Getting planning permission refused in Ealing isn't unusual — and the reasons aren't always what homeowners expect. Most people assume refusal means the project was too big or too bold. The reality is far more complicated, and far more dependent on your specific property than any general guide can tell you. WhatCanIBuild exists precisely because those specifics are what actually determine your outcome.
The short version
- Refusal reasons in Ealing often come down to property-specific constraints, not just project size
- Conservation areas and Article 4 directions affect large parts of the borough — and most homeowners don't know if they apply to them
- What got approved on your neighbour's house may tell you more than any national rule
It's rarely just about what you're building
Planning decisions in Ealing — like everywhere in England — have to be made against the local development plan. But the development plan isn't a simple checklist. Officers weigh up impact on the surrounding area, the character of the street, visual appearance, and whether the proposed use fits the neighbourhood. Two identical extensions on different streets in W5 can get completely different outcomes. Most homeowners don't realise how much the decision hinges on context rather than just dimensions.
The question isn't only "is my extension too big?" It's whether it harms the amenity of neighbours, whether it's out of character with the area, whether it affects access or infrastructure — and whether any of those concerns are already flagged in Ealing's policies for your specific location.
Conservation areas and Article 4 directions catch people off guard
Ealing has numerous conservation areas. Article 4 directions apply in several parts of the borough, removing permitted development rights that homeowners in other areas take for granted — particularly for front elevations and boundaries. If your property sits within one of these designations, work you assumed was fine to do without permission may not be. And the rules don't just vary by borough — they can vary street by street.
Don't assume
Being outside a conservation area doesn't mean your property is unrestricted. Article 4 directions, locally listed buildings, and other overlapping designations can all affect what you can do — without it being immediately obvious.
Most homeowners don't know which designations apply to their address until they're already mid-application. By then, it's too late to change the design without delay, cost, or outright refusal.
What neighbours got approved matters more than you think
This is where most homeowners are working completely blind. Ealing's planning history — what's been approved and refused nearby, and crucially why — is one of the most useful signals for predicting your outcome. Officers look at precedent. If similar applications on your street have been refused on specific grounds, that pattern will likely repeat. If they've been consistently approved, that changes the picture entirely.
But reading that history accurately — understanding whether a refusal was about design, policy, or a one-off constraint — isn't straightforward. The best way to understand what that history means for your specific project is to use WhatCanIBuild, which surfaces what's actually happened near your address and what it implies for your chances.
Your address changes everything
General guides can tell you the categories of things that cause refusals. They can't tell you whether those things apply to your house, your street, or your specific combination of constraints. That gap — between knowing the categories and knowing your situation — is where most planning mistakes happen.
WhatCanIBuild shows you what's been approved and refused near your property, what constraints are active at your address, and what your approval odds look like for your project type — the things this article deliberately can't give you.
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