An extension is planning, building regulations, structure and finish in one job. We coordinate the structural engineer, make the building control application, and build the shell and the interior. We are not architects or planning consultants, and we say when you need one. In Berkhamsted two things are worth knowing early: what the levy on new floor space costs here, and what has to be inside the application for it to be validated at all.
Berkhamsted sits in the borough's highest Community Infrastructure Levy zone
Dacorum's adopted Community Infrastructure Levy Charging Schedule places Berkhamsted in Zone 1, described as Berkhamsted and surrounding area, at a residential rate of £250 per square metre. That is the highest of the four charging zones. The comparison is £150 in Zone 2 elsewhere in the borough, £100 in Zone 3 covering Hemel Hempstead and Markyate, and £0 in Zone 4 for identified sites.
Dacorum states that an extension is not liable if it creates less than 100 square metres of new floor space and is not a whole new dwelling or an annexe. The council also states that annexes are liable whatever the size. In Berkhamsted that means the Zone 1 rate applies to a granny annexe however small, which is worth knowing before the drawings are drawn.
What has to be in the application, and when to claim relief
Dacorum Borough Council states that it does not currently have any additional local validation requirements, so a Berkhamsted planning application follows the national list of required documents set by Government through the Planning Portal. It also states that Community Infrastructure Levy additional information forms must be included with a planning application, and that applications submitted without these forms will not be validated.
Timing matters on relief. The council states that claims for exemption or relief must be made before any development starts on site, including any demolition of existing buildings. We build that into the programme, so nothing is knocked down before the paperwork is in and acknowledged.
Berkhamsted is outside the Chilterns National Landscape, with Green Belt to the north
The built up area of Berkhamsted lies outside the Chilterns National Landscape. The designated land wraps around the town on several sides, including Berkhamsted Common to the north, land to the east, and land to the southwest towards Northchurch. That catches out people who assume the National Landscape covers the town itself.
Green Belt land begins immediately north of the built up area, forming part of Dacorum's section of the London Green Belt. If your property sits on that edge, the extension is judged against a different set of policies, and the size and siting questions become harder. We flag it at the first visit rather than after a refusal.
How a rear extension is judged here
Visibility is one test, and it is not obvious from the front of the house. The Berkhamsted Conservation Area Character Appraisal records that the houses on Station Road stand on narrow but very long plots that stretch down to the towpath of the Grand Union Canal. It records that Ellesmere Road is built up on one side only, with the railway opposite the fronts of the properties. Extensions at the rear of houses there, and rooflights added to rear roof slopes, can be seen across the rear gardens from Paxton Road and from the end of George Street.
Scale is the other test. Dacorum's design guidance for Berkhamsted states that the predominant scale in the residential streets is two storeys, and that two storeys with an attic is not the same as three storeys. We use that language when we talk options through with you, because it is the language the decision will be made in.
- Foundations, groundworks and steel frames
- Steel goalpost frames where the rear wall opens up
- Brickwork and mortar matched to the existing elevation
- Roof works and structural alterations at roof level
- Insulation, airtightness and thermal detailing to regulations
The GS Renovation Difference in Berkhamsted
An extension in Berkhamsted carries the borough's highest levy rate on new floor space, and a relief claim that has to be made before anything is demolished. We build the sequence around that, so the order of events protects you rather than costs you. We appoint the structural engineer and build to the calculations issued, coordinate the building control application and inspections, and run one programme with one point of contact for every trade on site. Quotations are free and without obligation. GS Renovation Ltd is fully insured and registered in England, company number 14611254.
- Rated 4.9 from 31 reviews on MyBuilder
- One point of contact on the phone, not a call centre
- Party Wall notices served for excavation near a neighbour's wall
- Free, no-obligation quotations
- Foundation depth set after trial holes, drains and trees are checked
- Scaffolding and site set-up planned for tight London plots