We were appointed by the Owner to design the loft conversion in August 2021. The design was complicated by the existing attic’s low height which made it unoccupiable. We agreed with the Client that the strategy most respectful of the house’s and neighbourhood’s architecture would be to raise the entire roof, ridge included, rather than creating a dormer. This was a bold strategy since the planning policy strongly discouraged raising the roof ridge. We met with the Hillingdon Council planner on site in November 2022 for a pre-application meeting and explained the benefits of this approach compared to the “permitted development” route. The planner gave suggestions; we adjusted the design and submitted the application, which was approved eight weeks later.