London Borough of Bexley

Adopted Documents We Assess Against

Development plan: Bexley Local Plan (2023) (adopted 26 April 2023)

Documents are re-checked against the council's own website weekly. A detected change flags "Policy Update Available" for human review — live assessment standards are never replaced automatically.

London Borough of Bexley standards at a glance

6 numeric standards taken from London Borough of Bexley's own adopted documents, each shown with the paragraph it comes from. Figures differ between councils — these are this one's.

Rear extension depth

up to 3.5m

On a Bexley terrace or semi the guide is 3.5 metres deep, 4 metres high and 3.1 metres to the eaves. It also must not take up more than half the length of your garden. Design Guide SPD Part 2 para 1.8 (metrics box B01)

up to 3.1m

Bexley ask for 3.1 metres to the eaves and 4 metres overall. Be careful: the national permitted-development limit near a boundary is 3 metres, so hitting Bexley's figure exactly could still need an application. Design Guide SPD Part 2 para 1.9 (metrics box B01)

Side extension form

at least 1

The council requires a side passage to be retained and the extension set in at least 1m from the boundary WHERE the existing flank-to-boundary gap is 4m or more. Design Guide SPD Part 2 (side extensions)

Outbuilding form

up to 50%

The council requires an outbuilding to leave 50% of the existing garden open as amenity space. Design Guide SPD Part 2 (outbuildings)

up to 3.1

The council applies a 3.1m eaves height where an outbuilding sits within 2m of a boundary. Design Guide SPD Part 2 (outbuildings)

up to 4

The council applies a 4m overall height limit to an outbuilding. Design Guide SPD Part 2 (outbuildings)

Standards are what the council normally expects, not a guarantee. A scheme outside them can still be approved on its merits, and one inside them can still be refused for another reason.

Authored Policy Library

12 local policy checks, each citation-locked to the adopted document. National policy (NPPF, national space and daylight standards) applies alongside these.

Bexley Local Plan (2023)

• Bexley Local Plan (2023) design policies — Design character (provisional citation) Bexley judge extensions on how sympathetic they are to the existing character of the area, and have tightened their guidance on the height and design of residential alterations. Their Design Guide SPD is the practical reference.
• Bexley Local Plan (2023) residential amenity policies — Amenity neighbouring (provisional citation) Bexley will look at the effect on your neighbours' light, outlook and privacy. Show the relationship to their windows on your drawings.

Bexley Design Guide SPD Part 2: Building Alterations and Extensions

• Design Guide SPD Part 2 para 1.8 (metrics box B01) — Rear extension depth On a Bexley terrace or semi the guide is 3.5 metres deep, 4 metres high and 3.1 metres to the eaves. It also must not take up more than half the length of your garden.
• Design Guide SPD Part 2 paras 1.12 to 1.14 (metrics box B01) — Rear extension depth On a Bexley detached house the allowance is whichever is more generous: 3.5 metres, or the point where a 45-degree line from your neighbour's nearest window would cut across. You will need that line drawn on the plan to know which applies.
• Design Guide SPD Part 2 para 1.9 (metrics box B01) — Rear extension depth Bexley ask for 3.1 metres to the eaves and 4 metres overall. Be careful: the national permitted-development limit near a boundary is 3 metres, so hitting Bexley's figure exactly could still need an application.
• Design Guide SPD Part 2 metrics box B02 and para 1.47 — Side extension form Keep a Bexley side extension under half the width of the original house. If you currently have 4 metres or more to the boundary, they will expect a side passage kept and the extension held back a metre from the boundary.
• Design Guide SPD Part 2 (side extensions) — Side extension form The council requires a side passage to be retained and the extension set in at least 1m from the boundary WHERE the existing flank-to-boundary gap is 4m or more.
• Design Guide SPD Part 2 metrics box B05 — Outbuilding form Bexley want half your garden left open once the outbuilding is built, and it must be single storey.
• Design Guide SPD Part 2 (outbuildings) — Outbuilding form (3 checks) The council requires an outbuilding to leave 50% of the existing garden open as amenity space. The council applies a 3.1m eaves height where an outbuilding sits within 2m of a boundary. The council applies a 4m overall height limit to an outbuilding.

Bexley Design Guide SPD Part 1

• Design Guide SPD Part 1, paragraph 2.36 — Amenity neighbouring Bexley draw a 43-degree line starting 1.6 metres up at your boundary - so height is allowed to grow as you move away from the boundary. It only applies above 3 metres, and there is a separate two-hours-of-sunlight-on-21-March test alongside it.