Single and double storey extensions
Whether you need a bigger kitchen, an extra bedroom or more room for the family, we can help you with a rear or side extension that suits your house and respects the neighbours.
House extensions · Sheffield
House extension planning in Sheffield
If you are hoping to add space to your home, whether that is a bigger kitchen, a bedroom in the roof or a garden room, the first thing to establish is whether you need planning permission at all. In Sheffield the answer depends on the type of house, where it sits and whether any local controls apply to your street.
We can usually tell you from an address and a few photographs which route you are on, and what the design will need to take into account. If you do need an application, we prepare it with you and look after it for you until the Council decides.
Key contact
Richard Pigott
Managing Director – Chartered Town Planner
What we help with
Extension projects we can help you with
Whatever you are hoping to add, we will tell you what is realistic and the simplest way for you to get there.
Loft conversions and dormers
We can tell you whether your loft conversion can go ahead without an application and, if it needs permission, design a dormer or roof change that suits your house and the street.
Garage conversions and garden buildings
Converting a garage or adding a garden room is often possible without an application, although a condition attached to the permission for your house, or a conservation area, can change that. We will check before you commit.
Permitted development checks
If you would like certainty before you build, we can confirm whether your project needs permission and, where it helps, apply for a lawful development certificate on your behalf.
Step by step
How your extension moves from idea to decision
Most extension projects follow a similar path, and you will know where you are on it at every stage. This is how we usually take a project from your first idea to the Council’s decision on your application.
Step 1
A quick check
We start with your house, its setting and your plans, and confirm whether the work can go ahead as permitted development or will need an application.
Step 2
Design
We design an extension that suits your home, your budget and your neighbours, and explain the points the Council is likely to focus on.
Step 3
Application
We prepare your householder application, with the drawings and any statements it needs, and submit it for you.
Step 4
Decision
We look after the application until the Council decides, answering the case officer's questions and keeping you informed along the way.
Step 5
Before you build
We help you with any conditions attached to the permission, and our architects can prepare the technical drawings your builder will need.
Local context
Planning in Sheffield
Your extension might be a single-storey kitchen at the back of a terrace, a second storey over a garage or a dormer that turns the loft into a bedroom. Whatever you have in mind, the first question is whether it can go ahead under permitted development or needs a planning application, and the answer depends on your house as much as on the extension itself.
If you live in Sheffield, a few things tend to shape that answer. Houses in conservation areas have fewer permitted development rights, and where an Article 4 direction applies, even replacing windows or doors can need permission. Flats and maisonettes do not have the permitted development rights that houses have, so an extension to one will need an application.
On a sloping plot, your rear extension can sit well above or below the garden next door, and the Council will want to understand how much light and privacy your neighbours would keep. We draw the levels accurately and design with them, so those questions are answered in the application rather than raised during it.
For homeowners, the work we take on runs from quick permitted development checks and lawful development certificates to full designs and householder applications. If you need a design, our architects can prepare it and our planners will look at it with you before anything goes to the Council, so you know where you stand before you apply.
Permitted development limits
Permitted development allows some extensions without an application, within limits on size and position, but it does not cover flats. We check what your house is entitled to before you design, and can confirm it with a lawful development certificate if you would like that certainty.
Conservation areas and Article 4 directions
If your home is in a conservation area, some permitted development rights are reduced, and an Article 4 direction can mean that replacing a window or adding a porch needs permission. We check your address before anything else, so you know which parts of your plans need an application while they are still ideas.
Neighbours and sloping gardens
Houses in Sheffield often sit close together or at different levels, so the relationship with the houses next door is usually central to a householder decision. We show those relationships clearly in your drawings, so the case officer can see how your extension would sit.
RIBA
RTPI
IHBC
ARB
Good to know
Questions about extending your home
How big can I extend without planning permission?
Permitted development sets limits on the depth, height and position of an extension, and on how much of your garden it can cover, and those limits vary with the type of house. The rights are more restricted in conservation areas and do not apply to flats, so we will confirm exactly what applies to your home before you design anything.
Do I need permission for a loft conversion?
A loft conversion can often go ahead under permitted development, as long as the new roof space stays within set limits on volume and on where it sits on the roof. A dormer facing the street, a raised roof, or a roof extension to a house in a conservation area will usually need permission, and we will tell you which applies before you commission a design.
How long does a householder application take in Sheffield?
Once Sheffield City Council has validated your application, it has eight weeks to make a decision. A complete, clearly drawn application gives the case officer what they need from the start, which helps yours progress smoothly.
My neighbour extended without applying. Can I do the same?
You may well be able to, but permitted development rights can differ from one house to the next, even on the same street. Some homes have had their rights removed by a planning condition or an Article 4 direction, so it is always worth a quick check before you start, and we are happy to do that for you.
What is a lawful development certificate, and do I need one?
A lawful development certificate is formal confirmation from the Council that your project does not need planning permission. You do not have to have one, but it gives you certainty before you build and can be useful when you come to sell, and we can apply for it on your behalf.
Will my neighbours be told about my application?
The Council publicises householder applications, usually by writing to neighbours or putting up a site notice, and gives them the chance to comment. It helps to design with your neighbours in mind from the start and, where you can, to talk to them early, and if comments come in, we will talk you through them and respond where it helps your case.
Find us
Our nearest office
Planning & Design Practice — Sheffield
The Workstation, 15 Paternoster Row, Sheffield, S1 2BX
Sheffield and South Yorkshire
Planning authorities
Householder advice
Thinking about extending your home?
Is there an extension you have been picturing for a while? If you send us the address, with a photograph or two if you have them, we will let you know, usually the same day and at no charge, whether you are likely to need permission.