Which postcode districts around Richmond upon Thames do we cover for rear dormer work?
A table of the borough's districts: what stands in each, and who validates the drawings. The fee column carries statutory 2026 rates, set nationally rather than by us.
| Postcode | Area | Dominant stock | What it means for a rear dormer |
|---|
| SW13 | Barnes | Georgian villas, Edwardian terraces | Barnes sits wholly within SW13, and Richmond validates every scheme from it. Flood Zone 2 covers close to a quarter of this borough, and the Barnes loop is a substantial share of that — a live question for basements and ground floors, not for roofs. |
| SW14 | Mortlake / East Sheen | Edwardian villas, 1930s semi-detached | Mortlake and East Sheen fall wholly inside SW14, Richmond throughout. Edwardian terraces predominate — 17.5% of the borough's 85,800 dwellings were built between 1900 and 1918 (VOA CTSOP4.1, dated 31 March 2025) — and that roof form takes a full-width rear dormer readily. |
| TW1 | Twickenham | Georgian fragments, Victorian terraces, Edwardian villas | TW1 is Twickenham, decided by Richmond, and here the designation map matters more than the postcode does. The riverside designations reach several streets back from the water, further than most owners assume. |
| TW2 | Twickenham / Whitton | Georgian fragments, Victorian terraces, Edwardian villas | TW2 covers Whitton and part of Twickenham, all of it Richmond. This is the drier, more suburban end of the borough: interwar semis under hipped roofs, where squaring the hip into a gable usually comes before the dormer. |
| TW9 | Richmond / Kew | Georgian terraces, Victorian villas | TW9 takes in Richmond and Kew, decided under the borough's own Local Plan. Kew Gardens is a World Heritage Site and its setting is a material consideration for work visible from it, so sightlines are worth establishing before the dormer height is fixed. |
| TW10 | Richmond / Ham | Georgian terraces, Victorian villas | Richmond and Ham share TW10, Richmond Council throughout. Ham lies inside the Thames loop on low ground, and it is the flood zone rather than the street name that settles whether an assessment has to be submitted. |
| TW11 | Teddington | Edwardian villas, Victorian terraces | Teddington sits entirely inside TW11 and is Richmond's to validate. It also sits low, close to the river above the lock, so anything below ground-floor level is worth checking against the flood zone map before it is designed rather than after. |
| TW12 | Hampton / Hampton Hill | Georgian villas, Edwardian terraces, 1930s semi-detached | TW12 is Hampton and Hampton Hill, Richmond's alone. A good deal of Hampton sits on the flood plain, which changes what a ground-floor extension has to demonstrate and rarely touches a loft at all. |
How does a rear dormer differ street by street across Richmond upon Thames?
Between Barnes and Hampton the roofs are not the same roofs. Pitch, construction and plot depth all vary, and every variation changes what a rear dormer can achieve at a particular address.
- Twickenham (TW1, TW2) — rear dormer work in Twickenham means georgian fragments, victorian terraces, edwardian villas. Twickenham is Georgian and Victorian riverside town. A dormer on a Georgian roof has to sit behind the parapet line to stand any chance of consent throughout TW1. Richmond Council decides the Twickenham application, and Twickenham Stadium anchors the Twickenham location plan.
- Kew (TW9) — rear dormer work in Kew means georgian and edwardian villas. Kew is Georgian and Edwardian villas around the green. A dormer on a Georgian roof has to sit behind the parapet line to stand any chance of consent throughout TW9. Richmond Council decides the Kew application, and Kew Gardens anchors the Kew location plan.
- Barnes (SW13) — Georgian and Edwardian village defines Barnes, where georgian villas, edwardian terraces set what a rear dormer can do. A dormer on a Georgian roof has to sit behind the parapet line to stand any chance of consent across SW13. Any Barnes rear dormer is validated by Richmond Council, with Barnes Common the usual Barnes reference point on the site plan.
