House extensions in South Tottenham

The revised version of the house extensions in South Tottenham supplementary planning document (SPD) was adopted on 15 October 2013. The SPD aims to promote good design for house extensions in the South Tottenham area, including:

• adequate growing space
• architectural unity
• overall street character

We recognise the need to tackle overcrowding, and provide for additional habitable accommodation for large families in parts South Tottenham. Our recommended way to do this is to build a roof extension that matches the existing house, with 3 approved ways houses may be extended at roof level.

The policies contained in this SPD only apply to single family dwellings.

SPD documents

The leaflet summarises the content of the SPD and should contain enough information for residents' enquiries. Refer to the full SPD for more complicated or unusual requirements or how extensions fit into the planning process.

• Revised house extensions in South Tottenham SPD – summary leaflet (pdf, 8 page(s), 6.91 MB)
• Revised house extensions in South Tottenham SPD – October 2013 (pdf, 42 page(s), 5 MB)

Important: planning permission is usually needed for the extensions described in the SPD.

Defined area

The policies contained in this SPD only apply in South Tottenham, defined as an area bounded by:

• Crowland Road to the north
• Markfield Recreation Ground and the River Lee to the east
• Craven Park Road to the south
• Tottenham High Road to the west, excluding the conservation area

Download the map of the SPD (pdf, 1 page(s), 5.77 MB).

Consultation background

Consultation on the proposed supplementary planning guidance specific to house extensions in the South Tottenham area took place in December 2009, January and July 2010.

A number of minor amendments were made to the SPD following the consultation, as described in the consultation report. The SPD was approved by the Cabinet on 8 October  2010 and is therefore adopted.

The document now defines permissible decisions for extensions in the area. However, each planning application will still be dealt with on a case-by-case basis considering appearance of the house itself, impact on adjoining houses either side, architectural unity and overall character of the street.

Revised SPD

The draft revised SPD was consulted on for 6 weeks in July and August 2013 and adopted by Cabinet on 15 October 2013. This revised edition replaces the original house extensions in South Tottenham SPD adopted in November 2010.

This SPD creates a framework for:

• local residents who have large, extended families and want to extend their homes and remain within the community
• protecting the character of South Tottenham and the amenity enjoyed by their neighbours
• providing viable ways for homeowners to extend their houses whilst not undermining the visual coherence of the area or neighbour’s amenity

The decision to revise the original SPD

The original SPD promoted good design for roof extensions to ensure property extensions, architectural unity and the overall character of the area is maintained. The SPD provided 3 models for good and well-designed roof extensions in the area and was adopted in 2010.

The consultation to revise the SPD took place in January and February 2013. The revised SPD:

• provided interim additional guidance on how to successfully design and build house extensions in accordance with the SPD
• identified the importance of both good design to protect the appearance of the area and sound construction to protect the safety of families living in extended houses and their neighbours
• set out possible changes to the SPD

The consultation report describes the procedures followed, sets out the results of the consultation and explains why we have decided to propose a revised SPD. Letters were sent to all local residents, as well as architects, builders and approved inspectors active in the area, and 2 public meetings were held, to ask people their views.

The house extensions in South Tottenham revised SPD consultation draft (pdf, 40 page(s), 5.32 MB) made modest changes to the types of extensions considered acceptable by mainly allowing 'Type 3' extensions on their own, along with significant additional detailed advice on appearance and sound construction. Additions compared to the original edition are marked in the document with a double vertical line to the right of the text.

Contact us if you have any questions about the revised SPD.

Supporting documents and other related policies

Revised SPD documents:

• adoption statement for the revised SPD (pdf, 1 page(s), 26.09 KB)
• discussion and consultation document (pdf, 26 page(s), 3.12 MB)
• consultation report on the discussion and consultation document
• letter for the revised South Tottenham SPD consultation (pdf, 2 page(s), 370.6 KB)
• sustainability appraisal and equalities impact assessment (pdf, 1 page(s), 239.64 KB)

2010 documents:

• the original (now superseded) SPD (pdf, 26 page(s), 1.36 MB)
• SPD sustainability appraisal – 2010 (pdf, 83 page(s), 7.12 MB)
• SPD equality impact assessment – 2010 (pdf, 11 page(s), 80.74 KB)
• SPD adoption statement – 2010 (pdf, 1 page(s), 20.71 KB)

Some of these documents have been scanned and will not be readable by screen readers.

Other related policies

Key planning policies for all of Haringey and covering all general issues can be found in our Local Plan.