Cottages round the green
The council's statement says most buildings are unpretentious former farmworkers' cottages, many keeping Victorian characteristics.
Roofers in West End, Elmbridge
Roofs round a green, ponds and an old common
West End is a semi-rural Elmbridge village round a green with several ponds, kept distinct from Esher. We check each cottage roof before we price a repair.
West End's green, ponds and farmworkers' cottages
A school of 1879
West End Infants School was built in 1879 by Mrs Bailey in memory of her husband.
Listed on West End Lane
Numbers 68 and 69 West End Lane are listed Grade II, as is Claremont Ice House nearby.
Map of West End, Elmbridge with Esher, Hersham, Claygate, Oxshott marked around it.
Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors. Loads only when you ask for it.
West End, with Esher to its north-east
Esher lies north-east of West End, Hersham west, Claygate east, Oxshott south-east, Walton-on-Thames north-west, Cobham south-west and East Molesey north.
About 25.4 road miles east of Farnborough · Elmbridge Borough Council and Surrey County Council.
West End, Elmbridge roofing services
West End, green and roofs
West End's roofs under Elmbridge's conservation rules
How Elmbridge and Surrey divide a West End roof job, what the council's own statement says about the village round its green, and what a conservation area designated in 1977 asks of a repair.
| No. | Chapter | The figure it turns on |
|---|---|---|
| 01 | Elmbridge plans, and EBCS handles building control | EBCS acts for Elmbridge Borough Council |
| 02 | Round a green, beside a common | Village form set by the mid-19th century |
| 03 | The 1977 conservation area and the listed neighbours | West End (Esher) designated 25 April 1977 |
Chapter 01 of 03
Elmbridge plans, and EBCS handles building control
| Role | Body for West End addresses |
|---|---|
| Planning authority | Elmbridge Borough Council |
| Building control | Elmbridge Building Control Services (EBCS), on the council's behalf |
| County council and highway authority | Surrey County Council (until 31 March 2027) |
| Council from 1 April 2027 | East Surrey Council from 1 April 2027 |
| Built-up area population | 8,877 usual residents at the 2021 Census |
| Distance from our base | 25.4 road miles east of Farnborough, from the A325 |
Elmbridge Borough Council decides planning matters in West End, and building control is handled by Elmbridge Building Control Services, known as EBCS, working for the council. Surrey County Council keeps the highways until 31 March 2027. From 1 April 2027 East Surrey Council replaces both, so a roof job begun well before that date is handled by today's bodies throughout. Work that might run into the changeover is flagged at the survey, and the dates are written down before anything is ordered.
Counting the work against the limits
The Planning Portal sets out when a re-roof needs a Building Regulations application. Under 25 per cent of the building envelope and under 50 per cent of the roof, normally none; a new covering heavier by 15 per cent or more is a different case, as is one whose fire performance differs from the old covering's. Cottages are small, so a full re-roof crosses the 50 per cent test on any house, while a partial one may stay under it. Measuring the slopes tells you which, and the figures go into your written report.
The figure25%of the building envelope: the first of two limits, beside 50 per cent of the roof25% envelope limit50% roof limitSource: Planning Portal, building regulations for re-roofing
When an application is required, EBCS can take it, and a registered building control approver can as well. We explain the difference at the survey and plan the stripping so the inspector sees bare rafters before the covering returns.
Scaffold round the green
A house on a lane or beside the green may have little room for scaffold except on the road edge. Section 169 of the Highways Act 1980 brings that within Surrey County Council's licensing, which costs £208 per 28-day period and needs the application in at least 10 working days beforehand. The guidance leaves the applicant unnamed, so that is confirmed before we book. A scaffold standing within your own boundary escapes the highway licence, and a lawn near the green may take it.
A cottage with a small front garden can sometimes take a scaffold on its own land, and a rear garden may offer another route. The survey tests each option on the ground and on the measurements, and recommends the one that leaves the road clear. Soft ground beside a pond changes where boards and base plates can sit.
Chapter 02 of 03
Round a green, beside a common
West End as the council and the 1911 history describe it
- Mid-19th centurywhen the village form was established
- Several pondsround the green, beside part of West End Common
- 1879West End Infants School built in memory of a husband
- 1911the hamlet also had an iron mission church
Elmbridge's designation statement for the West End conservation area describes a semi-rural village round a green with several ponds and part of West End Common, which has stayed physically distinct from Esher. The village form was established by the mid-19th century, and the statement says most buildings are unpretentious former farmworkers' cottages, many of that period keeping Victorian characteristics. We quote that as the council's description, not as a statement about any one roof.
