Wapping's Georgian terraces are among the most tightly controlled residential properties in London. The Wapping Conservation Area Appraisal specifies that extensions must be clearly subservient to the host building, use materials sympathetic to the existing fabric, and must not be visible from the principal street elevation.
Our approach was to push the extension hard to the rear boundary — the maximum depth that the 45-degree rule would allow from the neighbouring property — with a flat roof sitting well below the first-floor windowsill of the main house. This kept it firmly out of sightlines from Thomas More Street.
Tower Hamlets required full plans, elevations, sections through the extension and existing building, a location plan, and a Heritage Impact Assessment. The HIA is a short document (we produce it as part of our design package) that demonstrates the extension preserves or enhances the character of the conservation area — the test that Section 72 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 requires.
The application was determined in 11 weeks. Tower Hamlets' planning committee didn't need to call it in — officer delegated decision, approved without conditions other than standard materials approval.
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