Basements

If you live in the Chelsea & Kensington area, then you know that it’s all about basements. You’ve probably seen your friends and neighbours, like Jemima Khan and Andrew Lloyd undertake home renovation projects with basements excavations and conversions.

In fact, according to an article in the Telegraph, a few years ago, developer Alan Waxman built a house not too far from Chelsea- in Notting Hill, that has two basement levels. The back garden has been lowered so that it stands at upper basement level through and open plan kitchen. In the lower basement he’s built a gym and bedroom.

Another trend is the “Garden Basement”. Literary Agent, Ali Gunn has a 33 foot subterranean reception room under the entire length of her garden.

According to an article in The Independent, there were 4650 planning permissions granted between 2008 and 2017 in the upmarket central London areas. Of this, over 1000 were in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea.

Quoting from the article, “It is the 785 large and 112 mega-basements that should be the real focus of our interest. These almost 900 excavations are on a different scale to the standard constructions. Together they contain: 367 swimming pools, 358 gyms, 178 cinemas and 63 staff spaces. We also found 14 car lifts, seven art galleries, two gun stores – and one owner who admitted to building a “panic” room…

Perhaps the most “luxified” development we discovered was one that had been granted planning permission in Holland Park in 2013 under a large semi-detached house. It consisted of a new three-storey basement under the entire property and part of the rear garden.

It includes a staff kitchen, staff bedroom, six WCs, a gym, a media room, a family room, a family kitchen, a guest bedroom, a guest kitchen, a laundry room, a drying room, a sauna, a steam room, two shower rooms, a jacuzzi, a plunge pool, a pantry, a full-sized swimming pool and a beach. Yes, a beach.”

In fact, if you have about thirty minutes, watch this BBC documentary on Millionaire Basement Wars in London to enter a world where the words luxury, lavish and splendour are understatements. It’s truly an eye-opening documentary so be sure to watch it, if you are a property or home renovation enthusiast.

Millionaire Basement Wars Video

One of the perks of building a basement in areas like Chelsea and Kensington is the value-add to the property, as you will see in the video. According to Savills, in an article in the Telegraph, on a standard 4 bedroom period home basement conversion, the value of the property can increase by over 15%.

Not everyone in Chelsea and Kensington however are happy with this basement boom. With the surge in construction, the disruption to neighbours and the neighbourhood, this council receives the maximum complaints from residents with regards to these basement conversion projects. As a result, the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea have tightened regulations on building basements so that now you can go down only one level and your basement cannot take up more than 50% of the garden space.

With the number of basements being built in Chelsea and Kensington on the up, we have done most of our basement projects in these areas and are well-versed with council planning permission and building control requirements. Not only that, we know what clients in these areas are looking for; state-of-the-art equipment and controls, every aspect bespoke and unique to them and a space that will be the envy of all who visit.

Give us a call on 0208 191 7595 or email us at enquiries@sdabuildlondon.co.uk with your requirements and we’ll be in touch. If you want to get a feel of the high standard of work we’ve done, in some of London’s most prestigious areas, why not download our brochure? We’re sure you will appreciate the high-specs we are used to providing our customers.

The title of this article is wrong. The words ‘budget’ and ‘Chelsea’ cannot be in the same sentence. If you are considering building a basement in the Chelsea or Kensington areas, we recommend that you forget the word ‘budget’ and instead channel words like ‘luxury’, ‘bespoke,’ ‘unique’ and ‘classy.’

Up until recently, the building of basements in London fell within Permitted Development and were an easy way to gain that extra space, albeit at a cost. However, in the last few years, in response to protests against so-called ‘iceberg’ basements (multi-storey basements), that has changed.

Today, you need to provide a full basement impact assessment before you submit your planning permission which involves going to the expense of instructing a structural engineer. Once planning is secured in principal, you have to seek party wall agreements–in itself this can be challenging especially if the property adjoins a house or building containing multiple flats as each of the owners needs to sign a party wall accord–and get building control involved. Planning permission for basements involves a large financial outlay which only the very serious will be prepared to undertake.

For information on submitting a planning application in the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea, please visit the planning applications section on their website.

The specific Basement Planning Policy in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, is available here and whilst it’s a very detailed document, it will give you a good idea of what you may and may not be able to pass through planning when submitting your basement planning application.

Creating living space in a basement is an evolving issue under the planning regime. Currently, converting an existing residential cellar or basement into a living space is in most cases unlikely to require planning permission if:-

1.    A separate standalone unit is not created.
2.    The usage of the basement is not significantly changed.
3.    A light well is not added.
4.    It does not affect the appearance of the property.

Any excavation in order to create a new basement will require planning permission. Any new basement with the following conditions will require Planning permission:

1.    Basements involving major works.
2.    Basements which create a new separate unit of accommodation.
3.    Any basement design which alters the external appearance of your home. For example, the addition of a light well.

Basement Conversion in a Conservation Area: If you are planning a basement conversion or extension to your house in a conservation area, Planning Permission would be required prior to beginning any works. It is absolutely necessary to obtain the required conservation area consent prior to beginning any works. If you live on a ground floor flat and plan to convert your basement into a living space you must apply for planning permission.

The Kensington & Chelsea borough consists of several conservation areas – Conservation areas are sites of historical or architectural importance. Building and redevelopment can be a more complex process due to more planning regulations and constraints applying within such areas.

The streets in the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea that are deemed part of a conservation area are:

Billings, Kensington Court, The Boltons, Kensington Palace, Brompton, Kensington Square, Brompton Cemetery, Ladbroke, Chelsea, Lexham Gardens, Chelsea Park/Carlyle, Nevern Square, Cheyne, Philbeach, Courtfield, Norland, Cornwall, Oxford Gardens, De Vere, Pembridge, Earls Court Square, Queen’s Gate, Earls Court Village, Royal Hospital, Edwardes Square/Scarsdale and Abingdon, Sloane Square, Hans Town, Sloane/Stanley, Holland Park, Thames, Kensal Green Cemetery, Thurloe Estate, Kensington, Smith’s Charity.

If you are a resident on one of these streets, you need to consider the costs of tailoring your basement build to fit the specific needs of the conservation area.

As a rule of thumb, basements cost between £200 and £300 per sq ft to build the box—where costs go from there depends entirely on you and what you have in mind.

Find out what factors will affect the cost of your basement conversion in a previous article on our website – “Find out how much your basement conversion will cost.”

If you are looking for a dream team to build your Chelsea basement and want the absolute best in quality and finish, do give us a call on 0208 191 7595. We are extremely knowledgeable and experienced with all the requirements, regulations and costs associated with basement excavation and construction in Chelsea and surrounding areas.

We’ll come around, discuss your needs and share some of our thoughts. If you prefer, you can email us at enquiries@sdabuildlondon.co.uk with your requirements and one of us will get in touch with you as soon as possible.