Where in Kensington and Chelsea does a scheme inside an Article 4 area actually get determined?
Every Kensington and Chelsea postcode district we draw in, the stock that dominates
it and the authority that validates a scheme inside an Article 4 area there. Kensington and Chelsea fees below are the
statutory England rates for 2026, not scheme inside an Article 4 area estimates.
| Postcode | Area | Dominant stock | What it means for a scheme inside an Article 4 area |
|---|
| W10 | North Kensington / Ladbroke Grove | Victorian terraces, post-war estates | W10 covers North Kensington / Ladbroke Grove only; RBKC Planning handles the scheme inside an Article 4 area. |
| W11 | Notting Hill / Holland Park | Victorian stucco terraces | Notting Hill / Holland Park sits wholly inside W11, so RBKC Planning validates every scheme inside an Article 4 area submitted from an W11 address. |
| SW1X | Knightsbridge / Belgravia | Regency stucco terraces, listed buildings | Knightsbridge / Belgravia is split at SW1X. Either Westminster City Council or RBKC Planning can determine a scheme inside an Article 4 area here, so the SW1X address is checked against both policies maps first. |
| W14 | West Kensington / Barons Court | Victorian and Edwardian villas | W14 straddles a boundary: West Kensington / Barons Court addresses fall to Hammersmith & Fulham Council or RBKC Planning, so confirm which authority validates the scheme inside an Article 4 area before submitting W14 drawings. |
| SW3 | Chelsea / Brompton | Georgian and Victorian terraces, listed buildings | Chelsea / Brompton sits wholly inside SW3, so RBKC Planning validates every scheme inside an Article 4 area submitted from an SW3 address. |
| SW5 | Earl's Court | Stucco terraces, Edwardian mansion blocks | SW5 covers Earl's Court only; RBKC Planning handles the scheme inside an Article 4 area. |
| SW7 | South Kensington / Knightsbridge | Stucco terraces, mansion blocks, listed buildings | A scheme inside an Article 4 area in South Kensington / Knightsbridge may land with RBKC Planning or Westminster City Council — SW7 crosses the boundary, and the SW7 policies map decides it street by street. |
| SW10 | West Brompton / World's End | Georgian and Victorian terraces, listed buildings | SW10 straddles a boundary: West Brompton / World's End addresses fall to RBKC Planning or Hammersmith & Fulham Council, so confirm which authority validates the scheme inside an Article 4 area before submitting SW10 drawings. |
Which Kensington and Chelsea neighbourhoods suit a scheme inside an Article 4 area best?
Roof pitch, wall build-up and plot depth change every few Kensington and Chelsea
streets, and each one changes what a scheme inside an Article 4 area can achieve at that address.
- Notting Hill (W11) — scheme inside an Article 4 area work in Notting Hill means victorian stucco terraces. Notting Hill is stucco terraces, painted facades. Most applications on these Victorian streets are householder applications validated on existing and proposed plans throughout W11. RBKC Planning decides the Notting Hill application, and Portobello Road anchors the Notting Hill location plan.
- Holland Park (W11, W14) — scheme inside an Article 4 area work in Holland Park means victorian and edwardian villas. Holland Park is Victorian villas around the park. Most applications on these Victorian streets are householder applications validated on existing and proposed plans throughout W11. RBKC Planning decides the Holland Park application, and Holland Park anchors the Holland Park location plan.
- Earl's Court (SW5) — scheme inside an Article 4 area work in Earl's Court means stucco terraces, edwardian mansion blocks. Earl's Court is Victorian stucco terraces, mansion blocks. Edwardian houses here typically need the same householder set plus a roof plan where a dormer is proposed 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) — a scheme inside an Article 4 area in South Kensington starts from stucco terraces, mansion blocks, listed buildings, and South Kensington reads as Victorian and Edwardian stucco terraces. Mansion-block applications here need the whole block on the elevation drawing in SW7. RBKC Planning assesses South Kensington scheme inside an Article 4 areas against its own South Kensington character guidance, and the location plan we draw for South Kensington references V&A.
