subject: Unsympathetic extensions look like an obscene marriage of Lego and Mechano [print this page] Extensions to houses which by-pass planning laws because they are relatively small mean big business for builders, but beware of the cowboys who would deface our historic cities for some quick cash.
Successive governments have consistently failed to designate enough new sites to meet demand for affordable housing and the extension-building business has proved to be a welcome oasis in the economic desert for builders.
One can normally build single-storey, full-width rear extensions to a depth of three metres without planning permission, which removes the policy obstacle that has hamstrung builders who specialise in larger developments.
Those who read my column regularly will know that I am not a fan of local authority pen pushers who constantly frustrate growth in the construction industry by slapping blanket bans on development in certain areas.
However, it should be noted that I also believe planning officers play a vital role in moderating the types of development which may receive the go-ahead.
The unchecked building of large extensions would be catastrophic for the character and appearance of neighbourhoods across the United Kingdom.
With regard to extensions I often use the example of farmers, who are given a free hand to constantly bolt on new sections to their tin shed' farm buildings and create absolute monstrosities, to warn against the perils of a radically deregulated planning regime.
This is why I strongly believe that any ethical builder who is commissioned to help a freeholder realise the potential of their real estate through a basic extension, should always stress the social utility of keeping the development sympathetic to the area in which it is to exist.
Clinton Foakes, who runs a construction company which undertakes a lot of extension work in west London areas like Ealing, told me recently that he has made the more sympathetic extension a cornerstone of his business.
Over a drink he summed up his considerations by saying: "The last thing we want to do is to deface our neighbourhoods by building a Lego Extension on a Mechano house."
The analogy made me chuckle, but I believe he was absolutely spot on.
Unsympathetic extensions look like an obscene marriage of Lego and Mechano
