Westminster / Camden
We design kitchen extensions and relocations for St John's Wood houses and flats. The complete address selects Westminster or Camden, while the measured structure and services, legal building type, title or lease, mapped heritage records and proposed work determine the public, private and technical routes.
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The short answer
The route depends on the complete address, legal building type, work and planning history. A qualifying house may use Part 1 only if every test is met; a flat does not. Separately, the title and lease decide whether a relocated flat kitchen needs written landlord consent and what form that consent takes.
Planning at a glance
St John's Wood
| Local planning authority | Westminster City Council or London Borough of Camden — confirm the exact address |
|---|---|
| Postcode districts | NW6 / NW8 |
| Likely approval route | Householder planning application or permitted development, depending on conservation status, listing and property type — confirmed for the exact address before drawings begin |
| Statutory determination time | 8 weeks for most householder applications (13 weeks for major applications) |
| Local planning note | St John’s Wood and NW8 are place and postcode descriptions, not local-authority or conservation-area boundaries. Confirm the complete address and application site before using council material. For a Westminster site, use the City Plan 2019–2040 (2026), current policies map and the mapped conservation-area, Article 4, listing, tree and planning-history records. For a Camden site, the Camden Local Plan 2017 remains current; the Proposed Submission Draft is still at examination and must not be described as adopted. Use Camden’s mapped conservation-area appraisal, Article 4, listing, tree and planning-history records for the exact site. Westminster and Camden maintain separate St John’s Wood conservation records, so do not infer one designation or adoption date from the neighbourhood or postcode. Westminster’s city-wide basement Article 4 direction came into force on 31 July 2016; Camden’s borough-wide basement direction was adopted on 1 June 2017. Other Article 4 controls are address- and operation-specific. Westminster’s basement policy and Code of Construction Practice and Camden’s Policy A5 and Basement Impact Assessment process are separate. Planning permission, listed-building consent, title or landlord consent, Building Regulations or BSR approval, Party Wall procedures and tree controls remain separate. |
| Where most projects start | Planning Route Review — £395 inc. VAT, credited in full against your package if you proceed. Find my package → |
The project may add floor area, reconfigure rooms or relocate a kitchen within the existing building. We define the actual scope from the measured property and legal building type, then test planning, structure, fire, acoustics, services, title and lease separately. A house or flat label alone does not establish an extension route or landlord-consent requirement.
Design ventilation from the current Building Regulations requirements and the measured building. A ducted system needs an appropriately sized route and external terminal; a recirculating system has different performance and maintenance limits. Any penetration, terminal or route through common or historic fabric must also be checked against structure, planning, listing and the actual lease where applicable.
Where the sink, dishwasher and any utility appliances land is a drainage question before it is a layout question. Moving a kitchen away from the wall carrying the existing soil stack means the waste has to travel further to reach it, and every extra metre has to be bought with fall — a gradient that must fit inside the floor zone you actually have. That zone is contested: insulation, a screed, underfloor-heating pipes and the waste runs all want the same depth, and in a new kitchen extension the finished floor level is pinned at both ends, meeting the existing floor inside and reaching a workable threshold to the garden outside. We set the build-up and the falls at the same time as the plan, because an island sink that cannot be drained is discovered on site, not on a mood board.
If the design removes or widens a wall, a structural engineer establishes the load path, permanent support, temporary works and foundations. Beam depth is coordinated with extract, lighting and ceiling services. Party Wall procedures apply only where the resulting wall work or excavation is notifiable under the Act; check ownership, neighbouring foundations and the designed work before assuming notices.
For a flat kitchen relocation, obtain the title and actual lease before fixing the layout. The documents decide the demise, ownership, covenants and any written landlord-consent or Licence to Alter route. Structure, acoustic separation, fire, common parts, waste and extract are then designed for the building, while any external change and listed-fabric effect follow their own public-consent tests.
For planning, identify the physical changes rather than the room use alone. The complete address selects Westminster or Camden, and the legal building type, operation, planning history, mapped designation and live directions decide whether permitted development or an application route applies. Where an application is needed, the authority assesses the rear elevation, neighbour daylight and garden context, plus the extract terminal, rooflights and any condenser or plant.
Finally, test the room against the current energy, ventilation and overheating requirements. The amount and specification of glazing follow a project-specific calculation and orientation study. Inside, door swings, circulation, appliance clearances, service routes and any island are checked against the measured plan rather than a standard kitchen formula.
Local analysis
A ducted system needs an external terminal, so test possible routes against structure, fire, performance and ownership. If the exact site is in a mapped Westminster or Camden conservation area, or the route affects listed fabric, assess the penetration and terminal against the applicable record. The selected route is coordinated with ceilings and structure before equipment is specified.
For a flat, establish the demise and alteration clauses from the current title and actual lease. Any written landlord consent or Licence to Alter depends on those documents and the work. Survey risers, waste falls, acoustics, fire and common parts, and test external changes separately against Westminster or Camden planning and any applicable listing or conservation record.
Coordinate insulation, screed, any underfloor heating and waste runs within the measured floor zone. The finished level must meet the existing floor and form a compliant, weathered garden threshold. At lower-ground level, use the actual levels and drainage design to decide whether a channel, upstand or another detail is required rather than assuming one standard threshold.
Thinking about a project in St John's Wood?
Send the address and a short description. We will confirm the likely approval route and the drawings your project needs.
Local planning
Confirm the complete address and application site before selecting Westminster or Camden policy, planning history and mapped conservation records. For a qualifying dwellinghouse, test the rear extension against every applicable Part 1 limit, condition, history restriction and live Article 4 direction; conservation status alone does not remove every right. If an application is required, its statutory non-major target runs from validation and is not an end-to-end promise.
Assess the parts of the proposal that affect the building and site: the rear elevation, neighbouring daylight and outlook, garden context, rooflights and any external extract terminal, flue, condenser or plant. Use proportionate daylight evidence where the measured relationship calls for it, while keeping civil right-to-light questions separate from planning.
A flat does not use Part 1 householder permitted-development rights, but the planning and private-consent routes still depend on the actual work, history, title and lease. Confirm the complete address and application site before selecting Westminster or Camden policy, mapping or planning history. Read the lease separately for ownership, demise and any alteration-consent clause.
Westminster and Camden publish separate St John's Wood conservation maps and appraisals, and not every address or NW8 property is designated. If the complete site is mapped within one, assess the proposed roof, glazing, rooflights and external servicing against that council's applicable record.
Check the responsible council's current property and local-heritage records for the exact address. A visible duct terminal, grille, cowl or external plant item should be located and assessed from the surveyed elevation and applicable designation rather than a neighbourhood-wide assumption.
Search the exact address on the National Heritage List and responsible council records. If the building is listed, listed-building consent is required where the proposed opening, duct route, chimney work or joinery alteration affects its special architectural or historic interest; planning permission remains a separate decision.
For the wider local-authority picture — policies, timescales and application routes — see planning in Westminster.
Services
Extensions & Renovations
Planning & Consents
Technical & Building Regulations
Leasehold & Licence to Alter
Nearby
Send us the complete St John's Wood address, application site and a note on the existing and proposed kitchen. We will identify Westminster or Camden, check the measured structure, services, mapped records and actual title or lease, and set out the separate public and private routes without promising consent.
