Home extension applications down

Two-thirds of England’s top 50 towns and cities had an average 8 per cent drop in applications for home extensions between 2006 and 2008, new research has found. Homeowners in London and towns in the South East of England however, bucked the trend with substantial increases in applications – Luton saw the biggest increase at 19 per cent, Greater London saw a 10 per cent increase and Slough had 8 per cent more applicants. The South West appears the most affected by the downturn, with Exeter and Plymouth seeing the largest decreases in applications for extensions – 23 and 22 per cent respectively.