Extending a lower-ground-floor flat involves more than creating a larger room at the back. The spaces in the middle still need light, useful circulation and a clear purpose. At Driffield Road in Bow, Detailed Planning’s approved design combines a rear extension with a courtyard and a reorganised interior, bringing the main living spaces towards the garden while retaining flexibility nearer the centre of the flat.
Tower Hamlets Council granted full planning permission for the scheme at 45A Driffield Road on 3 August 2026, under application PA/26/00991. The property sits within the Driffield Road Conservation Area.
A courtyard that keeps the middle of the flat connected to the outside
The front bedroom is retained, while the former living room becomes a flexible bedroom or office. Beside this room, the design keeps a courtyard open to the sky. A glazed door and side panel provide an outlook into that outdoor space, with an opening section for ventilation.
This arrangement gives the middle room a direct relationship with the outside as the living accommodation moves rearwards. It also avoids filling the whole side area simply to maximise enclosed floor space. The balance between additional accommodation and a useful courtyard is central to the proposal.
Reconsidering the existing rooms is as important as drawing the extension itself. Our architectural design service explores how new and existing spaces can work together, including where a more flexible room will be most useful.
Kitchen, dining and seating facing the garden
The rear becomes an open kitchen, dining and seating area. The kitchen runs along one side, with dining space opposite and seating closest to the garden doors. Rather than making the room serve a single purpose, the layout gives each activity its own place within one connected space.
Three rooflights introduce daylight from above, while slim aluminium sliding doors open towards the rear patio. The proposed patio is lowered to meet the internal floor level at the doorway; the garden beyond remains at a higher level. This creates a more direct connection immediately outside the living area without implying that the entire garden is level.
These relationships between cooking, sitting, daylight and outdoor access are useful starting points when considering a rear extension in London.
Making the existing footprint work harder
The proposal also reorganises the smaller supporting spaces. A compact shower room sits within the existing part of the flat, while dedicated cupboards accommodate coats and laundry equipment, including a stacked washing machine and dryer. Removing the chimney shown on the proposed plan releases space in the middle of the layout.
These changes help the larger living area work in daily use. Storage and household equipment have defined places, rather than relying on spare corners in the new room. The bedroom or office adds another option for how the flat can be used over time.
A rear addition shaped by its conservation setting
The scheme concentrates the changes at the rear, leaving the front streetscape unaltered. Its depth relates to the existing rear projection, with the courtyard retained alongside. The drawings also show the neighbouring extension and changes in ground level, which form part of the setting for the new work.
Matching brickwork, a shallow pitched roof with an imitation-lead finish, and carefully drawn parapet and coping details give the addition a considered relationship with the existing building. The council’s decision includes requirements for matching materials and making good. Our guidance on planning permission in conservation areas explains why that local context matters.
The approved layout then needs to be developed through structural and technical coordination. Our Building Regulations service supports this stage; planning approval alone does not confirm that construction details are complete.
To discuss a flat alteration or rear extension in Bow or Tower Hamlets, book a call with Detailed Planning.
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