a home 20 m² bigger (about £798,000)
Stamp duty on the new home
£29,900
Estate agent on yours 1.2% + VAT
£9,360
Solicitors, buying and selling
£3,000
Survey
£600
Removals
£1,500
Money gone
£44,360
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
−£88,800
Money gone
−£31,300
On these figures, extending loses about £75,660 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.
8, Bonham Road, Sw2 5hf
Loft or dormer
Withdrawn
Dec 2025
25/03674/NMC
50, 50 Ramillies Close London Lambeth Sw2 5dg, Ramillies Close, Sw2 5dg
Other householder work
Refused
Nov 2025
25/02666/FUL
53, Rosebery Road, Sw2 4dq
Loft or dormer
Approved
Oct 2025
25/02490/FUL
22, St Matthew'S Road, Sw2 1nj
Other householder work
Refused
Aug 2025
25/02179/P1AA
7, Trelawn Road, Sw2 1dh
Loft or dormer
Approved
Jul 2025
25/01794/LDCP
8, Bonham Road, Sw2 5hf
Loft or dormer
Approved
May 2025
25/01022/LDCP
9, Mauleverer Road, Sw2 5dr
Rear extension
Approved
Mar 2025
25/00196/PDE
9, Mauleverer Road, Sw2 5dr
Side return or wrap-around
Withdrawn
Jan 2025
24/03623/LDCP
33 Mauleverer Road London Lambeth Sw2 5dr
Loft or dormer
Approved
Dec 2024
24/03212/LDCP
30 Helix Road London Lambeth Sw2 2js
Loft or dormer
Approved
Oct 2024
24/02632/LDCP
25, Arodene Road, Sw2 2bq
Loft or dormer
Approved
Sept 2024
24/02152/LDCP
Garage To Rear Of 68 Josephine Avenue, Development Control Pseudo Street, Sw2 2la
Householder applications validated since 2023 within 600 m. The council's page has the drawings, the decision notice and who the agent or architect was. Hover a row for the description. Source: GLA Planning London Datahub.
–
88% (16)
88%
8 weeks
Basement
–
50% (8)
83%
15 weeks
Porch or front extension
–
–
81%
8 weeks
Share of decided applications approved since 2023 (number decided in brackets). Withdrawn applications aren't counted; many are withdrawn when refusal looks likely.