Resident Tania Nalywajko gets to see ‘airspace development’ (Image: Steve Reigate)
Like thousands of other residents of low-rise blocks, Tania has a close-up view of a so-called “airspace” development, a building revolution already transforming the roofscapes of our towns and cities. A relaxation in planning laws means building owners can effectively sell the air immediately above their property for the construction of new homes. Developers can apply to build one or two extra floors on top of properties and there is little existing tenants, leaseholders or neighbouring homeowners can do to stop them.
Such developments have been championed as a way of helping solve Britain’s housing crisis without interfering with the Green Belt or other protected areas.
But all over Britain, people are now waking up to the threat of rooftop extensions above or alongside their properties, causing noise pollution, disruption and overshadowing homes and gardens.
“No one wants disturbance but you can’t fight airspace developments, so you just have to get used to the idea,” says leaseholder Tania, 53, a reablement officer for Tower Hamlets Council in east London.
“There’s a maisonette above me and then the roof. Now they are putting two new floors on top. I’m in the middle of all this work. They have had all the surveys done, so you have to trust in them and, to be fair, they seem to know what they are doing. You just have to accept there’ll be pros and cons and make the best of it.”
Tania’s block is in Mile End, part of the late 1960s Eric estate. If all goes to plan, 42 new homes will be built on top of the block of 67 existing properties by the summer.
Charles Pear, group director of developer Gracewood, says: “Doing projects like this is outside the norm of traditional construction, but we are pleased with the way this is going.”
On the roof, builders have constructed a steel frame on which stand the main supports for the new homes. Steel walls are assembled below and then swung upwards by a crane.
Work underway at Mile End, East London (Image: Steve Reigate)
It is a bit like seeing a giant Meccano kit being assembled. Work is due to start soon on neighbouring blocks in what will be Britain’s biggest airspace development of 142 units by 2024. But it is not just inner-city areas facing airspace applications – and not everyone is as sanguine as Tania.
In suburban Chislehurst, Bromley, anger is mounting over plans by developer Better Properties to build six flats on top of an existing three-storey block at Willow Grove. More than 40 locals have written to Bromley Council to oppose it.
Resident Edmonde Cannon said: “These ugly flats would tower over neighbouring properties so there would be loss of privacy, especially with more people working from home and using their gardens. There is nowhere to park now and so there would be traffic chaos with all these extra cars. Having an extra two storeys would block out a lot of sunlight, especially in the winter when the sun is low.
“If allowed, this development would have a detrimental impact on the whole surrounding area. There are other small blocks of flats near here and our fear is that, if this is passed, there will be similar airspace developments on these sites. Airspace developments pose a threat to the peace and quiet of life in suburbia.”
There was anger in Bristol last year when a developer sought to add two extra storeys to Grange Court, between Henleaze and Westbury-on-Trym on the outskirts of the city.
Grange Court resident Simon Collins was among many who objected to 14 three-bedroom homes being added to the existing three-storey brick-built block.
‘Airspace’ projects are facing a growing backlash from residents (Image: Steve Reigate)
Mr Collins, 62, said many elderly residents had bought leaseholds to see out quiet retirements. He said: “It really does affect their wellbeing. They’re just continually scared, asking, ‘What will happen?’ It’s really destructive to the older people, especially those with flats on the top floor – they’re terrified they are going to have a building site on the roof.”
Councillors voted nine to one to throw out the application, saying it would have a harmful effect on parking and road safety. The developer is currently appealing.
The Leasehold Knowledge Partnership charity is against airspace developments. CEO Sebastian O’Kelly told the Daily Express they were “barking mad”.
“If you live in one of these blocks, especially in what was the top floor, the misery will be acute as the works go ahead,” he said.
“But worse, the Government was completely ignorant of the effect of this measure on its own leasehold reforms to help flat owners. Gifting this planning get-out has hugely increased the value of the freehold. This means groups of flat owners wanting to buy the freehold will now pay more for it.
“It has skewed the already rip-off leaseholder system even more to the advantage of anonymous, offshore private equity punters who buy residential freehold assets.”
Boris Johnson paved the way for a boom last spring with a speech urging developers to “build, build, build”.
