Kitchen
renovation
in Hampstead Garden Suburb, NW11
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A new kitchen for a Suburb house, planned from the outlets inward: where the extract, the boiler flue and the waste pipe can leave the house, then the cabinetry, worktops and lighting around them.
Barnet and the Trust say in their joint guidance that the Suburb is a living community, not a museum, and that residents may want larger kitchens and family rooms. Inside a freehold house the kitchen can be rebuilt without the Trust; what it controls is anything the new kitchen changes outside.
A Suburb kitchen design therefore begins with the outlets: where the cooker extract, the boiler flue and the waste pipe will leave the house.
Sources: Hampstead Garden Suburb Trust and Barnet Council: Conservation Area Design Guidance (2010), Hampstead Garden Suburb Trust: Planning FAQs
How the Original Suburb Kitchens Were Planned
The Trust's retrofit guidance recalls that Suburb kitchens were placed on the north side of the house to keep them cool, and that through ventilation and good daylight were essential to how the room worked.
A house may have been altered since it was built, and the Trust advises against copying something that is not original.
We trace which walls, openings and chimney breasts belong to the first plan, so a new layout keeps what is worth keeping and removes only later work.
Sources: Hampstead Garden Suburb Trust: Home Retrofit Guidance, Hampstead Garden Suburb Trust: Technical Guides
Cooker Extraction, Boiler Flues and the Trust
A new extract or boiler flue usually means a new opening in the wall or roof. The Trust says internal work that needs new pipework, flues or vents needs its consent, and its retrofit guidance asks for external vents or flues to be agreed before installation.
The joint guidance wants balanced flues small and discreet, with boiler and flue positions decided early and shown on the application drawings.
The Planning Portal's guidance for a new kitchen calls for a means of extract ventilation to reduce condensation and remove smells.
We place the hob, the duct run and the outside vent on the plan together, aiming for the shortest duct to the least visible wall.
Sources: Hampstead Garden Suburb Trust: Planning FAQs, Hampstead Garden Suburb Trust: Home Retrofit Guidance, Hampstead Garden Suburb Trust and Barnet Council: Conservation Area Design Guidance (2010), Planning Portal: Extensions, Building Regulations: Ventilation
Opening Up a Kitchen: Chimney Breasts and Walls
Taking out a chimney breast is the usual way to widen a Suburb kitchen. In a freehold house the Trust does not have to consent, though the joint guidance cautions that it can lead to structural trouble, above all where a party wall is involved.
Building regulations approval is always needed for that work, the Planning Portal says, and it recommends asking a structural engineer for drawings and calculations to go with the application.
The stack above the roof is another matter: the guidance will not accept its demolition unless it is insignificant and plays no important part in the design.
Sources: Hampstead Garden Suburb Trust and Barnet Council: Conservation Area Design Guidance (2010), Planning Portal Interactive House: Do I need permission to remove chimney breasts?
Kitchens That Open to the Garden
A kitchen that grows into the garden becomes an extension, and the Trust and Barnet judge it as one: at the back its width is generally held to half the rear elevation or less, and the design has to be as good as at the front.
A fully glazed conservatory is generally refused; on some houses a garden room with glazing under a tiled or lead roof may be possible.
New paving at the kitchen door counts too. More paved area needs Trust consent, decking will not generally be approved, and porcelain is not generally appropriate.
Sources: Hampstead Garden Suburb Trust and Barnet Council: Conservation Area Design Guidance (2010), Hampstead Garden Suburb Trust: Planning FAQs
Kitchens in Listed and Leasehold Homes
If the house is one of the Suburb's individually listed buildings, Barnet's consent is needed before a new kitchen alters the interior, and an insulated floor needs particular care, because the Trust cautions that floor insulation can damage a listed building's special interest.
In a leasehold flat, the Trust asks to hear about internal work where it holds the freehold, and LEASE warns that the landlord's permission may be needed even when planning and building regulations approval are in place.
Warm floors are a common kitchen choice. Underfloor heating is outside the Trust's control and, it notes, works well with an air source heat pump, though the heat pump itself needs consent.
Sources: Hampstead Garden Suburb Trust - Your Property, Hampstead Garden Suburb Trust: Planning FAQs, Hampstead Garden Suburb Trust: Home Retrofit Guidance, LEASE: alterations and home improvements
Work in and near the Suburb
Questions about a Suburb kitchen
Does a new kitchen in a Suburb house need the Trust's consent?
Not for the interior of a freehold house. Consent is needed where the kitchen brings new outside pipework, flues or vents, or otherwise changes the outside of the house.
Can I remove the chimney breast in my kitchen?
Yes, subject to building regulations approval, which always applies to chimney breast removal. The Trust's consent is not needed in a freehold house, though its guidance points to the structural risk next to a party wall.
Where should the cooker extract go?
Somewhere the Trust can accept: external vents must be agreed before installation, and the guidance asks for flue and vent positions on the application drawings.
Can the kitchen open onto a new terrace?
Possibly, with Trust consent for any increase in paved area. Natural stone such as York stone is typical of much of the Suburb; decking and porcelain are not generally approved.
Do I need Barnet's consent for a kitchen in a listed house?
Yes, if the work alters the interior: Barnet's Listed Building Consent applies to internal changes in a listed property, whether it is owned freehold or on a lease.
Sources: Hampstead Garden Suburb Trust: Planning FAQs, Hampstead Garden Suburb Trust and Barnet Council: Conservation Area Design Guidance (2010), Planning Portal Interactive House: Do I need permission to remove chimney breasts?, Hampstead Garden Suburb Trust: Home Retrofit Guidance
Sources
- Hampstead Garden Suburb Trust and Barnet Council: Conservation Area Design Guidance (2010)
- Hampstead Garden Suburb Trust: Planning FAQs
- Hampstead Garden Suburb Trust: Home Retrofit Guidance
- Hampstead Garden Suburb Trust: Technical Guides
- Planning Portal: Extensions, Building Regulations: Ventilation
- Planning Portal Interactive House: Do I need permission to remove chimney breasts?
- Hampstead Garden Suburb Trust - Your Property
- LEASE: alterations and home improvements
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