Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea

Adopted Documents We Assess Against

Development plan: RBKC Local Plan (adopted 24 July 2024)

Documents are re-checked against the council's own website weekly. A detected change flags "Policy Update Available" for human review — live assessment standards are never replaced automatically.

Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea standards at a glance

2 numeric standards taken from Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea's own adopted documents, each shown with the paragraph it comes from. Figures differ between councils — these are this one's.

Design character

up to 50%

A K&C basement can sit under half of each garden - front, back and side judged separately, not averaged. What is left has to be one continuous piece of garden rather than strips either side, and any existing lightwell already counts against your half. RBKC Local Plan Policy CD11(A), detailed by the Basements SPD April 2016 section 3 (provisional citation)

at least 1m

A metre of soil goes back over any part of a K&C basement that sits under the garden. It has to do double duty as drainage and planting, so it is not a dimension to trim. Basements SPD April 2016, section 9 (Policy CL7(j))

Standards are what the council normally expects, not a guarantee. A scheme outside them can still be approved on its merits, and one inside them can still be refused for another reason.

Authored Policy Library

8 local policy checks, each citation-locked to the adopted document. National policy (NPPF, national space and daylight standards) applies alongside these.

RBKC Local Plan

• RBKC Local Plan Policy CD13(A) — Rear extension depth RBKC will not normally allow a rear extension to project further back than the established rear building line set by neighbouring extensions on either side.
• RBKC Local Plan Policy CD13(B) — Two storey rear A rear extension in RBKC should stay below the level of the original house's eaves or parapet, and should not be taller than the neighbouring extensions it sits alongside.
• RBKC Local Plan Policy CD13(C)-(D) — Design materials RBKC looks closely at whether your extension keeps the regular rhythm of rear additions along the terrace, and whether its windows, proportions and materials genuinely match the existing house.
• RBKC Local Plan Policy CD13(E) — Front extension A front extension or porch in RBKC should not project beyond the line the fronts of neighbouring houses are built to.
• RBKC Local Plan Policy CD12 — Roof alterations RBKC is cautious about roof extensions and dormers, especially on terraces where the roofline is still intact - the fact that a neighbour has already extended their roof is not treated as a precedent for yours.
• RBKC Local Plan Policy CD11(A) — Amenity space A basement in RBKC should not extend under more than half of your garden or open ground, and what remains should stay as one continuous open area rather than fragments.

RBKC Basements Supplementary Planning Document (April 2016)

• RBKC Local Plan Policy CD11(A), detailed by the Basements SPD April 2016 section 3 — Design character (provisional citation) A K&C basement can sit under half of each garden - front, back and side judged separately, not averaged. What is left has to be one continuous piece of garden rather than strips either side, and any existing lightwell already counts against your half.
• Basements SPD April 2016, section 9 (Policy CL7(j)) — Design character A metre of soil goes back over any part of a K&C basement that sits under the garden. It has to do double duty as drainage and planting, so it is not a dimension to trim.