- Knightsbridge (SW1X, SW7) — a scheme inside an Article 4 area in Knightsbridge starts from regency and victorian terraces, mansion blocks, and Knightsbridge reads as Regency and Victorian terraces, luxury. Most applications on these Victorian streets are householder applications validated on existing and proposed plans in SW1X. RBKC Planning assesses Knightsbridge scheme inside an Article 4 areas against its own Knightsbridge character guidance, and the location plan we draw for Knightsbridge references Harrods.
- North Kensington (W10) — Victorian terraces, post-war estates defines North Kensington, where victorian terraces, post-war estates set what a scheme inside an Article 4 area can do. Most applications on these Victorian streets are householder applications validated on existing and proposed plans across W10. Any North Kensington scheme inside an Article 4 area is validated by RBKC Planning, with Golborne Road the usual North Kensington reference point on the site plan.
- Brompton (SW3) — a scheme inside an Article 4 area in Brompton starts from stucco terraces, edwardian mansion blocks, and Brompton reads as Victorian stucco terraces, mansion blocks. Edwardian houses here typically need the same householder set plus a roof plan where a dormer is proposed in SW3. RBKC Planning assesses Brompton scheme inside an Article 4 areas against its own Brompton character guidance, and the location plan we draw for Brompton references Brompton Cross.
How do conservation areas and Article 4 affect a scheme inside an Article 4 area in Kensington and Chelsea?
Kensington and Chelsea conservation designations: there are 38 across RBKC Planning, Notting Hill, Holland Park, Earls Court among them. Designation costs a Kensington and Chelsea owner the permitted-development route: a scheme inside an Article 4 area then needs a £548 householder application over 8 weeks, in place of the £249 prior approval route that takes 6 weeks. Chelsea is the Kensington and Chelsea designation that most often changes a scheme inside an Article 4 area design.
What Article 4 removes near Kensington and Chelsea: Article 4 Directions covering HMOs, office-to-residential, and basement developments — RBKC has some of the strictest basement policies in London. Before pricing a scheme inside an Article 4 area we check whether the SW3 address is inside the mapped area, because RBKC Planning draws the Kensington and Chelsea boundary street by street rather than across the whole of Kensington and Chelsea.
Kensington and Chelsea below-ground policy: RBKC's basement policy (post-2015) limits to single-storey under 50% of garden area; double-storey basements effectively prohibited in residential streets. Any scheme inside an Article 4 area in Kensington and Chelsea that goes below existing foundations triggers two months notice under section 6 of the Party Wall etc. Act 1996, and RBKC Planning will want the SW3 ground and groundwater position set out.
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 scheme inside an Article 4 area route in Kensington and Chelsea more than the postcode does.
Which neighbouring authorities border Kensington and Chelsea?
- Westminster — the Westminster boundary runs against Kensington and Chelsea, so a scheme inside an Article 4 area a street from Kensington and Chelsea is decided by Westminster City Council instead. Westminster runs 56 conservation areas across SW1 and its neighbours, which is why scheme inside an Article 4 areas priced for Kensington and Chelsea are re-checked against Westminster policy whenever the Kensington and Chelsea address sits on that edge.
- Hammersmith and Fulham — the Hammersmith and Fulham boundary runs against Kensington and Chelsea, so a scheme inside an Article 4 area a street from Kensington and Chelsea is decided by Hammersmith & Fulham Council instead. Hammersmith and Fulham runs 45 conservation areas across W6 and its neighbours, which is why scheme inside an Article 4 areas priced for Kensington and Chelsea are re-checked against Hammersmith and Fulham policy whenever the Kensington and Chelsea address sits on that edge.
- Brent — adjoining Kensington and Chelsea, with 22 conservation areas centred on NW2. A scheme inside an Article 4 area on the far side of the Kensington and Chelsea line is determined by Brent Council, so the Kensington and Chelsea quote for scheme inside an Article 4 areas is checked against Brent guidance before it is issued.
Sources for this Kensington and Chelsea scheme inside an Article 4 area 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.
