House
extensions
in Fitzrovia, W1T
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Hampstead Chartered Surveyors & Building ConsultancyFitzrovia's terraced houses fill almost all of their plots, leaving very little space at the rear, Camden's appraisals record. An extension here is usually small, and it has to respect the rear pattern of its group.
Fitzrovia is one of central London's best-kept secrets, and it carries an administrative quirk that shapes every extension: the neighbourhood straddles the City of Westminster and the boundary with Camden. Both authorities' controls can apply at the edges, so establishing which council governs the address early keeps a scheme on track. The Fitzroy Square Conservation Area protects the finest streets, and conservation scrutiny is close throughout.
The stock is handsome and tightly packed. Fitzroy Square is a Robert Adam set-piece of fine Georgian houses; Charlotte Street and Goodge Street blend period townhouses with flats above the restaurants; and Warren Street and the surrounding blocks add mansion flats and conversions. Across W1 the mix runs from Victorian terraces and Georgian townhouses to mews properties, so each project is set out for its particular building type.
Access defines the build, and the budget with it. A Fitzrovia rear extension and a side return are each priced after a survey, with demanding deliveries around Charlotte Street adding to both.
Extending a Fitzrovia terrace house
Camden's Charlotte Street appraisal describes consistent rectangular plots with narrow frontages and very limited space to the rear, and the Fitzroy Square appraisal says the buildings almost entirely fill their plots. Whatever is added at the back is measured in a few metres.
Camden also treats the original pattern of rear elevations within a street or group as part of Fitzrovia's character, and will not accept rear extensions that compromise it. In practice the most successful additions are low, set below the line of the original back windows and built in matching brick.
The appraisal lists roof extensions, rear extensions, satellite dishes, aerials, fire escapes and plant among the small changes that can, cumulatively, have a significant effect on an area. An extension proposal is a good moment to remove redundant pipes, plant and fire escapes from the back of the house.
Few of the original two-storey mews buildings survive, the appraisal notes, so the back of a Fitzrovia house often faces offices, workshops or flats across a narrow mews. Windows in a new addition are placed with that outlook, and the privacy of the facing building, in mind.
Camden's Charlotte Street appraisal dates the area's building to 1750 to 1770, spreading north from the slightly earlier Rathbone Place of the 1720s. Houses of that first generation have very little ground behind them, so a rear addition is usually a single storey at lower ground or ground floor.
One related project, though not in Fitzrovia, is Holland Avenue, Wimbledon, a rear extension to a house in Wimbledon, SW20.
Because there is rarely side access, we plan how materials come through the house or the mews, protect the hall and stair, and serve party wall notices on both neighbours before the design is priced.
Sources: Camden Council: Charlotte Street conservation area appraisal and management plan (adopted 24 July 2008); Camden Council: Fitzroy Square conservation area appraisal and management strategy (adopted 16 March 2010).
House Extensions in Fitzrovia: Questions
Is there room for a rear extension behind a Fitzrovia townhouse?
Often very little. Camden's appraisals describe narrow plots with very limited space behind, and say rear extensions will not be acceptable where they would compromise the rear pattern of the group. A modest addition at lower ground or ground floor is the usual scale.
Which council decides my extension in Fitzrovia, Westminster or Camden?
That is the first thing to pin down. Fitzrovia straddles the City of Westminster and the boundary with Camden, and both authorities' controls can apply at the edges. We establish which one governs at the outset, because the answer changes the process for a Fitzrovia extension before any design begins.
How does the Fitzroy Square Conservation Area affect extensions?
It protects the finest streets. The Fitzroy Square Conservation Area takes in the Robert Adam set-piece of fine Georgian houses and the blocks around it, conservation scrutiny is close, and access on the narrow streets is tight. So a proposal near Fitzroy Square is judged against a distinguished and carefully guarded townscape.
What does an extension cost in Fitzrovia?
A Fitzrovia rear extension, a side return and a wraparound are each priced after a survey. On the narrow streets the tight access and close conservation scrutiny influence the figure alongside the added floor area.
What kind of buildings does Fitzrovia offer for extending?
Fitzrovia's stock is Georgian townhouses, Regency terraces and mansion flats. Fitzroy Square is a Robert Adam set-piece of fine Georgian houses, Charlotte Street and Goodge Street blend period townhouses with flats above the restaurants, and Warren Street and the blocks around it add mansion flats and conversions.
Why does access matter so much for Fitzrovia projects?
W1 here combines Victorian terraces, mansion flats, mews properties and mixed residential streets around Charlotte Street, Goodge Street, Great Titchfield Street and Fitzroy Square. On that tight grid, access is demanding and conservation scrutiny is close, so deliveries and site set-up are planned carefully into any Fitzrovia extension programme.
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