- Planning authority
- Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
- Postcodes
- SW3, SW5, SW7, SW10, W8
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 38°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.3 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Greater London
What the council will look at in Kensington and Chelsea
Every application the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea decides goes on its public planning register, and a refusal stays there. That record doesn’t stop a later application, but the next scheme has to answer the reasons given. It is one reason we prepare a garden plot in Kensington and Chelsea carefully before submitting: measured survey, access check, separation distances, trees and drainage.
We also check the planning history of your house and the gardens near it, and what the council’s Local Plan says about garden land. Past decisions on nearby plots are often the best guide to what the council will accept.
What happens next in Kensington and Chelsea
The first step for a Kensington and Chelsea garden is a conversation and a desktop check, at no cost. We then send written heads of terms covering the term, minimum price, cost cap and fee. Once the agreement is signed, we commission surveys and drawings, take pre-application advice from the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea where it helps, and submit the application. Marketing starts only after permission is granted.
Free plot appraisal
We check your title plan, access, the surrounding gardens and the policies in the council’s Local Plan as a desktop exercise, then talk it through with you. If it looks viable, we visit. No cost and no obligation.
Heads of terms
We set out the deal in writing: the term, how our fee works, the cap on planning costs we can recover, the minimum price, the marketing approach and the cap on your reasonable legal fees that we cover.
We apply for planning
We commission the surveys and drawings, take pre-application advice where it helps, submit the application and deal with the council’s questions. You pay nothing at this stage, and the decision is the council’s.
Marketing and sale
With permission granted, the plot is marketed as the agreement sets out. You see the offers and approve the buyer, and the plot can’t be sold below the minimum price without your written consent.
Worth checking early
- On a single small plot, fixed costs and our fee take a bigger share of the sale price than on a larger site.
- The plot’s price isn’t known until it’s marketed with permission; it depends on location, size, access and the permission itself.
- You’ll live next to whatever is built, so the layout, windows and new boundary affect your house too.
Kensington and Chelsea: questions to ask
Can you look at my garden in Kensington and Chelsea before I commit to anything?
Yes. The plot appraisal is free and carries no obligation. We start with a desktop check of your title, access and the planning policies that apply, then talk it through with you. If the plot looks viable, we arrange a site visit before any heads of terms are drafted.
How long does planning promotion take for a garden in Kensington and Chelsea?
It usually takes longer than a straight sale. Design and surveys often take a few months, then the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea needs time to decide, and marketing and conveyancing follow. The council’s workload, extra reports and any appeal drive the timing, so we give a realistic range after the appraisal.
Who decides a planning application for a garden plot in Kensington and Chelsea?
The Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea decides it, using the council’s Local Plan and national policy in the NPPF. Nobody can promise the outcome. Under promotion we prepare and submit the application at our cost and deal with the council’s questions, but the decision is the council’s, and it can grant, refuse or ask for changes.
What happens if planning is refused for my garden in Kensington and Chelsea?
You keep your land and owe nothing for planning, because our costs are only recovered from a sale with planning. Within the term we may revise the scheme and reapply, or appeal if the grounds are strong. If there’s no realistic route to permission, the agreement ends.
Other options in Kensington and Chelsea
- Plot feasibility and design
- Corner and side plots
- Garden plot option agreement
- Combine gardens with your neighbours
- Joint venture on your garden plot
- Garage courts and yards