House Extensions and Alterations - Wigan Council

WIGANLOCALDEVELOPMENTFRAMEWORKHouse Extensions SPDWigan CouncilLDFRoof Extensions and Alterations2.35 Roof extensions or alterations canallow residents to use the attic spaceeffectively. However, the potentialimplications of such extensions oralterations on the built environment mustbe considered carefully, especially if theproposal is likely to introduce a newbuilding feature to a local area.2.36 The use of roof lights and dormerscan have serious amenity implications interms of overlooking and loss of privacyto adjacent dwellings. Thus this impactwill be taken into consideration whenassessing proposals involving dormerwindows or rooflights.2.37 Proposals for altering either theeaves or the ridge of the roof should betreated with caution as such atransformation could have a significanteffect on the character of a street scene.This is especially true where there is aclear consistent roof line or distinctive roofform for a group of houses.2.38 A dormer extension should be ofa scale that is in-keeping with the originalproperty. A dormer extension which islarge in scale and dominates theroofscape is unacceptable.2.39 Roofs with shallow pitches may beunable to accommodate dormer windowseffectively due to insufficient head height,and the required new, deeper floorstructure. It is unacceptable for a dormerto project too close to the ridgeline.Therefore, dormers should be set downthe roof slope by a minimum of 0.5metres, unless the design of the dormeris such that it remains subordinate to themain roof structure.Alterating the eaves or the ridge of the roof should be treated with caution16