Planning Permission in Lillieshall Road, Clapham
We have recently received planning permission to adapt and extend a townhouse property on Lillieshall Road, Clapham. Being situated in a conservation area, we needed to consider impact of the extension on the house’s character whilst meeting the needs of our client. We are pleased that London Borough of Lambeth provided a positive response.
Our client approached us to help them undertake a remodelling of their home for their family. The house is 5 storeys, with 4 bedrooms and 190 sqm of space. Whilst the front of the house dates to the late Victorian era, the interior and rear have been reconstructed in recent times by a developer.
We often find in these homes that the developer had given little thought into the use of the house. The layout has awkward spaces that are not suited for their function, despite modern interventions. The bedrooms are unusual shapes on plan, with no obvious position for the bed and furniture. The family bathroom has no natural light and so is dark and generally unwelcoming. The utility room, located in the middle of the kitchen and dining area, generates noise and restricts access to the rear garden.
Our proposal moves the utility room to the floor above, conjoined with a new WC. This opens up the lower ground floor, which is extended into the garden to create a new living area connected to the kitchen and dining areas. Bi-folding doors allows this new family space to open into the garden which is currently under-used through the lack of connection. The doors and a rooflight mean that natural light will flood deep into the floor plan throughout the day.
On the upper floors, an extension over the existing outrigger creates a new bathroom. The old bathroom is removed, producing larger bedrooms with more organic layouts. Space is also opened up for a new en-suite shower room to one of the bedrooms, with its own window. The remainder of the house is to be refurbished.
The design driver for the extensions is to create an addition that allows the house to remain as the main feature. The exterior reflects the materials used on the house, with subtle detailing to the brickwork. The glazed openings are large but well-proportioned. The end result is to be new structures that appear as though they have been there for years, and will remain there for many more also.
