London Borough of Hackney

Adopted Documents We Assess Against

Development plan: Hackney Local Plan 2033 (LP33) (adopted 22 July 2020)

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 Hackney standards at a glance

12 numeric standards taken from London Borough of Hackney'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 3m

On a Hackney terrace the council's guidance is 3 metres deep for a single-storey rear extension, and you must keep at least half the original rear garden. Residential Extensions SPD para 3.5

up to 3.5m

On a Hackney semi the guidance is 3.5 metres deep, keeping at least half the original rear garden. Residential Extensions SPD para 3.5

up to 4m

On a Hackney detached house the guidance is 4 metres deep, keeping at least half the original rear garden. Residential Extensions SPD para 3.5

Side extension form

at least 1m

Hackney want a side extension kept at least a metre off the shared boundary, no more than half the width of the original house, and set back half a metre from the front building line. Residential Extensions SPD, side extensions

Roof form

at least 0.5m

Keep the dormer at least 0.5m in from the side of the roof. Residential Extensions SPD section 6

at least 0.5m

Keep the top of the dormer at least 0.5m below the ridge. Residential Extensions SPD section 6

at least 1m

Keep the bottom of the dormer at least 1m above the eaves. Residential Extensions SPD section 6

Amenity neighbouring

up to 50%

Half your original back garden has to survive the works in Hackney - counting anything already built out there. Meeting the depth limit does not get you past this separately. Residential Extensions and Alterations SPD, Rear extensions

Design character

at least 2.15m

A Hackney basement needs 2.15 metres of headroom and can only be one storey deep. Residential Extensions and Alterations SPD, New basements

up to 50%

A Hackney basement can reach half way down the garden - but there is a second limit, half the depth of the house measured from the back wall, which on a shallow house with a long garden stops you sooner. Residential Extensions and Alterations SPD, New basements

up to 1.5

A Hackney basement can be up to one and a half times the footprint of the house above it. Residential Extensions and Alterations SPD, New basements

up to 50%

Measured from the back wall of the house, a Hackney basement can reach out by half the depth of the house - a tighter limit than the garden test on most terraced plots. Residential Extensions and Alterations SPD, New basements

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

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

Hackney Local Plan 2033 (LP33)

• Hackney Local Plan Policy LP1 — Design character Hackney will judge how well your extension fits the host building and street under Policy LP1. Their Residential Extensions and Alterations SPD is the practical reference.
• Hackney Local Plan Policy LP2 — Amenity neighbouring Hackney will look at the effect on your neighbours' light, outlook and privacy under Policy LP2. Show the relationship to their windows on your drawings.

Hackney Residential Extensions and Alterations SPD (adopted December 2025)

• Residential Extensions SPD para 3.5 — Rear extension depth (3 checks) On a Hackney terrace the council's guidance is 3 metres deep for a single-storey rear extension, and you must keep at least half the original rear garden. On a Hackney semi the guidance is 3.5 metres deep, keeping at least half the original rear garden. On a Hackney detached house the guidance is 4 metres deep, keeping at least half the original rear garden.
• Residential Extensions SPD, side extensions — Side extension form Hackney want a side extension kept at least a metre off the shared boundary, no more than half the width of the original house, and set back half a metre from the front building line.
• Residential Extensions SPD section 6 — Roof form (4 checks) A Hackney rear dormer should sit half a metre below the ridge, a metre above the eaves and half a metre in from each edge, and take up no more than half the roof in either direction. Keep the dormer at least 0.5m in from the side of the roof. Keep the top of the dormer at least 0.5m below the ridge. Keep the bottom of the dormer at least 1m above the eaves.
• Residential Extensions SPD section 3 — Amenity neighbouring Hackney draw a 45-degree line from the middle of your neighbour's nearest ground floor window. Crossing it is not automatically fatal, but you will have to show their light and outlook survive.
• Residential Extensions and Alterations SPD, Rear extensions — Amenity neighbouring Half your original back garden has to survive the works in Hackney - counting anything already built out there. Meeting the depth limit does not get you past this separately.
• Residential Extensions and Alterations SPD, New basements — Design character (4 checks) A Hackney basement needs 2.15 metres of headroom and can only be one storey deep. A Hackney basement can reach half way down the garden - but there is a second limit, half the depth of the house measured from the back wall, which on a shallow house with a long garden stops you sooner. A Hackney basement can be up to one and a half times the footprint of the house above it. Measured from the back wall of the house, a Hackney basement can reach out by half the depth of the house - a tighter limit than the garden test on most terraced plots.