RBKC basement consultation commences

The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea is proposing stricter planning rules for basement extensions. The proposed changes were put to public consultation today. RBKC press release, titled ‘council calls time on iceberg houses’ is available here.

Three significant proposals are:

1. An outright ban on basements under, or in the gardens of, listed buildings.

2. A restriction to single storey (the exception only being for large, comprehensive developments).

3. A reduction in the extent that basements can extend into the garden (a reduction from 85% to 50%).

The consultation paper also confirms that RBKC is considering introducing ‘Article 4 Directions’ to restrict permitted development rights that currently allow basement development without express planning permission from the Council. This would mean a number of basement schemes requiring planning permission that are currently exempt.

The consultation document is available for download here.