Architectural drawings in W1S

Which postcode districts around W1S do we cover for drawing package work?

Every W1S postcode district we draw in, the stock that dominates it and the authority that validates a drawing package there. W1S fees below are the statutory England rates for 2026, not drawing package estimates.

What changes about a drawing package in each part of W1S?

Roof pitch, wall build-up and plot depth change every few W1S streets, and each one changes what a drawing package can achieve at that address.

• Bordering W1S: Mayfair (W1J, W1K) — Georgian listed townhouses, luxury defines Mayfair, where georgian townhouses, listed buildings set what a drawing package can do. Any Mayfair drawing package is validated by Westminster City Council, with Berkeley Square the usual Mayfair reference point on the site plan.
• Bordering W1S: Belgravia (SW1X, SW1W) — white stucco Regency terraces defines Belgravia, where regency stucco terraces, listed buildings set what a drawing package can do. Any Belgravia drawing package is validated by Westminster City Council, with Eaton Square the usual Belgravia reference point on the site plan.
• Bordering W1S: Marylebone (W1U, W1G, W1H) — drawing package work in Marylebone means georgian terraces, edwardian mansion blocks. Marylebone is Georgian and Victorian terraces, mansion blocks. Westminster City Council decides the Marylebone application, and Marylebone High Street anchors the Marylebone location plan.
• Bordering W1S: Pimlico (SW1V) — Regency stucco terraces, grid plan defines Pimlico, where regency terraces, post-war estates set what a drawing package can do. Any Pimlico drawing package is validated by Westminster City Council, with Tate Britain the usual Pimlico reference point on the site plan.
• Bordering W1S: Soho (W1D, W1F) — a drawing package in Soho starts from georgian terraces, mixed-use, and Soho reads as Georgian fragments, mixed-use. in W1D. Westminster City Council assesses Soho architectural drawings against its own Soho character guidance, and the location plan we draw for Soho references Soho Square.
• Bordering W1S: Covent Garden (WC2E, WC2H) — a drawing package in Covent Garden starts from georgian terraces, conversions, and Covent Garden reads as Georgian piazza, listed buildings. in WC2E. Westminster City Council assesses Covent Garden architectural drawings against its own Covent Garden character guidance, and the location plan we draw for Covent Garden references Royal Opera House.
• Bordering W1S: St John's Wood (NW8) — a drawing package in St John's Wood starts from victorian villas, mansion blocks, and St John's Wood reads as Victorian villas, mansion blocks. in NW8. Westminster City Council assesses St John's Wood architectural drawings against its own St John's Wood character guidance, and the location plan we draw for St John's Wood references Lord's Cricket Ground.
• Bordering W1S: Bayswater (W2) — Victorian stucco terraces defines Bayswater, where victorian stucco terraces set what a drawing package can do. Any Bayswater drawing package is validated by Westminster City Council, with Hyde Park the usual Bayswater reference point on the site plan.
• Bordering W1S: Paddington (W2) — drawing package work in Paddington means regency terraces, modern apartments. Paddington is Regency and Victorian terraces, canal-side regen. Westminster City Council decides the Paddington application, and Paddington Basin anchors the Paddington location plan.
• Bordering W1S: Victoria (SW1E, SW1W) — drawing package work in Victoria means regency terraces, post-war flats. Victoria is Regency terraces, mixed-use. Westminster City Council decides the Victoria application, and Victoria Station anchors the Victoria location plan.

How do conservation areas and Article 4 affect a drawing package in W1S?

W1S (Mayfair / Hanover Square) conservation designations: there are 56 across Westminster City Council, Mayfair, Belgravia, Marylebone among them. Designation costs a W1S (Mayfair / Hanover Square) owner the permitted-development route: a drawing package then needs a £548 householder application over 8 weeks, in place of the £249 prior approval route that takes 6 weeks. Marylebone is the W1S (Mayfair / Hanover Square) designation that most often changes a drawing package design.

W1S (Mayfair / Hanover Square) and Article 4: Multiple Article 4 Directions — office-to-residential restrictions, HMO conversions, retail to residential in shopping zones. A drawing package planned at a W1S address is checked against that direction first; Westminster City Council publishes the W1S (Mayfair / Hanover Square) extent, and the W1S line rarely follows the W1S (Mayfair / Hanover Square) boundary you would expect.

W1S (Mayfair / Hanover Square) below-ground policy: Westminster basement policy restricts to single-storey, typically under 50% of rear garden footprint; lightwells and rooflights strictly controlled in conservation areas. Any drawing package in W1S (Mayfair / Hanover Square) that goes below existing foundations triggers two months notice under section 6 of the Party Wall etc. Act 1996, and Westminster City Council will want the W1S ground and groundwater position set out.

What W1S (Mayfair / Hanover Square) is built from: Grand Georgian and Regency terraces in Belgravia and Pimlico; Victorian and Edwardian mansion blocks; heritage-rich townhouses throughout; very high listed building density. Heritage-first planning approach; listed buildings on almost every street; basement and rear extension policies particularly strict. That mix decides the drawing package route in W1S (Mayfair / Hanover Square) more than the postcode does, and it is what a Westminster City Council case officer reads first. A householder application costs £548 paid to Westminster City Council direct, with 8 weeks to a decision once validated.

Which neighbouring authorities border W1S?

• Lambeth — adjoining W1S (Mayfair / Hanover Square), with 64 conservation areas centred on SE1. A drawing package on the far side of the W1S (Mayfair / Hanover Square) line is determined by Lambeth Council, so the W1S (Mayfair / Hanover Square) quote for architectural drawings is checked against Lambeth guidance before it is issued.
• City of London — cross the W1S (Mayfair / Hanover Square) boundary and City of London Corporation takes the drawing package instead, applying 27 conservation areas of its own around EC1. We re-price architectural drawings at the W1S (Mayfair / Hanover Square) edge because City of London policy and Westminster policy rarely align on drawing package depth.
• Camden — the Camden boundary runs against Westminster, so a drawing package a street from W1S (Mayfair / Hanover Square) is decided by Camden Council instead. Camden runs 40 conservation areas across NW1 and its neighbours, which is why architectural drawings priced for W1S (Mayfair / Hanover Square) are re-checked against Camden policy whenever the W1S (Mayfair / Hanover Square) address sits on that edge.
• Kensington and Chelsea — cross the W1S (Mayfair / Hanover Square) boundary and RBKC Planning takes the drawing package instead, applying 38 conservation areas of its own around SW1. We re-price architectural drawings at the W1S (Mayfair / Hanover Square) edge because Kensington and Chelsea policy and Westminster policy rarely align on drawing package depth.

Sources for this W1S 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.