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Kensington and Chelsea, London

New build drawings in Kensington and Chelsea

Kensington and Chelsea granted 93.2 per cent of its minor applications in the latest return, yet heritage and tree designations are dense here and can shape a new house. We are MCIAT chartered architectural technologists, and our new build drawings in Kensington and Chelsea start at £1,450 including VAT.

From £1,450 (VAT included)

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  • LABC Partnered
  • Fixed fees, VAT included

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    Architectural model of a four-storey London stucco townhouse in its terrace, with a portico, area railings, sash windows, a cornice and chimney stacks
    The house as it stands: four storeys over a lower ground floor.Existing Proposed worksAn illustrative model, built for this page.

    How we work on new build drawings

    Seven steps from first call to approval.

    The same model cut through the middle: every floor, the stair, the chimney breasts, the new mansard, rear extension and basement in section
    Section through the model: every floor on one datum.

    1. Enquiry and constraints check

      We check the property against conservation areas, listed status, Article 4 directions, tree preservation orders, flood zone and planning history. We choose the right route and send a fixed quote.

    2. Measured survey

      We survey the house on one datum: rooms, levels, boundaries, drains, trees and the neighbours' windows that the 45° and 25° tests depend on.

    3. Design options

      We model the house in Revit and show you options in 3D and plan, with the planning strategy and the precedents in your street.

    4. Design frozen

      You choose an option in writing. Nothing changes after this without your say.

    5. Independent check

      A second chartered technologist checks every sheet against the council's validation checklist and the policy. A senior review signs it off before anything is submitted.

    6. Submission

      We prepare the forms, certificates, fee and documents and submit through the Planning Portal.

    7. Officer liaison

      We answer the planning officer and make any amendments within five working days, at no charge until approval.

    Free redraws until approval. Every drawing set is checked independently, and the checker is never the person who drew it.

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    Rear view of brick terraced houses in London with slate roofs and chimney stacks along the shared roofline

    The borough's Local Plan and a new building

    Officers here assess a new dwelling against the Local Plan 2024 (New Local Plan Review). A new house is rare in a borough where 17 per cent of households live in a house or bungalow, so most proposals are replacements, mews houses, or the redevelopment of a rear plot.

    The tests are about fit. We draw the building within a street elevation that shows the cornice lines, the parapet heights and the stucco or brick palette of the neighbours, and we mark where the new frontage aligns or steps. That one sheet answers the question officers ask most about new houses on the borough's streets: does it look as though it belongs here.

    Light and outlook receive the same treatment. A section through the plot shows the windows of each neighbouring property and the angle of daylight reaching them, so the effect on each neighbour can be read from the drawing.

    We also check the plot's planning history. Earlier refusals, appeal decisions and conditions on neighbouring sites are public through the council's planning register, and reading them first tells us which arguments have already been made and how they were received, which saves a round of redrawing later.

    Red-brick mansion blocks and shopfronts on a street corner

    Local figures for Kensington and Chelsea

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    Households living in a house17 % of households living in a house or bungalow (detached, semi-detached or terraced)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Conservation areas39 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Listed building entries1,350 list entries (Historic England, within the LPA boundary)—planning.data.gov.uk
    Article 4 directions84 Article 4 directions published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Tree preservation orders4,560 tree preservation orders published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Minor application decisions840 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor applications granted93.2 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor applications decided in time93.7 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Green Belt share of the council area0 % of council area covered by green-belt polygons—planning.data.gov.uk
    Borough CIL residential rate£1,158.30/m² (Zone A); £911.20/m² (Zone B); £664.09/m² (Zone C); £416.99/m² (Zone D); £293.44/m² (Zone E); £169.88/m² (Zone F); Nil (Zones G Earl's Court and H Kensal)indexed rate for permissions granted 1 Jan to 31 Dec 2026 (Residential C3 & short-term lets)rbkc.gov.uk
    Mayoral CIL charging band1 MCIL2 charging band (1-3)—london.gov.uk
    Mayoral CIL rate (indexed)96.97 £/m² (indexed, permissions granted in 2026)—london.gov.uk
    Average price, detached4,525,386 GBP2026-07publicdata.landregistry.gov.uk

    A blank value means the figure has not been published, not that there are none. Check your own address with the council.

    Councils bordering Kensington and Chelsea
    Building regulations, layer by layerPart A: structure: Approved Document A: Structure, 2004 edition incorporating 2004, 2010 and 2013 amendments. Part B: fire safety: All dwellings: fire detection and alarm system minimum Grade D2 Category LD3 (BS 5839-6), mains-operated smoke alarms to BS EN 14604. Part L: insulation: New elements in existing dwellings, limiting U-values W/(m²·K): roof 0.15, wall 0.18, floor 0.18, windows 1.4 (or WER Band B), doors 1.4. Part K: stairs: 2.0 m clear headroom over stairs. Full plans application: Building control body must decide a full plans application within 5 weeks, or longer if agreed in writingPart A: structurePart B: fire safetyPart L: insulationPart K: stairsFull plans applicationABCDE

    Building regulations, layer by layer

    The Approved Documents that shape most house projects, from structure to the application itself.

