Roof Terraces: The 1.7m Screen Rule

1. The Demand for Elevated Outdoor Space

Securing a roof terrace on the top of a back addition during a Full Refurbishment in the London Borough of Hammersmith & Fulham (LBHF) adds immense financial value. However, planning permission is furiously contested by neighbors due to the direct threat to privacy.

2. The Direct Overlooking Objection

The LBHF Local Plan specifically protects residential "amenity." If you propose a terrace where a standing adult can look directly down into the private rear garden of the neighbor beside you, the application will face immediate refusal. Planners are obligated to defend the neighbor's right not to be observed in their own garden.

3. The 1.7 Meter Privacy Screen Shield

The standard architectural defense deployed by our Architecture team against this objection is the "1.7 Meter Rule."

We do not simply propose a hip-height railing. We design the terrace with towering, 1.7-meter-high opaque screens on the flank walls immediately adjacent to the neighbors. This height (approximately 5 feet 7 inches) is formally accepted by the Planning Directorate as sufficient to prevent "casual sideways overlooking" by an average adult.

4. The Visual Bulk Conflict

Implementing the 1.7-meter screens solves the privacy issue but instantly creates a new one: "Visual Bulk." The Conservation Officer frequently objects to towering timber fences perched on top of a roof, arguing they look like ugly garden fences suspended in the sky.

To resolve this aesthetic clash, Hampstead Renovations utilizes "Angled Frosted Structural Glass" or "Architectural Zinc Louvers." These ultra-premium materials block sightlines (satisfying the planners regarding privacy) while appearing visually lightweight and reflecting the sky (satisfying the Conservation Officer regarding heritage aesthetics).

5. The "No Terrace" Condition

Clients are frequently infuriated when they buy a house with a beautifully flat asphalt rear roof, assuming they can simply walk out onto it. If previous planning permissions attached a strict condition stating "The flat roof hereby approved shall not be used as a terrace," placing a single chair on that asphalt is an immediate Planning Enforcement breach requiring retrospective application combat.

How We Can Help

If you are considering a major refurbishment, extension or basement in Hammersmith & Fulham, our in-house architectural and construction teams are highly experienced with the specific constraints and policies of LBHF. Do not leave your planning application to chance—our Planning & Permissions and Architecture services are explicitly designed to handle strict London authorities from initial conceptual design through to final, legal consent.

Once permission is secured, our Refurbishment & Interiors division carefully manages the execution, guaranteeing the design integrity is maintained throughout the build phase.

*Published in the Hampstead Renovations Planning Guide Collection — delivering expert design and build strategies for London's most heavily guarded conservation boroughs.*