Forest Gate homes
Most of Forest Gate is late Victorian housing, from two-storey terraces to the larger villas of the Woodgrange Estate. A terrace usually takes a rear dormer and a side-return or rear extension, often together with a full refurbishment of the house.
Conservation areas in Forest Gate
Three of Newham’s nine conservation areas are in Forest Gate. They are the Woodgrange Estate, Romford Road and Forest Gate Town Centre, and Durham Road in nearby Manor Park is another.
Article 4 directions in E7
The Woodgrange Estate and Romford Road conservation areas have Article 4 directions. Newham says that in its Article 4 areas planning permission is needed to replace windows, doors and roof materials, to add extensions, dormer windows or satellite dishes, to paint, clad or pebble-dash walls and to remove stucco, canopies or other details. On these streets even a like-for-like window replacement should be checked with the council first.
Newham planning
Planning applications for Forest Gate go to Newham Council. For the Woodgrange Estate the council adopted an updated design guide in October 2022, and we design to it.
Forest Gate, Stratford and Leytonstone
Forest Gate sits between Stratford and our home area of Leytonstone, across Wanstead Flats. For the rules inside a conservation area see our conservation area planning guide, and for loft types the loft conversion page.
Sources, checked 29 October 2026: Newham Council: conservation areas · Newham Council: Article 4 directions · GOV.UK: permitted development rights for householders, technical guidance. Council boundaries and Article 4 directions are checked again for each address before design.
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