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Kingston upon Thames, London

Retrospective planning application in Kingston upon Thames

If an extension or outbuilding in Kingston upon Thames went up without the right permission, a retrospective planning application puts the council in a position to decide it properly. Kingston granted 83 per cent of 742 householder decisions in its latest year. Fixed quote after a free constraints check.

Fixed quote after a free constraints check

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  • LABC Partnered
  • Fixed fees, VAT included

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We use it to check conservation areas and constraints.
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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 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.

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

    How Kingston reads an extension that already stands

    Kingston judges householder schemes against the Core Strategy (with Kingston Town Centre Area Action Plan 2008), adopted in 2,012, and the Residential Design SPD. The core strategy dates from 2,012, so the design guide carries much of the detail, and our drawings are organised around its headings: scale, form, materials and the effect on neighbours.

    The borough runs from Surbiton and Tolworth through Kingston town to New Malden and Chessington, and the character test differs between the Edwardian terraces by the river and the interwar semis further south. We photograph both sides of the street and include them in the submission.

    Because the building is finished, an officer can visit and measure. We therefore survey to a tolerance that matches what they will check, so that no figure on the drawing can be contradicted on site.

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

    Local figures for Kingston upon Thames

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    Tree preservation zones7,145 tree preservation zone polygons published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Article 4 directions3 Article 4 directions published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Listed building entries163 list entries (Historic England, within the LPA boundary)—planning.data.gov.uk
    Green Belt share of the council area17 % of council area covered by green-belt polygons—planning.data.gov.uk
    Householder decisions742 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications granted83 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications decided in time92.5 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Larger home extension prior approvals granted3 decisions2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Larger home extension prior approvals refused35 decisions2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Lawful development certificate applications (PS1)220 certificates2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.publishing.service.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 Kingston upon Thames
    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

    Trees, Article 4 and heritage in Kingston

    Kingston holds 7,145 tree preservation zones, so a new extension close to a mature tree is likely to raise a question. The borough also publishes 3 Article 4 directions, mapped as 114 areas.

    Historic England lists 163 entries in the borough, with 6 scheduled monuments, and about 17 per cent of the land is Green Belt. We check each layer during the free constraints check and say which ones touch your plot, so you know before paying a fee whether a heritage note or tree report belongs in the submission.

    What the council statistics suggest

    The council decided 742 householder applications and granted 83 per cent, with 92.5 per cent decided in 8 weeks or an agreed extension. Those are borough-wide figures, so a thin application still has to stand on its own drawings.

    Larger home extension prior approvals tell a sharper story: 3 were granted and 35 refused. An owner who built a deep rear extension expecting the prior approval route to be easy may find the work was never covered. Kingston also received 220 lawful development certificate applications, so it is worth asking whether a lawful development certificate in Kingston upon Thames fits your case.

    Costs, deadlines and levy

    The householder fee is £548 and the decision period is 8 weeks for non-major cases. For most building works, enforcement is barred after 10 years from substantial completion.

    Kingston operates its own levy in four zones: £323.07/m² (Zone 1); £200/m² (Zone 2); £130.76/m² (Zone 3); £76.92/m² (Zone 4). Mayoral charging adds £60 per square metre at the base rate. Which zone you are in matters, so we check it as part of the quote. If the answer is a refusal, the householder appeal period is 12 weeks and our planning appeals support in Kingston upon Thames can help.

    Evidence from your street

    A planning officer will weigh whether similar extensions already exist nearby, and a retrospective case is no exception. We therefore research the planning history of the neighbouring houses and, where a comparable extension has been permitted, we cite its reference and show it beside yours in a simple street comparison.

    The council may still disagree, but a comparison puts the decision in context. A precedent from the same road or the same house type carries more weight than a general policy argument, so we spend time on it before the drawings are finished.

    Where the extension has an unusual feature, such as a flat roof with a lantern or a flank window, we show its effect on the neighbour in a short sequence of views. Officers respond to clear evidence far better than to assertion.

    What is in the package

    We prepare a measured survey, as-built and proposed plans, elevations and sections, location and block plans, and a design note keyed to the Residential Design SPD. Our planning drawings in Kingston upon Thames are checked by a second chartered technologist.

    The price is fixed after the free check. Read architectural drawings in Kingston upon Thames or the retrospective planning overview. We also serve Richmond upon Thames and Merton.

    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 Kingston upon Thames

    Retrospective planning applications nearby

    Questions

    Which Kingston guide will the officer use?

    The Residential Design SPD, alongside the Core Strategy (with Kingston Town Centre Area Action Plan 2008).

    Do trees matter on a retrospective application in Kingston?

    They can. The borough holds 7,145 tree preservation zones, so we check your plot for protected trees first.

    Was my rear extension covered by prior approval?

    Only if the council approved it. Kingston refused 35 larger home extension prior approvals in its latest figures, and granted 3.

    What does the council charge?

    The householder fee is £548. Our fee is separate and fixed after the free check.

    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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