Glossary
Side-return extensions on a London Victorian terrace
An extension into the side passage of a Victorian/Edwardian terrace, creating a wider kitchen-diner.
An extension into the side passage of a Victorian/Edwardian terrace, creating a wider kitchen-diner.
The side return is the narrow strip of external space beside the rear back addition on a Victorian or Edwardian terrace — the width of the original side passage. A side return extension fills it, usually 1.5 to 2.5 m wide, and is the most common London ground-floor project.
It converts the rear of the house from two narrow rooms into a single wide one. The gain in floor area is modest — often only 8 to 12 m² — but the gain in usability is large, because a 2.5 m wide kitchen becomes a 4.5 m wide kitchen-dining room.
Light is the design problem: the new space is bounded by the neighbour's flank wall on one side and the back addition on the other. Rooflights along the length of the return, and glazing to the rear, do more than any elevation window.
As an extension beyond a side wall it must be single storey, no more than half the width of the original house, and no more than 4 m high. As part of the rear extension it counts toward the 3 m attached or 4 m detached depth limit measured from the original rear wall — the back addition is not the original rear wall.
That last point catches many owners: the original rear wall is the back of the main house, not the back of the Victorian addition, so a return extending past the back addition usually exceeds the depth limit and needs an application.
The boundary wall is almost always a party wall or a party fence wall, and the new structure typically bears on it or is built up against it — section 1 or section 2 work with one month's notice. New foundations within 3 m of the neighbour's structure add a section 6 notice at two months.
A worked Enfield example of side return: with 22 conservation areas — the Forty Hill Conservation Area and the Enfield Town Conservation Area among the best known — London Borough of Enfield (Enfield Council) sees side return constantly, and there is no borough-wide Article 4 direction, so permitted development generally survives outside conservation areas. Where side return pushes a Enfield scheme out of permitted development, the route becomes a £548 application decided in 8 weeks rather than a £249 prior approval in 6 weeks.
| Typical width | 1.5–2.5 m |
|---|---|
| Typical area gained | 8–12 m² |
| Depth measured from | The original rear wall, not the back addition |
| Height limit | 4 m, or 3 m within 2 m of a boundary |
| Notice periods | One month (sections 1 and 2), two months (section 6) |
| Our package from |
Only if the whole rear projection stays within the depth limit measured from the original rear wall.
Not with rooflights along the return. Roof glazing outperforms wall glazing here.
They must be served party wall notice; they cannot veto lawful work, but an award will be needed if they dissent.
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