Where in Kensington and Chelsea does a drawing package actually get determined?
Every Kensington and Chelsea postcode district we draw in, the stock that dominates
it and the authority that validates a drawing package there. Kensington and Chelsea fees below are the
statutory England rates for 2026, not drawing package estimates.
| Postcode | Area | Dominant stock | What it means for a drawing package |
|---|
| SW5 | Earl's Court | Stucco terraces, Edwardian mansion blocks | Earl's Court sits wholly inside SW5, so RBKC Planning validates every drawing package submitted from an SW5 address. |
| SW7 | South Kensington / Knightsbridge | Stucco terraces, mansion blocks, listed buildings | South Kensington / Knightsbridge is split at SW7. Either RBKC Planning or Westminster City Council can determine a drawing package here, so the SW7 address is checked against both policies maps first. |
| SW10 | West Brompton / World's End | Georgian and Victorian terraces, listed buildings | A drawing package in West Brompton / World's End may land with RBKC Planning or Hammersmith & Fulham Council — SW10 crosses the boundary, and the SW10 policies map decides it street by street. |
| W8 | Kensington | Stucco terraces, listed buildings | Kensington sits wholly inside W8, so RBKC Planning validates every drawing package submitted from an W8 address. |
| W10 | North Kensington / Ladbroke Grove | Victorian terraces, post-war estates | A drawing package at an W10 address in North Kensington / Ladbroke Grove is determined by RBKC Planning under its own Local Plan policies for North Kensington / Ladbroke Grove. |
| W11 | Notting Hill / Holland Park | Victorian stucco terraces | W11 covers Notting Hill / Holland Park only; RBKC Planning handles the drawing package, and Notting Hill / Holland Park case officers apply the W11 conservation-area map. |
| SW1X | Knightsbridge / Belgravia | Regency stucco terraces, listed buildings | Knightsbridge / Belgravia is split at SW1X. Either Westminster City Council or RBKC Planning can determine a drawing package here, so the SW1X address is checked against both policies maps first. |
| W14 | West Kensington / Barons Court | Victorian and Edwardian villas | West Kensington / Barons Court is split at W14. Either Hammersmith & Fulham Council or RBKC Planning can determine a drawing package here, so the W14 address is checked against both policies maps first. |
How does a drawing package differ street by street across Kensington and Chelsea?
Roof pitch, wall build-up and plot depth change every few Kensington and Chelsea
streets, and each one changes what a drawing package can achieve at that address.
- Kensington (W8) — drawing package work in Kensington means stucco terraces, listed buildings. Kensington is Georgian and Victorian stucco terraces. throughout W8. RBKC Planning decides the Kensington application, and Kensington Palace anchors the Kensington location plan.
- Chelsea (SW3, SW10) — a drawing package in Chelsea starts from georgian and victorian terraces, listed buildings, and Chelsea reads as Georgian and Victorian terraces, riverside. in SW3. RBKC Planning assesses Chelsea architectural drawings against its own Chelsea character guidance, and the location plan we draw for Chelsea references King's Road.
- Notting Hill (W11) — drawing package work in Notting Hill means victorian stucco terraces. Notting Hill is stucco terraces, painted facades. throughout W11. RBKC Planning decides the Notting Hill application, and Portobello Road anchors the Notting Hill location plan.
- Holland Park (W11, W14) — Victorian villas around the park defines Holland Park, where victorian and edwardian villas set what a drawing package can do. across W11. Any Holland Park drawing package is validated by RBKC Planning, with Holland Park the usual Holland Park reference point on the site plan.
- Earl's Court (SW5) — drawing package work in Earl's Court means stucco terraces, edwardian mansion blocks. Earl's Court is Victorian stucco terraces, mansion blocks. throughout SW5. RBKC Planning decides the Earl's Court application, and Earl's Court station anchors the Earl's Court location plan.
- South Kensington (SW7) — Victorian and Edwardian stucco terraces defines South Kensington, where stucco terraces, mansion blocks, listed buildings set what a drawing package can do. across SW7. Any South Kensington drawing package is validated by RBKC Planning, with V&A the usual South Kensington reference point on the site plan.
- Knightsbridge (SW1X, SW7) — a drawing package in Knightsbridge starts from regency and victorian terraces, mansion blocks, and Knightsbridge reads as Regency and Victorian terraces, luxury. in SW1X. RBKC Planning assesses Knightsbridge architectural drawings against its own Knightsbridge character guidance, and the location plan we draw for Knightsbridge references Harrods.
Does Kensington and Chelsea planning policy restrict a drawing package?
Kensington and Chelsea conservation designations: there are 38 across RBKC Planning, Chelsea, Notting Hill, Holland Park among them. Designation costs a Kensington and Chelsea owner the permitted-development route: a drawing package then needs a £258 householder application over 8 weeks, in place of the £120 prior approval route that takes 6 weeks. Holland Park is the Kensington and Chelsea designation that most often changes a drawing package design.
Kensington and Chelsea and Article 4: Article 4 Directions covering HMOs, office-to-residential, and basement developments — RBKC has some of the strictest basement policies in London. A drawing package planned at a SW3 address is checked against that direction first; RBKC Planning publishes the Kensington and Chelsea extent, and the SW3 line rarely follows the Kensington and Chelsea boundary you would expect.
Digging below a Kensington and Chelsea property: RBKC's basement policy (post-2015) limits to single-storey under 50% of garden area; double-storey basements effectively prohibited in residential streets. Where a drawing package in Kensington and Chelsea involves excavation that is read beside the Party Wall etc. Act 1996, which needs two months notice for a Kensington and Chelsea dig within 3 m of a neighbour, and RBKC Planning expects the SW3 ground conditions addressed in the application.
What Kensington and Chelsea is built from: Grand white stucco Regency and Victorian terraces; red-brick Queen Anne mansions in Kensington; Edwardian mansion blocks; almost no post-war housing stock. Internationally wealthy residents; extensive listed building coverage; heritage and streetscape prioritised in every decision. That mix decides the drawing package route in Kensington and Chelsea more than the postcode does. Our fixed fee for architectural drawings in Kensington and Chelsea starts at £840, against £1,750 for the Complete package that carries a Kensington and Chelsea scheme through RBKC Planning planning and building regulations together.
What happens if a Kensington and Chelsea property sits on a boundary?
- Westminster — adjoining Kensington and Chelsea, with 56 conservation areas centred on SW1. A drawing package on the far side of the Kensington and Chelsea line is determined by Westminster City Council, so the Kensington and Chelsea quote for architectural drawings is checked against Westminster guidance before it is issued.
- Hammersmith and Fulham — cross the Kensington and Chelsea boundary and Hammersmith & Fulham Council takes the drawing package instead, applying 45 conservation areas of its own around W6. We re-price architectural drawings at the Kensington and Chelsea edge because Hammersmith and Fulham policy and Kensington and Chelsea policy rarely align on drawing package depth.
- Brent — cross the Kensington and Chelsea boundary and Brent Council takes the drawing package instead, applying 22 conservation areas of its own around NW2. We re-price architectural drawings at the Kensington and Chelsea edge because Brent policy and Kensington and Chelsea policy rarely align on drawing package depth.
Sources for this Kensington and Chelsea drawing package page: borough policies maps and
conservation-area registers (2025–26), Royal Mail postcode district boundaries,
the Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications) (England) Regulations, the Town
and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 as amended,
and the Party Wall etc. Act 1996.
