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Kensington and Chelsea, London

Planning consultant in Kensington and Chelsea

In Kensington and Chelsea almost every project meets a restriction before it meets a design question, so a planning consultant in Kensington and Chelsea is chosen for judgement, not volume. We give a fixed quote after a free constraints check and prepare the route, the statement and the officer liaison, with drawings by MCIAT chartered architectural technologists so the written case and the sheets match.

Fixed quote after a free constraints check

  • MCIAT chartered
  • £2m PI insured
  • 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 planning consultant

    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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    Rows of brick terraced houses and gardens on a residential street

    The planning rules a Kensington and Chelsea consultant reads

    The borough's plan is the Local Plan 2024 (New Local Plan Review), adopted in 2,024. Being recent, its policies on basements, character and heritage are written for the pressures of this borough, not borrowed from older strategy.

    Alongside it sits the Basements SPD, the document most owners here meet first. A basement is a common ambition on a high-value house, and the council treats it as a matter of method as well as size, so a construction approach is expected at the start, not after a first objection.

    Our first task is therefore to decide whether your scheme touches those policies at all. Many do not, and in that case a consultant's role shrinks to confirming the route and checking the validation list.

    Georgian brick terrace with sash windows, arched fanlight doorways, stone steps and iron railings in London

    Local figures for Kensington and Chelsea

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    Conservation areas39 named conservation areas published by the council—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
    Listed building entries1,350 list entries (Historic England, within the LPA boundary)—planning.data.gov.uk
    Householder decisions664 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications granted93.7 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications decided in time91.9 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor applications granted93.2 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Households66,884Census 2021 (21 March 2021)nomisweb.co.uk
    Households living in a house17 % of households living in a house or bungalow (detached, semi-detached or terraced)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Average price, terraced2,429,086 GBP2026-07publicdata.landregistry.gov.uk
    Householder single dwellinghouse, from 1 Apr 2026548 GBP—ribblevalley.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
    Which application your project needsLawful Development Certificate decision: 8 weeks. Prior approval decision: 42 days. Householder decision: 8 weeksYour projectWithin permitted development?Lawful Development CertificatePrior approvalHouseholder applicationYesLarger rear extensionNoABC

    Which application your project needs

    The usual route for a house; flats and listed buildings follow other rules.

    A · Lawful Development Certificate decision
    8 weeks
    B · Prior approval decision
    42 days
    C · Householder decision
    8 weeks

    Article 4 directions and protected trees

    Kensington and Chelsea has published 84 Article 4 directions, a large number. They remove permitted development rights in particular streets, so a project that looks routine on the plans of the house may still need a full application.

    Trees add a second layer: 4,560 tree preservation orders and 41 tree preservation zones are recorded. A garden tree near an extension or a basement can change the footprint or the digging method, and we ask for a survey before design is fixed.

    The borough also holds 39 conservation areas and 1,350 listed building entries, with 43 on the Heritage at Risk Register. For listed property, the proper document is listed building consent, which our sister site propertyarchitecture.com handles.

    How the council decides in Kensington and Chelsea

    The council decided 664 householder applications in its latest twelve months and granted 93.7 per cent. Only 91.9 per cent were decided in time, so the clock runs long.

    Minor applications, 840 of them, were granted at 93.2 per cent and decided in time at 93.7 per cent.

    A high grant rate and a slower clock suggest a council that negotiates before it decides. We plan for that: the statement answers the likely questions in advance, and your timetable allows for the officer to ask for amendments.

    Housing, value and what owners here are building

    There are 66,884 households, and only 17 per cent live in a house or bungalow. Flats dominate, and owner occupation is 31.7 per cent, so leases, freeholders and shared structure matter as much as policy.

    The average terraced home sold for £2,429,086 in the latest index month, and a flat for £971,688. At those prices a lower ground floor, an upper-floor addition or a rebuilt rear wing can be worth the cost of a thorough case.

    The data on domestic gardens shows about 17.5 per cent of land in this use at the last national survey, which is why a back-garden room is more often a question of tree and neighbour constraints than of space.

    If the council asks for amendments, we respond within five working days and show you each change before it is sent. Redrawing is free until approval, although no decision date can be promised, and we say so at the outset so the timetable you plan around is a realistic one.

    Costs and the levy in Kensington and Chelsea

    The householder fee is £548 for one dwelling. The borough's levy is zoned, as set out in its Borough CIL Charging Schedule, and the Mayor's levy is £96.97 per square metre in the current indexed year.

    Householder extensions are normally exempt, but new floorspace in a new dwelling is not, so we estimate the figure at the free check.

    Related pages for Kensington and Chelsea

    For the sheets themselves, see planning drawings in Kensington and Chelsea. To prove that works are lawful, see the Lawful Development Certificate in Kensington and Chelsea. A refusal is dealt with under planning appeals in Kensington and Chelsea.

    The borough overview is architectural drawings in Kensington and Chelsea, and similar rules are explained for Westminster and Hammersmith and Fulham.

    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.
    Brick cottage with a tiled roof, chimneys and a front dormer window
    The street around you
    Move across the plinth — the blocks rise around the pointer.

    Other services in Kensington and Chelsea

    Planning consultant nearby

    Questions

    How many Article 4 directions does Kensington and Chelsea have?

    The council has published 84. We check your street against them before quoting.

    Can I build a basement in Kensington and Chelsea?

    The council has a specific Basements SPD, and an application needs a clear construction method. We tell you at the free check whether your plot is realistic.

    Does the council decide quickly?

    Only 91.9 per cent of householder cases were decided in time last year, so allow for negotiation. We cannot promise a date.

    What is the householder fee?

    £548 for one dwelling, paid to the council.

    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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