Elmbridge Borough Council

Adopted Documents We Assess Against

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.

Elmbridge Borough Council standards at a glance

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

Side extension form

at least 1m

Above ground-floor level, a side extension in Elmbridge should normally sit at least 1 metre back from the boundary - and more where the street pattern calls for it. Elmbridge Design Code section 6.6.2

at least 0.3m

At single-storey level, aim to keep the side wall at least 300mm off the boundary in Elmbridge, so foundations and guttering do not encroach on the neighbour's land. Elmbridge Design Code section 6.6.2

Amenity neighbouring

at least 22m

Elmbridge want 22 metres between the back windows of your home and the back windows facing you - more than most boroughs ask for. Elmbridge Design Code section 10

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

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

Elmbridge Design Code

• Elmbridge Design Code section 6.6.2 — Side extension form (2 checks) Above ground-floor level, a side extension in Elmbridge should normally sit at least 1 metre back from the boundary - and more where the street pattern calls for it. At single-storey level, aim to keep the side wall at least 300mm off the boundary in Elmbridge, so foundations and guttering do not encroach on the neighbour's land.
• Elmbridge Design Code section 6.6.5 — Amenity neighbouring If your extension crosses a 45-degree line drawn from a neighbour's nearest window, Elmbridge will look more closely at daylight and sunlight impact - a single-storey extension projecting no more than 3 metres is treated as having minimal effect regardless.
• Design and Character SPD section 6.6.5 — Amenity neighbouring Under 3 metres deep Elmbridge treat the light impact as minimal. Beyond that, stay behind a 45-degree line from the edge of your neighbour's window.
• Elmbridge Design Code section 6.6.3 — Two storey rear A two-storey extension's roofline in Elmbridge should match the house it's attached to and line through at the same eaves height - it should never end up taller than the original roof.
• Elmbridge Design Code section 6.5.1 — Roof alterations A dormer in Elmbridge should line up with the windows below it and use roof materials that match the existing house - a hipped or gabled form is usually favoured over a flat-roofed box dormer.
• Elmbridge Design Code section 6.1.1 — Design materials Elmbridge asks applicants to state how much of the plot the building footprint covers (the plot ratio) and compare it with neighbouring plots - how much extension your plot can reasonably take depends on which of these area types it sits in.
• Elmbridge Design Code section 10 — Amenity neighbouring Elmbridge want 22 metres between the back windows of your home and the back windows facing you - more than most boroughs ask for.