• DARIAN Mitchell’s letter (Buildings big enough for families, September 9) is based on two misapprehensions, helpfully set straight by a glimpse at any property website.

First, the beautiful houses in Lloyd Baker Street are around 50 per cent bigger than unextended three-storey houses in the Arlington conservation area. Even after a full depth mansard extension, a property on Lloyd Baker Street is bigger.

Second, houses on Lloyd Baker Street are not simply in a conservation area, they are listed by Historic England due to their architectural merit; this is not the case for most homes in Arlington.

These houses were originally constructed as six rooms (two below street level) and an outside toilet. People want to extend them not live in extravagance, but because they want to have a bathroom, ideally with a window, and to have their children sleep near them rather than two floors away.

The more important point, however, is that Islington Council’s draconian planning rules for the area make a mockery of their green credentials.

Allowing people to insulate their homes is the single biggest change we can make to reduce our carbon footprint; but even a simple change like installing a timber sash with double glazing requires planning consent and a series of compromises that mean most people won’t consider it worth doing.

Due to Islington’s ban on mansard extensions people are forced to build into their green space. The environmental impact of building in this way is much worse than “raising a roof” and, added to the loss of green space, the carbon footprint of such construction is significantly greater.

Finally, many of the permitted developments, I think, are much more detrimental to the character of the area, with people dropping their ceiling heights to squeeze in extra space, and moving staircases so they can fit in a shower they can stand up in.

Yes, the conservation area has no doubt prevented many eyesores (though not all), but the planning regulations need a revision for modern times; and with a specific focus on finding compromises that make it easier for people to protect the environment not just the “aesthetic environment”.

ARLINGTON RESIDENT, N1