England's Top 10 Renovation Hot Spots Revealed

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Alexandra works in the marketing department, and in 2014, bought her first house, which turned out to be somewhat of a ‘project’.
Since then, the whole house has needed renovating, which has helped her gain a knowledge of basic DIY, decorating and making the best of a small space.

By Alexandra Giles

England’s Top 10 Renovation Hot Spots Revealed

England’s streets are having a facelift with more than 177,000 applications being granted by Local Planning Authorities in the past year alone.

London has been revealed as the biggest renovation hub, with the capital accounting for 14% of all granted planning applications in the country. Surrey takes the second spot (4%), followed by the northern powerhouse, Greater Manchester (4%) in third.

However, despite leading the rankings, London has one of the lowest application success rates in the country (81%). Brits looking to create their dream homes are more likely to have success in Hampshire, where 95% of plans are approved, or Gloucestershire, which has a 93% success rate.

The analysis, conducted by leading aluminium doors and windows manufacturer, Origin, also reveals some of the most unusual planning applications submitted to local councils.

In Manchester, a mum applied to transform a disused church into a family home including a bar and home gym.

Elsewhere, an avid Leeds United Football Club supporter applied to extend his Yorkshire property specifically to create a room to hold his football memorabilia collection.

Meanwhile, in Dorset, a World War Two RAF radar base built into the Ringstead Bay hillside, was renovated to become a £350-a-night holiday let.

Victoria Brocklesby, COO at Origin, comments: “Every day, our team advises homeowners and local installers on the best glazing products to use for their home renovations, so it was interesting to look at the renovation hotspots ahead of the seasonal ‘deadline’. Spring is the most popular time for renovations to start due to the drier weather. Planning applications take an average of 8-12 weeks to be approved, so homeowners need to get their 2024 applications in soon to ensure they don’t face delays.

“The impact of home renovations is significant, not just for the families who are upgrading their properties, but for the wider neighbourhood too. Many of the applications we analysed were homeowners upgrading their properties to better accommodate family living. Whilst the housing market remains turbulent, this is a positive sign for the future of the country.”