Loft Conversions in Cricklewood

Cricklewood City Information

Cricklewood grew up around the old Edgware Road, at a spot that has been recorded under some version of its name since the 1200s. These days it is best known as a busy junction of North West London, split between Barnet and Brent, with the Broadway acting as the informal line between the two. The area took shape properly in Victorian and Edwardian times, when the railway arrived and rows of terraced housing were built for workers and their families. That history is still visible today in two conservation areas, the Railway Terraces close to the station and the grand Edwardian streets of the Mapesbury estate a short walk to the west. Cricklewood railway station connects residents into central London on the Thameslink line, and buses run along the Broadway at almost all hours. Housing here is a genuine mix. You will find small Victorian terraces backing onto the railway, wide tree lined Edwardian roads in Mapesbury, and blocks of flats built more recently as the area has changed. Many families are drawn to Cricklewood because it sits close to Hampstead and Golders Green without the price tag, and because there is still room in most lofts and roof spaces to add a proper extra bedroom or bathroom.

The boundary between Barnet and Brent runs along Watling Street, the old Edgware Road that is now Cricklewood Broadway. That line is not a modern invention. It separated the ancient parish of Hendon on the east, which became Barnet, from the ancient parish of Willesden on the west, which became Brent. Cricklewood sits mainly in the NW2 postcode district, with part of it running into NW6.

Planning Notes

Most homeowners in Cricklewood start from the same national rules on permitted development. Under these rules, a terraced house can usually add up to 40 cubic metres of extra roof space without needing full planning permission, while a semi detached or detached house can add up to 50 cubic metres. The new roof cannot be higher than the existing ridge, materials generally need to match the rest of the house, and any windows in a side wall must be obscure glazed. That is the general position, but Cricklewood has two areas where it does not apply in full.
If your house sits in the Railway Terraces conservation area in Barnet, or in the Mapesbury conservation area in Brent, extra planning controls kick in. Barnet’s planning pages confirm that some conservation areas across the borough carry an Article 4 Direction, which removes certain permitted development rights so that a full application is needed instead. Brent’s own guidance for Mapesbury says the same thing, and it also warns that front dormers and front facing roof lights are not normally welcomed there at all, because the original Edwardian roofline was never designed with them.
Outside these two conservation areas, most straightforward rear dormer or hip to gable loft conversions in Cricklewood can still go ahead under permitted development, subject to the volume and height limits above. Anyone unsure which side of the Broadway they fall on, or whether their street sits inside a conservation area, should check with the relevant council’s planning department before ordering materials or booking a builder.

Article Notes

Article 4 controls in Cricklewood are not borough wide, they are tied to specific conservation areas. On the Barnet side, the Railway Terraces conservation area near the station was designated in March 1998 and forms one of Barnet's 16 conservation areas, several of which carry Article 4 Directions that remove some permitted development rights. On the Brent side, the Mapesbury conservation area has long carried an Article 4 Direction covering front elevations, and in May 2024 Brent Council extended the Mapesbury conservation area boundary to take in more of Chichele Road and the streets around Cricklewood Broadway, bringing fresh Article 4 controls with it. Brent's own conservation guidance for Mapesbury is also clear that front dormers and front roof lights are generally resisted, because the Edwardian roofline was not built with them in mind, and any replacement of an original dormer has to match the existing design. Barnet also runs a borough wide Article 4 Direction covering the change of a house into a small House in Multiple Occupation, which is a separate matter from loft conversions but worth knowing if you are converting a property that is let out. If your house sits inside either conservation area, budget extra time for a full planning application rather than assuming permitted development will cover the work.

Types of Houses in Cricklewood

Cricklewood's housing tells the story of how the area grew. Closest to the station, in the Railway Terraces conservation area, you find rows of Victorian terraced cottages built for railway workers, around 180 houses along with some converted flats. A short walk west, the Mapesbury estate is a different world, wide tree lined streets of substantial Edwardian townhouses built mainly between 1895 and 1905, with red brick, bay windows and terracotta detailing that has survived largely unaltered. Further out from these two conservation areas, Cricklewood has a broader mix of early twentieth century terraces, some interwar housing, and purpose built blocks of flats that have gone up along the Broadway and around the station over the years as the area has been redeveloped. This mix means loft conversion work in Cricklewood ranges from small terraced roof spaces to the much larger lofts found in the Mapesbury townhouses.