An exciting £4m mixed-use development is under construction in Clapham High Street in South West London after HEAT obtained planning permission last year.

The project will incorporate a Tesco Express at the ground floor level, together with an A3 (restaurant) unit. The Metropolitan Police have taken space on the first floor level. There are thirteen residential units at the upper levels. See details in our Portfolio.

HEAT have obtained planning permission and a certificate of lawful development this week for two neigbouring houses in North London. Although the proposals were identical for each house, one had already been extended (since the cut-off date of 1st July 1948) and required planning permission whilst the other had not and still retained its Permitted Development rights.

Even in a conservation area, house extensions of up to 10% of the volume of the original house or 50 cubic metres (whichever is greater) may be permitted without planning permission, provided they meet certain criteria, for example that they are no more than 4 metres tall and no closer than 2 metres to the boundary. The extension should not project towards the street further than the line of the existing building and it cannot exceed 115 cubic metres in any case.

The local authority can take away your permitted development rights by a special order known as an "Article 4 Direction". Although it was originally anticipated that these would be "exceptional", they have in fact become a widely used tool to prevent alterations which are not otherwise covered by Conservation Area rules such as changing timber windows for UPVC or even specifying the exterior colour of a terrace.

Islington Council has pioneered the "blanket" direction, applying it to a range of alterations within certain Conservation Areas, effectively removing permitted development rights and giving a quasi-listed status to large areas. In practice this all-encompassing ruling is often observed in the breach, since the administrative burden on the local authority would be immense, nevertheless it remains on the books. It is important to check whether any Article 4 directions are in place when contemplating alterations.

HEAT can provide advice on all aspects of planning and permitted development. Contact us for further information.

Following two years of design and construction and a successful planning appeal this dramatic reconstruction of a detached family house in Islington was completed shortly before Christmas.

It incorporates the latest advances in low-energy design with solar heating and high technology finishes and glazing to reduce the carbon footprint of the building. This in a stylish and groundbreaking contemporary design with a façade in patinated zinc and milk glass.

Our new website goes online today. Designed and maintained directly by HEAT, it will give us more control and flexibility to upload projects and communicate. As a resource for our clients we will be updating the site with planning news.