London Borough of Richmond upon Thames

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.

London Borough of Richmond upon Thames standards at a glance

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

Amenity space

at least 40m²

A 2-bed home in Richmond should keep at least 40 square metres of garden after extending. Richmond SPD paragraph 3.4.1

at least 70m²

A 3-bed (or larger) home in Richmond should keep at least 70 square metres of garden. Richmond SPD paragraph 3.4.1

Side extension form

at least 1m

Set a side extension in Richmond at least 1 metre behind the front of the house. Richmond SPD paragraph 5.2.2

at least 1m

Keep a two-storey side extension in Richmond a metre off the boundary - filling the gap between houses is what gets refused. Richmond SPD paragraph 5.2.3

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.

House Extensions and External Alterations SPD

• Richmond SPD paragraph 3.3.1 — Amenity neighbouring Richmond applies the standard daylight tests - if your extension crosses the 45-degree line from a neighbour's window, expect to have to prove their light survives.
• BRE sunlight/daylight assessments (45-degree test) — Amenity neighbouring Richmond draw a 45-degree line from the middle of your neighbour's window. The separate 25-degree test still has to be checked by eye.
• Richmond SPD paragraph 3.4.1 — Amenity space (2 checks) A 2-bed home in Richmond should keep at least 40 square metres of garden after extending. A 3-bed (or larger) home in Richmond should keep at least 70 square metres of garden.
• Richmond SPD section 5.2 — Two storey rear In Richmond a two-storey extension should be no wider than half your original house.
• Richmond SPD paragraph 5.2.2 — Side extension form Set a side extension in Richmond at least 1 metre behind the front of the house.
• Richmond SPD paragraph 5.2.3 — Side extension form Keep a two-storey side extension in Richmond a metre off the boundary - filling the gap between houses is what gets refused.
• Richmond SPD paragraph 5.3.1 — Design character Richmond is a brick borough - match your existing brickwork and never render over the original.