What small cottages ask of a roofer
A small cottage carries a modest roof, with few places for water to enter: a ridge, two verges, a chimney or two, and the eaves on each side. When something goes wrong, the cause is likely to sit at one of those places. The survey takes each in turn, and the pictures show it close up. Earlier patches are noted, with the materials used and where each one ends. Our pitched roofing page explains how ridges, hips and verges are repaired, and our chimney repairs page covers stacks.
The statement's phrase about Victorian characteristics points to details worth keeping: the pitch of a roof, the line of the eaves, the shape of a chimney. A repair that changes those changes the look of the cottage and of the group around the green. We aim to match what is there, and we explain in advance where a match is not possible, for instance where an old tile or brick is no longer made.
Cottages that have been extended often have a flat roof over the addition, a rear kitchen or a porch. Our flat roofing page describes membranes, outlets and falls. The junction between that flat roof and the old pitched slope is a joint worth watching, and we record it.
The school of 1879 and the iron mission church of 1911 show that the hamlet had buildings of several kinds. Nothing in the records describes their roofs, so we say nothing about them, and we bring the same approach to every roof we survey: look first, then report. A school or a mission hall that has gone, or changed use, leaves no guide at all for the houses around it.
Chapter 03 of 03
The 1977 conservation area and the listed neighbours
| Designation | In West End | For roof work |
|---|---|---|
| Conservation area | West End (Esher), designated 25 April 1977 | Ask Elmbridge before changing a roof's look |
| Grade II listed | 68 and 69 West End Lane (NHLE 1030086) | Listed building consent where character is affected |
| Grade II listed | Claremont Ice House (NHLE 1436165) | Listed building consent where character is affected |
| Grade II listed | Clover Way (NHLE 1192378) | Listed building consent where character is affected |
| Elmbridge's conservation areas | 26 in the borough, covering over 2,000 properties | Check your own address on the council's map |
According to Elmbridge's own statement, the West End (Esher) conservation area was designated on 25 April 1977, and it lies within about 0.75 km of the village centre. The council counts 26 designated conservation areas across the borough, with over 2,000 properties in them. The council's map will show whether a house stands inside the boundary, and its planners are the people to ask before drawing up a dormer or choosing a new covering. A call to the planning team costs nothing and can save a re-do. A change that the council turns down after work has started is expensive to reverse, which is why we like the answer in writing beforehand.
Article 4 and the council's list
The Article 4 directions Elmbridge lists are site-specific ones about fences, gates and temporary uses, with nothing on roofs. That tells you nothing certain about your own address, so we ask the planning team whether a direction touches a roof before we advise on a change of covering, ridge or chimney. If a direction did apply, it could turn a small job into one needing consent, and it is better to learn that early. Our planning permission for roof work guide explains the national rules.
The figure26areasdesignated conservation areas in Elmbridge, covering over 2,000 properties26 in the boroughSource: Elmbridge Borough Council conservation areas page
Listed buildings and like-for-like repair
Claremont Ice House, Clover Way and numbers 68 and 69 West End Lane are all listed Grade II, part of a group of 7 listed buildings within 500 m of the village centre. Alterations that would change a listed building's character need listed building consent, so Elmbridge receives our question before any price is settled. A listing can include outbuildings and structures that are not houses, such as an ice house, so ask rather than assume.
Even inside the conservation area, an unlisted cottage can have a repair that keeps its outer look materially the same without an application, because section 55 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 does not treat it as development. Putting back exactly what was there is the plain case, and our pictures record how the roof looked before work. A new covering, a different pitch or a chimney of another shape is where the designation starts to bite, and the council hears of it first.
West End roof questions, from cottages to the conservation area
My West End cottage has a flat extension roof joined to the old slope: why would it leak?
On a West End cottage the junction is where two different roofs meet, and a flashing there can fail or the membrane can lift at the upstand. We expose the joint, look at the flashing and the membrane edge, and keep pictures of what we find. Sometimes a repair at the joint is enough, and the survey says if the flat roof beyond is tired.
Is my West End house inside the conservation area?
Designated on 25 April 1977, the West End (Esher) conservation area runs to within about 0.75 km of the village centre, which puts some houses inside it and others just outside. The map at Elmbridge answers for your address. Should you want a dormer or a different look to the roof, Elmbridge hears about it ahead of a quote.
Do Elmbridge's Article 4 directions cover roofs in West End?
The directions on Elmbridge's list are for particular sites and concern boundaries and temporary uses, with nothing about roofs. That does not prove that none touches your address, so we ask Elmbridge's planning team before pricing a change in covering, ridge or chimney, and we pass the reply to you in writing, so it is on file.
May I fit a roof window to my West End cottage in the conservation area?
It depends on which slope the window would be on and what the conservation area asks, so the first step is a call to Elmbridge's planning team with the position marked. Our planning guide covers the national rules. We survey the roof, show where a window could go without disturbing the structure, and raise it with the council before pricing.
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