- East Sheen (SW14) — Edwardian villas, 1930s semi-detached defines East Sheen, where edwardian villas, 1930s semi-detached set what a rear dormer can do. The deeper Edwardian rear slope takes a full-width dormer without breaching the 40 m³ or 50 m³ volume limits on most of these houses across SW14. Any East Sheen rear dormer is validated by Richmond Council, with Sheen Lane the usual East Sheen reference point on the site plan.
- Teddington (TW11) — Edwardian villas, Victorian terraces defines Teddington, where edwardian villas, victorian terraces set what a rear dormer can do. Full-width rear dormers on Victorian terraces here are the default across TW11. Any Teddington rear dormer is validated by Richmond Council, with Teddington Lock the usual Teddington reference point on the site plan.
- Hampton (TW12) — rear dormer work in Hampton means georgian villas, edwardian terraces, 1930s semi-detached. Hampton is Georgian and Edwardian villages. A dormer on a Georgian roof has to sit behind the parapet line to stand any chance of consent throughout TW12. Richmond Council decides the Hampton application, and Hampton Court Palace anchors the Hampton location plan.
- Whitton (TW2) — a rear dormer in Whitton starts from 1930s semi-detached, and Whitton reads as 1930s semi-detached. Hip-to-gable plus rear dormer is the standard sequence on these 1930s semis in TW2. Richmond Council assesses Whitton rear dormers against its own Whitton character guidance, and the location plan we draw for Whitton references Whitton station.
Does Richmond upon Thames planning policy restrict a rear dormer?
How designation changes a Richmond upon Thames rear dormer: Richmond Council maintains 72 conservation areas, including Hampton Wick, Twickenham Riverside, Barnes Village. Inside any of them a Richmond upon Thames rear dormer cannot rely on permitted development, and the route becomes a £548 householder application determined in 8 weeks rather than a £249 prior approval in 6 weeks. Hampton Wick sets the tone for Richmond upon Thames casework.
No blanket Article 4 over Richmond upon Thames: Richmond Council has not withdrawn permitted development across Richmond upon Thames, so a rear dormer outside a Richmond upon Thames conservation area usually keeps it. The £274 Lawful Development Certificate is still the document a SW13 owner wants on file.
Richmond upon Thames housing stock: Georgian in Richmond Green and Twickenham; Edwardian villas in Barnes and East Sheen; 1930s semi-detached in Whitton; riverside cottages along the Thames. Highest conservation area coverage in London; Royal Parks and Thames corridor add heritage layers; design quality heavily scrutinised. Read that before choosing a rear dormer route in Richmond upon Thames — construction, not postcode, sets what is achievable. Richmond Council charges £548 for a householder application and has 8 weeks to determine it.
What happens if a Richmond upon Thames property sits on a boundary?
- Hounslow — cross the Richmond upon Thames boundary and Hounslow Council takes the rear dormer instead, applying 30 conservation areas of its own around W3. We re-price rear dormers at the Richmond upon Thames edge because Hounslow policy and Richmond upon Thames policy rarely align on rear dormer depth.
- Kingston upon Thames — cross the Richmond upon Thames boundary and Kingston Council takes the rear dormer instead, applying 22 conservation areas of its own around KT1. We re-price rear dormers at the Richmond upon Thames edge because Kingston upon Thames policy and Richmond upon Thames policy rarely align on rear dormer depth.
- Wandsworth — the Wandsworth boundary runs against Richmond upon Thames, so a rear dormer a street from Richmond upon Thames is decided by Wandsworth Council instead. Wandsworth runs 45 conservation areas across SW8 and its neighbours, which is why rear dormers priced for Richmond upon Thames are re-checked against Wandsworth policy whenever the Richmond upon Thames address sits on that edge.
- Hammersmith and Fulham — the Hammersmith and Fulham boundary runs against Richmond upon Thames, so a rear dormer a street from Richmond upon Thames is decided by Hammersmith & Fulham Council instead. Hammersmith and Fulham runs 45 conservation areas across W6 and its neighbours, which is why rear dormers priced for Richmond upon Thames are re-checked against Hammersmith and Fulham policy whenever the Richmond upon Thames address sits on that edge.
Sources for this Richmond upon Thames rear dormer 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.