    A · Part A: structure
    Approved Document A: Structure, 2004 edition incorporating 2004, 2010 and 2013 amendments
    B · Part B: fire safety
    All dwellings: fire detection and alarm system minimum Grade D2 Category LD3 (BS 5839-6), mains-operated smoke alarms to BS EN 14604
    C · Part L: insulation
    New elements in existing dwellings, limiting U-values W/(m²·K): roof 0.15, wall 0.18, floor 0.18, windows 1.4 (or WER Band B), doors 1.4
    D · Part K: stairs
    2.0 m clear headroom over stairs
    E · Full plans application
    Building control body must decide a full plans application within 5 weeks, or longer if agreed in writing

    Heritage, trees and listed neighbours

    The borough has 39 conservation areas, 1,350 listed building entries, 84 Article 4 directions and 4,560 tree preservation orders. We check the plot against each of them first.

    Where a protected tree sits in or beside the plot, the footprint shifts, and the engineer's foundation choice follows. We plot every tree on the survey, show the root protection area as a circle on the site plan and keep the building outside it, so the application is not delayed by a request for an arboricultural report we could have anticipated.

    For schemes that touch an existing historic building, the drawings include the existing elevation alongside the new one, so the officer can see exactly what changes and what stays. A scheme that is mainly about altering a period property is a different job, and we say so in the first call.

    Minor application record in Kensington and Chelsea

    Kensington and Chelsea decided 840 minor applications, the type a single new home falls under, and granted 93.2 per cent. It met the timetable on 93.7 per cent. A strong record is no reason to be casual: each of those applications was tested against the same plan.

    The council also publishes a Basements SPD, which sets the council's rules for new basements. It applies if your design includes one, and it adds a technical submission that we leave to a specialist and flag at quote stage.

    Our planning drawings page explains the route for existing homes, and our lawful development certificate page covers confirmation of existing rights.

    Levy on a new home in Kensington and Chelsea

    The borough's CIL varies sharply by zone: £1,158.30/m² (Zone A); £911.20/m² (Zone B); £664.09/m² (Zone C); £416.99/m² (Zone D); £293.44/m² (Zone E); £169.88/m² (Zone F); Nil (Zones G Earl's Court and H Kensal). The Mayor adds band 1 at £96.97 per square metre this year.

    With an average detached house selling at £4,525,386 and the average terraced house at £2,429,086, the sums are large, and an early levy estimate is part of how a sensible scheme is shaped. We tabulate floor area on the drawings in the form the levy regulations use.

    Gross internal area is the number that matters, and we compute it per storey, so you can see what a lighter second floor or a smaller lower level does to the bill.

    Self-build can change the picture. Self-build housing built or commissioned by and occupied by P as main residence can claim exemption. If that is your route, tell us in the first call and we will set the evidence out so a claim for relief is straightforward to make.

    What our new build drawings in Kensington and Chelsea include

    A fixed fee from £1,450 including VAT covers the measured site plan, floor plans, elevations, sections, roof plan and street scene, plus a second chartered technologist's check before issue. Redraws the council asks for are included.

    Once permission is in place, our construction drawings and structural calculations pages describe what follows.

    What you receive

    Planning drawing sheet for a rear extension with plans, elevations and sections
    Sample drawing. Planning drawings for a rear extension: plans, elevations and sections on one sheet set.
    Pencil resting on a dimensioned technical drawing beside a scale rule
    Points, not guesses
    Paint across the grid with the pointer.

    Other services in Kensington and Chelsea

    New build drawings nearby

    Questions

    How likely is a new house to be granted in Kensington and Chelsea?

    In the latest return, 93.2 per cent of 840 minor decisions were granted. We cannot promise a result, but we draw to the Local Plan tests so the application reads clearly.

    What does the community infrastructure levy cost here?

    The borough sets zones: £1,158.30/m² (Zone A); £911.20/m² (Zone B); £664.09/m² (Zone C); £416.99/m² (Zone D); £293.44/m² (Zone E); £169.88/m² (Zone F); Nil (Zones G Earl's Court and H Kensal). The Mayoral charge is £96.97 per square metre in band 1.

    Do trees affect a new build in Kensington and Chelsea?

    Often. The council holds 4,560 tree preservation orders, so we plot every tree on the survey and keep the building out of the root protection area.

    Is there Green Belt in Kensington and Chelsea?

    No. Green Belt covers 0 per cent of the borough, so heritage and trees are the real constraints.

    Sources and dates

    City of London skyline glowing at dusk across the Thames under a dramatic orange sky

    Tell us about your property.

    We check the constraints, then send a fixed fee. Messages before 3pm get a reply the same working day.

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