Hackney N16 Kitchen extension

Design considerations and Hackney planning matters

The site is a three storey terraced dwellinghouse located along the southern side of Osterley Road. The surrounding area is residential in character and it is typified by terraced properties and blocks of flats. However the application site does not contain a listed building and is not located in a conservation area.

Externally we wanted to amend a previous planning approval to include the reduction in the number of rooflights along the side roof slope above the side infill extension. We also wanted to slight increase the height of the flat roofed element of the extension to improve the internal headheight.

In the report the planners noted that:

“The proposed reduction in the number of roof lights would be considered acceptable as there would be no increased impact on the design of the property or the character of the surrounding area as a resulf of the reduction.

In addition, the increase in the height of the existing rear extension by 0.22 metres, so that the development measures 2.96 metres in height in total, would be in keeping with the height of extensions in the immediate area, including the total height of the approved side infill extension, which measure 3 metres in height in total. The proposed increase in height would be modest and would not result in a significant or detrimental impact on the amenity enjoyed by the neighbouring residents.

Given the modest nature of the proposed alterations, the proposed amendment is considered to be non-material in that does not change the character or impacts of the approved development.”

Architectural approach and design matters

The previous approval was considered and carefullyt designed. However it did not maximise the space that could be created under the current planning policy. It also included a rooflight arrangement that did not fit with the internal layout the new homeowners wanted to create.

As a result it required a delicate fine-tuning of the previous proposals. This was needed in order to change the appearance, scale and size of the extension to create more generous internal heights and more specious interiors.

It is not always possible to find small changes that make a larger difference. In this case though we were able to identify what the homeowners needed and we were  able to use our knowledge of the planning policy to help them achieve their perfect space.

During the design development stage we played with a few layouts and ideas to find how best we could organised the kitchen and dining areas. At the same time we focussed on how to create the right balance between functionality, circulation, sight-lines and generous access to natural light.

Architectural services for this Hackney N16 Kitchen extension

Initial home consultation, measured survey and production of existing set of drawings, planning stage design and submission, obtaining local authority approvals, and liaising with other consultants and the main contractor to completion.