Merseyside
Side return extensions in Merseyside
Infilling the narrow passage beside a Victorian or Edwardian back addition. Rear extensions in Merseyside: we cover 41 towns including Liverpool, St Helens and Southport, with design, approvals and the build under one contract.
Side returns suit the Victorian and Edwardian terraces found across parts of Merseyside, where the kitchen sits in a narrow back addition. Merseyside has long runs of terraced houses with back yards and alleys, plus 1930s semis further out. Yard extensions on terraces are often single-storey and close to both boundaries.
How much does a side return extension cost in Merseyside?
For Merseyside we work from the North West England rate: £2,160–£3,570 per square metre of new floor, including VAT, standard specification. North West prices sit below our West Midlands baseline; access on terraced streets is the main variable.
| Size | Guide price inc VAT |
|---|---|
| 2 m wide × 6 m deep (12 m²) | £26,000–£43,000 |
| 2.5 m wide × 7 m deep (17.5 m²) | £38,000–£62,500 |
Your written price follows a measured survey and an agreed design, so it reflects your house, not an average.
Do you need planning permission in Merseyside?
Side return infills and the side leg of a wraparound are treated as side extensions in England: single-storey, no more than 4 metres high and no wider than half the original house. They are not permitted development in conservation areas, National Parks or National Landscapes, and a joined wraparound often needs a planning application because the side and rear rules apply together.
The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 applies in England: you serve notice two months before work to a shared wall, and one month before digging foundations within 3 metres (or 6 metres for deeper foundations) of a neighbour's building. Neighbours can agree in writing; if they dissent, surveyors agree an award.
Conservation areas, National Parks, National Landscapes and the Broads restrict permitted development, and listed buildings always need listed building consent.
Where in Merseyside do we work?
- Liverpool
- St Helens
- Southport
- Birkenhead
- Wallasey
- Bootle
- Bebington
- Huyton
- Kirkby
- Prescot
- Thornton-Cleveleys
- Heswall
- Maghull
- Newton-le-Willows
- Formby
- Litherland
- Garston
- Speke
- Halewood
- Norris Green
- Kirkdale
- Moreton
- Haydock
- Kensington
- Fazakerley
- Hunts Cross
- Belle Vale
- Old Swan
- Allerton
- Bromborough
- Croxteth
- Prenton
- Knotty Ash
- Wavertree
- West Derby
- Childwall
- Whiston
- Dingle
- Woolton
- Mossley Hill
- Rainhill
FAQ
Questions people ask
How much space does a side return add?
Typically 8 to 18 square metres, enough to turn a galley kitchen into a kitchen-diner with an island.
Do I need my neighbour's permission?
Not their permission, but in England and Wales you must serve party wall notices, and a neighbour can consent in writing or ask for a surveyor's award.
Can I combine a side return with a rear extension?
Yes; that is a wraparound extension, and it gives the biggest open-plan room a terrace can have.
Do you cover all of Merseyside?
We cover 41 towns and districts in Merseyside, including Liverpool, St Helens and Southport.
Who builds the extension?
Vetted building teams working under contract to us; your contract is with S&K Property Investments and Improvement Ltd.