His Government announced new permitted development rights which have made it possible to build up to two additional storeys without full planning permission, as long as they adhere to building regulations.
Grange Court, Bristol, residents protest at plans for two-storey extension (Image: Steve Reigate)
Since then, airspace property deals are estimated to have increased by up to 60 percent and it’s thought 140,000 new airspace homes could be built in London alone in the coming two decades. Although the capital is currently the centre of the airspace revolution, largely because there is so little free land for new buildings, the trend is expected to affect the whole of Britain.
Developers with the freehold on low-rise blocks in Manchester, Birmingham and Bristol are already examining options. One favoured airspace method is modular homes, which can be “dropped” onto roofs by crane.
Valentina Cangiono, 39, a luxury brand management consultant, moved into her metal-framed two-bedroom penthouse suite in August 2020 in Lambeth, south London, after a giant crane positioned two prefabricated apartments on top of existing flats.
“I liked the idea of being in one of these new homes, but there have been problems,” she says. “There’s no air con and even in the winter it gets very hot. Last summer I had to move out because I just couldn’t sleep. It’s basically a metal box which absorbs heat. The owner has offered to sell to me but I wouldn’t buy because of the heating issue.”
In Bermondsey, south London, there were problems at St Andrews House where three two-bedroom penthouse apartments are being constructed by Click Above.
Lisa Ward, 24, an accountant who shares a flat with two nurses, says: “We had really heavy rain last August when the roof was off. The three flats just below the new penthouse suites were so badly damaged with water the residents had to move out.
The ‘Air Space’ site in Bermondsey (Image: Steve Reigate)
“We are below that but we had to move out as well because water came through. The three of us had to share a hotel room for a week. We’ve still got water damage and it has become a big insurance situation now.
“When the plan came up nobody minded because it would only take four or five months. It was supposed to finish last August but we’ve still got builders.”
Meanwhile, in Southwark, building experts believe 2,000 homes could be built on top of existing buildings, and Harrow Council has approved a scheme for 48 extra homes atop three-storey blocks in Edgware’s Berridge Estate in collaboration with Apex Airspace. “It’s outrageous,” says Claire Sparks, 53, a call centre worker. “I’m absolutely incensed.”
When she heard about the scheme last summer, Claire told the MyLondon website: “We’ve got issues with parking, issues with litter and with anti-social behaviour. This used to be a nice area.
“These are low-rise buildings and now they want to build a big chunk on top of them. No one asked me what I wanted, no one asked my neighbours what they wanted.
“Nobody knew a thing. It’s absolutely shocking that they’ve just whacked it through and have said, ‘Take it or leave it’. I feel sorry for those on the top floors – you don’t rent or buy with the thought you might have someone on top in a few years’ time.”
Leasehold Knowledge Partnership has estimated that leaseholders living under upwards extensions will suffer a loss of property value and inconvenience totalling around £200million in the next decade, while providing freehold owners up to £41.9billion in increased development value.
Last year, four firms – Apex Airspace, Click Above, Upspace and Fruition Properties – set up the Association of Rooftop and Airspace Development (ARAD) with the aim of establishing a code of conduct.
Mani Khiroya, co-founder of ARAD and managing director of Fruition Properties, says: “Airspace should provide a win-win, where value can be delivered across the board, whether in the shape of financial rewards for the existing residents, existing building improvements, upgraded fire safety measures, reduction in service charges or sustainability improvements.
“There are many examples of airspace development where all of the existing residents have benefited from a better building and increased property values.”
He claims negative headlines have concerned rushed, poor-quality developments where the existing residents or leaseholders were not properly considered. New rules should simplify and speed up the development process, reduce planning costs and give developers more certainty.
However, he accepts the loosening of any restrictions can lead to low-quality schemes being put through by freeholders and developers who are only focused on their own financial interests.
Property experts at Cavendish Legal Group believe developer clients should consult fully with leaseholders to avoid expensive legal action.
While leaseholders cannot necessarily stop airspace development, they advise, they can sue for compensation for any damage to their homes or loss of value as a result of the building work, and neighbouring residents can potentially sue over a loss of light.