Rear dormer loft in Westminster

Which postcode districts around Westminster do we cover for rear dormer work?

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

What changes about a rear dormer in each part of Westminster?

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

• Bayswater (W2) — rear dormer work in Bayswater means victorian stucco terraces. Bayswater is Victorian stucco terraces. Full-width rear dormers on Victorian terraces here are the default throughout W2. Westminster City Council decides the Bayswater application, and Hyde Park anchors the Bayswater location plan.
• Paddington (W2) — Regency and Victorian terraces, canal-side regen defines Paddington, where regency terraces, modern apartments set what a rear dormer can do. Shallow modern roof pitches rarely leave the head height a dormer needs across W2. Any Paddington rear dormer is validated by Westminster City Council, with Paddington Basin the usual Paddington reference point on the site plan.
• Victoria (SW1E, SW1W) — a rear dormer in Victoria starts from regency terraces, post-war flats, and Victoria reads as Regency terraces, mixed-use. Trussed post-war roofs need a full structural redesign before a dormer in SW1E. Westminster City Council assesses Victoria rear dormers against its own Victoria character guidance, and the location plan we draw for Victoria references Victoria Station.
• Westbourne Green (W2, W9) — rear dormer work in Westbourne Green means victorian terraces, mansion blocks. Westbourne Green is Victorian terraces and mansion blocks. Full-width rear dormers on Victorian terraces here are the default throughout W2. Westminster City Council decides the Westbourne Green application, and Royal Oak anchors the Westbourne Green location plan.
• Maida Vale (W9) — a rear dormer in Maida Vale starts from edwardian mansion blocks, victorian villas, and Maida Vale reads as Edwardian mansion blocks, canal-side. Full-width rear dormers on Victorian terraces here are the default in W9. Westminster City Council assesses Maida Vale rear dormers against its own Maida Vale character guidance, and the location plan we draw for Maida Vale references Little Venice.
• Mayfair (W1J, W1K) — rear dormer work in Mayfair means georgian townhouses, listed buildings. Mayfair is Georgian listed townhouses, luxury. A dormer on a Georgian roof has to sit behind the parapet line to stand any chance of consent throughout W1J. Westminster City Council decides the Mayfair application, and Berkeley Square anchors the Mayfair location plan.
• Belgravia (SW1X, SW1W) — a rear dormer in Belgravia starts from regency stucco terraces, listed buildings, and Belgravia reads as white stucco Regency terraces. Full-width rear dormers on Victorian terraces here are the default in SW1X. Westminster City Council assesses Belgravia rear dormers against its own Belgravia character guidance, and the location plan we draw for Belgravia references Eaton Square.

What local planning policy applies to a rear dormer in Westminster?

How designation changes a Westminster rear dormer: Westminster City Council maintains 56 conservation areas, including Marylebone, Pimlico, Soho. Inside any of them a Westminster 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. Belgravia sets the tone for Westminster casework.

Westminster and Article 4: Multiple Article 4 Directions — office-to-residential restrictions, HMO conversions, retail to residential in shopping zones. A rear dormer planned at a NW8 address is checked against that direction first; Westminster City Council publishes the Westminster extent, and the NW8 line rarely follows the Westminster boundary you would expect.

Digging below a Westminster property: Westminster basement policy restricts to single-storey, typically under 50% of rear garden footprint; lightwells and rooflights strictly controlled in conservation areas. Where a rear dormer in Westminster involves excavation that is read beside the Party Wall etc. Act 1996, which needs two months notice for a Westminster dig within 3 m of a neighbour, and Westminster City Council expects the NW8 ground conditions addressed in the application.

What Westminster 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 rear dormer route in Westminster more than the postcode does.

Who decides a rear dormer on the edge of Westminster?

• Camden — cross the Westminster boundary and Camden Council takes the rear dormer instead, applying 40 conservation areas of its own around NW1. We re-price rear dormers at the Westminster edge because Camden policy and Westminster policy rarely align on rear dormer depth.
• Kensington and Chelsea — cross the Westminster boundary and RBKC Planning takes the rear dormer instead, applying 38 conservation areas of its own around SW1. We re-price rear dormers at the Westminster edge because Kensington and Chelsea policy and Westminster policy rarely align on rear dormer depth.
• Wandsworth — adjoining Westminster, with 45 conservation areas centred on SW8. A rear dormer on the far side of the Westminster line is determined by Wandsworth Council, so the Westminster quote for rear dormers is checked against Wandsworth guidance before it is issued.
• Lambeth — adjoining Westminster, with 64 conservation areas centred on SE1. A rear dormer on the far side of the Westminster line is determined by Lambeth Council, so the Westminster quote for rear dormers is checked against Lambeth guidance before it is issued.

Sources for this Westminster 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.