020 7864 7245Request a fixed quote

Kensington and Chelsea, London

Retrospective planning application in Kensington and Chelsea

Kensington and Chelsea has a dense layer of designations, and work built without consent there is judged against them. The council granted 93.7 per cent of its 664 householder decisions in its latest year. Fixed quote after a free constraints check.

Fixed quote after a free constraints check

  • MCIAT chartered
  • £2m PI insured
  • LABC Partnered
  • Fixed fees, VAT included

Request a fixed quote

We use it to check conservation areas and constraints.
Pick the council that decides your application.
A few lines: what you want to build, and anything the council has already said.
Add photos or drawings

Drop files here or choose from your device

PDF, JPG, PNG, DWG · up to 10 files, 90 MB in total

    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 retrospective planning applications

    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.

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

    The Royal Borough rules that decide a retrospective case

    The council decides under its Local Plan 2024 (New Local Plan Review), adopted in 2,024, and for any below-ground work its Basements SPD. A basement dug without permission is the hardest kind of retrospective case in the borough.

    The borough sets out limits on size, depth and the evidence the council wants. Where the finished basement exceeds what policy supports, we tell you plainly, because filing an application you cannot support wastes both the council fee and your time. Where it falls within policy, the drawings need to show it clearly in plan and section.

    Above-ground cases are simpler but not easy: stucco terraces, mews houses and garden squares all have a character the officer will protect.

    Brick cottage with a tiled roof, chimneys and a front dormer window

    Local figures for Kensington and Chelsea

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    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
    Heritage at Risk entries43 Heritage at Risk Register entries within the LPA boundary (Historic England)—planning.data.gov.uk
    Households living in a house17 % of households living in a house or bungalow (detached, semi-detached or terraced)Census 2021nomisweb.co.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
    Lawful development certificate applications (PS1)25 certificates2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Average price, terraced2,429,086 GBP2026-07publicdata.landregistry.gov.uk
    Householder: alterations/extensions to a single dwellinghouse, from 1 Apr 2026548 GBP—ribblevalley.gov.uk
    TCPA 1990 s171B(1)-(3) as substituted by LURA 2023 s115, in force 25 Apr 202410 years—legislation.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

    Designations in the Royal Borough

    The borough has 84 Article 4 directions and 4,560 tree preservation orders, plus 41 tree preservation zones. Historic England lists 1,350 entries, including 18 at Grade I and 116 at Grade II*, and 16 registered parks and gardens lie within or across its edge.

    With 43 entries on the Heritage at Risk Register as well, the chance that your address is touched by at least one is high. Listed building consent is a separate regime, and we flag it during the free constraints check so you take advice before any application is lodged.

    What the council figures show

    The council decided 664 householder applications and granted 93.7 per cent, and 91.9 per cent were decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extension. Some cases still run beyond the statutory 8 weeks suggests.

    Only 25 lawful development certificate applications were made in the period. Flats have no householder permitted development rights to test, and only 17 per cent of households live in a house and so many are flats.

    The scale of the stakes is visible too: the average price of a terraced house is £2,429,086, and a buyer will check that every alteration is lawful.

    Levy, fee and time limit

    The householder fee is £548. The borough levy is set 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). Mayoral charging adds £80 per square metre at the base rate. Whether a given scheme is liable depends on its floor area, so we set out the position before you decide.

    Most building works become immune from enforcement after 10 years, though lenders rarely wait that long. If the council refuses, a householder appeal must be made within 12 weeks, and our planning appeals support in Kensington and Chelsea can act.

    Mews houses, garden squares and garden buildings

    Not every Royal Borough case is a basement. Mews houses are altered at roof level, houses on garden squares face close scrutiny of rear additions, and many terraces have outbuildings added in gardens that the council protects for their open character.

    In each case we begin with the garden and the roofline, because those are the two views the officer will walk to. We also look at the neighbours: a single-storey addition that sits beside a lower neighbour is read differently from one beside a higher one, and the section drawing makes the difference plain.

    If a basement or lightwell is involved, bring any engineer's report and the contractor's construction method statement. Those papers are rarely complete after the event, and what is missing tells us what to commission before filing.

    Our package and next steps

    You receive a measured survey, as-built and proposed drawings, sections showing any excavation, location and block plans, and an explanation against the Basements SPD where relevant. Where a basement is involved we recommend a basement impact assessment in Kensington and Chelsea.

    Our planning drawings in Kensington and Chelsea are checked by a second chartered technologist. See architectural drawings in Kensington and Chelsea, the retrospective planning page, and neighbouring Westminster or 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.
    Rear view of brick terraced houses in London with slate roofs and chimney stacks along the shared roofline
    The street around you
    Move across the plinth — the blocks rise around the pointer.

    Other services in Kensington and Chelsea

    Retrospective planning applications nearby

    Questions

    Can a basement built without permission be regularised in Kensington and Chelsea?

    Sometimes, but the Basements SPD sets strict limits and evidence requirements. We assess your case on the free check.

    Is my house listed?

    The borough has 1,350 list entries. We check your address on the free constraints check and tell you if listed building consent is also needed.

    How quickly does the borough decide householder cases?

    In the latest year 91.9 per cent of householder cases were decided in time, so a minority took longer and it is wise to allow some slack.

    How much levy might I owe?

    The schedule reads £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). Liability depends on the floor area and zone, and we explain it in writing.

    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.

    Request a fixed quoteCall 020 7864 7245WhatsApp