We’re pleased to report another successful planning appeal success against the London Borough of Hillingdon, this time for a new two-storey dwelling at 110 Apple Tree Avenue in Uxbridge.
Our client wanted to demolish an existing side extension and outbuilding and replace them with a new two-bedroom house attached to the existing property. The proposal would create a neat terrace of three houses, with the new dwelling designed to match its neighbours at numbers 110 and 112.
True to form, Hillingdon Council refused the application with four separate reasons for refusal. They claimed the development would be “cramped, contrived and visually incongruous”, argued the principle of development was “unacceptable” due to loss of garden land, stated the dwelling wouldn’t meet accessible design standards, and objected to the side garden location as providing inadequate amenity space.
Why the Council Got It Wrong
The appeal inspector disagreed with the council’s assessment of the design, finding that the development would not appear cramped and that sufficient space would remain. Crucially, the inspector noted that the area already contained “a combination of both terraced and semi-detached properties” and that the conversion of the semi-detached pair into a terrace would not harm the street scene.
Although Hillingdon’s Policy DMH 6 sets a presumption against garden land development, the inspector found the proposal complied with the policy’s criteria. The development would maintain local character, provide adequate amenity space, and support biodiversity through enhanced landscaping.
On accessibility standards, the inspector accepted that appropriate provisions could be secured through planning conditions – a common-sense approach that Hillingdon could have taken rather than refusing the application outright. Regarding amenity space quality, the inspector considered that both the existing and proposed dwellings would have gardens exceeding the minimum 60sqm requirement. Importantly, they found that reasonable privacy could be achieved in the side garden through boundary fencing and landscape planting.
The London Plan Advantage
As we’ve noted in previous posts about Hillingdon appeals, the London Plan‘s emphasis on small site development continues to work in appellants’ favour.
Policy H2 of the London Plan sets a clear expectation that boroughs should “pro-actively support well-designed new homes on small sites” and crucially states that local character should be allowed to “evolve over time” to accommodate additional housing.
The London Plan sets Hillingdon an ambitious target of delivering 765 new homes per year on small sites alone – a total of 7,650 homes over ten years. This represents a significant increase from previous housing targets and reflects the Mayor’s recognition that small sites must play a much greater role in addressing London’s housing crisis.
Policy H2 specifically requires boroughs to “recognise in their Development Plans and planning decisions that local character evolves over time and will need to change in appropriate locations to accommodate additional housing provision”. This policy direction makes it much harder for councils like Hillingdon to defend blanket objections to infill development at appeal.
Hillingdon’s Rigid Approach
This case demonstrates Hillingdon’s continuing inflexibility when assessing applications for new dwellings on corner sites. Despite the council’s own pre-application advice suggesting an attached dwelling “could be approved”, they then refused the formal application.
The inspector’s decision shows that well-designed infill development can successfully integrate with existing streetscenes, even where councils take an overly restrictive approach.
If you’ve been refused planning permission in Hillingdon for a house extension or new dwelling, don’t give up!
With Hillingdon’s track record of harsh refusals being overturned at appeal, you may well have grounds for a successful challenge.
Contact our team of chartered town planners for a free assessment of your case. We’ll give you honest advice about your prospects and, if we think you can win, provide you with a fixed-fee quote for managing your appeal from start to finish.
Just Planning specialises in planning appeals throughout England and Wales, with particular expertise in challenging unreasonable decisions by west London councils including Hillingdon, Harrow, Hounslow, and Brent.
For more on how to get planning permission for your development, check out Martin Gaine’s book, How to Get Planning Permission: An Insider’s Secrets.