Planning Approved: Dartmouth Park Extension

Our planning application for extending a house in the Dartmouth Park Conservation Area has been approved by Camden Council.

Despite a history of planning refusals on the site (prior to our Client acquiring the house), we were able to secure consent to extend beyond the existing rear building line, creating sufficient headroom for the lower ground floor to be useable. We did this by showing neighbouring windows would not be adversely affected by the height of the extension. To respect the C19 heritage of the house, we specified traditional materials with a contemporary touch: as a large pre-tensioned limestone beam, and London stock bricks double the standard length. Our approach was to embrace the idea that such an extension cannot be made to look original, so should be contemporary but sympathetic to the host building.

Inside, the upper ground (entrance level) and lower ground (garden level) floors will be completely rearranged. The kitchen, currently a small room at entrance level, at the back of the house, moves downstairs and triples in size with space for dining and parties. A two-person WFH study takes the old kitchen's place. The current dingy, low, and narrow staircase leading to the lower ground floor is replaced with a much-needed entrance level WC. The most dramatic change will be demolishing nearly half the upper ground lounge floor, and putting in its place a large light-filled opening and stair down, connecting the formal seating area upstairs with the vibrant living space and garden below.