Yes, and much of the village already has. Only a handful of buildings are listed. There are no conservation areas. The planning office hears from local homeowners every working day. The rulebook is thin here, so the real limit is your budget.
There are 14 listed buildings in the area: one at Grade I, two at Grade II* and 11 at Grade II. Listing covers the whole building, inside and out, and any change that affects its character needs listed building consent on top of planning permission, with the new kitchen treated as a question of national heritage. Buy one of those 14 and you're a custodian with a mortgage. Buy anything else and the rules are the same as for most of England.
The local planning register shows how much building work goes on. There were 2,319 planning applications between April 2024 and June 2026, and 1,023 in the twelve months to June 2026. That's what a place full of large houses on large plots looks like when the owners decide the house could be larger still. Nobody here buys a four-bedroom house and stops at four bedrooms.
In practice, an ordinary house that isn't listed and isn't in a conservation area keeps the standard permitted development rights, so many rear extensions, loft conversions and outbuildings can go ahead without a full application, within the national limits. Flats don't carry the same rights, and anything bigger, taller or closer to the boundary will need permission. Gated developments and private estates can add their own covenants and estate rules, and those bind you whatever the council says, so read the title and any estate rules before you commission an architect. Check with the council before you start work, not after the skip arrives.
Freedom to extend is one of Virginia Water's better features. Outside those 14 listed buildings, the constraint is money and the neighbours' patience, not heritage law.