Richmond upon Thames

Local plan

The Richmond Local Plan 2024–2039 and Policies Map, adopted 7 October 2025, replace the earlier borough Local Plan and Twickenham Area Action Plan; the Ham and Petersham Neighbourhood Plan 2019 and West London Waste Plan 2015 remain in place. [1][2]

Read the applicable local documents alongside the London Plan, which also forms part of the development plan. [50][56]

Home-project starting points include Policies 13–16 for housing standards, loss of housing, infill and small sites, 44 and 46 for design and amenity, and 54 for basements. [3]

The March 2026 Affordable Housing SPD also provides for contributions on sites capable of fewer than ten gross homes, with distinctions for conversions: do not assume that CIL is the only possible development contribution. [47][48]

Householder design guide

The House Extensions and External Alterations SPD, adopted 1 June 2015, remains on the council’s current guidance list. [4][6]

Its guidance says two-storey side and rear additions should be no wider than half the original building, and two-storey side additions should retain a 1 m side-boundary gap to avoid a terracing effect; a front setback of at least 1 m is usually desirable where the addition is intended to appear subordinate. [5]

Roof additions should stay below or at the existing ridge, avoid dominating the roof and generally avoid front dormers; neighbouring light and privacy also matter. [5]

These are design-assessment guidelines, not permitted-development allowances, and must be read with the newer Local Plan and the property’s heritage guidance. [5][1][4]

Validation list

Use the local validation checklist approved 19 February 2026, effective 20 February 2026, and the council’s application guidance. [7]

The householder quick guide requires the standard forms, fee, ownership information and drawings, CIL Form 1, and a Fire Safety Strategy or Reasonable Exception Statement; other reports depend on the site and works. [8]

Schemes creating homes, including conversions, need the applicable residential-standards evidence and Sustainable Construction Checklist in Excel, with supporting assessments. [8][45][46]

For biodiversity, provide the council’s requested exemption justification where relevant, but use the current national BNG exemptions, not an assumption that every housing scheme must deliver statutory BNG. [54][53]

Article 4 directions

Two confirmed basement directions together cover the whole borough from 1 April 2018, removing specified householder Class A rights for development forming basements, lightwells, cellars or other usable underground space. [13][15][17]

The Class MA commercial-to-residential direction instead covers 62 modified areas: use the Secretary of State’s July 2022 revision and its maps, not a borough-wide assumption or the original 67-site coverage. [18][20][21]

Separate heritage directions restrict specified alterations at scheduled properties, with frontage limitations and exclusions that vary between instruments. [23][25]

Check the exact property, works, final direction and map; the historical register alone is not a complete current check. [12][23][24]

Conservation areas

The council identifies 85 conservation areas; start with its boundary map and the statement or appraisal for the particular area. [29][30][31][32]

These documents explain the local character that changes to roofs, windows, materials, gardens and lightwells must address: for example, the Richmond Hill Management Plan identifies harm from lost original details, intrusive development, loss of garden space and changes to valued views. [33]

Also check the separate Article 4 instrument: being inside a conservation area does not establish which additional property-specific restrictions apply. [23][25]

Basement policy

Policy 54 addresses basements and subterranean development; the final Inspectors’ report explains its resistance to more than one storey below existing ground level at residential or formerly residential properties. [3] Policy 8’s flood table, reproduced in the current validation checklist, excludes self-contained residential basements and basement bedrooms in Flood Zones 2 and 3a and 1-in-100-year surface-water-risk areas; additional functional-floodplain restrictions apply in Zone 3b. [8]

Mapped groundwater or throughflow risk can trigger screening and a Basement Impact Assessment, with investigation and verification by suitably qualified chartered specialists. [10]

Check construction-management, structural, garden and heritage requirements as well as the borough-wide basement Article 4 directions; satisfying the design policy is not the same as obtaining permission. [9][11][13]

CIL rates

For 2026, the published indexed borough residential CIL rates are £418.41/m² in the higher band and £317.99/m² in the lower band. [36]

Use the charging-schedule map to establish the site’s band: the boundary is not simply the River Thames. [35]

The separate 2026 Mayoral CIL2 Band 1 rate is £96.97/m² for Richmond, as published by the GLA. [38]

These are rates on chargeable floorspace, not automatic charges on every extension or conversion; establish liability, eligible existing-floor-area deductions and any correctly claimed relief or exemption before starting work. [34]

Pre-application advice

The published pre-application charge for a non-listed householder alteration or extension creating no extra home is £190; this category does not include an officer meeting. [39]

For a listed-building householder proposal creating no extra home, the published charge is £660, including conservation-officer advice, a site visit and a letter or agreed minutes. [39]

The service lists free advice for accessibility improvements and sustainable-development proposals such as insulation, solar panels or heat pumps; confirm the category for a combined project. [39]

Pre-application advice does not guarantee planning permission. [39]

Building control

Contact Richmond Building Control at buildingcontrol@richmond.gov.uk or 020 8891 7117 for applications, charges and the appropriate surveyor. [40]

The published fee table applies from 1 April 2026 and separates plan-check and inspection charges; basements are excluded from its standard extension category, so obtain a project-specific charge. [43]

Building regulations approval is separate from planning permission, and a private provider is a registered building control approver; the Building Safety Regulator route applies where the higher-risk-building rules require it. [44]