Horizon Architecture provides planning, architectural design and technical drawing services in Kensington. We have already secured planning approvals for projects in Kensington and nearby streets, and we use that practical experience to prepare clear, policy-aware applications rather than generic drawing packages.
Article reviewed 1 August 2026
Initial consultationFree
Measured surveyStarting from £395
Planning drawingsStarting from £1,400
Planning application submission£100
Building Regulations packageFrom £1,295
Rear extension packagePlanning and Building Regulation drawings from £1,750
Loft conversion packagePlanning and Building Regulation drawings from £1,950
Commercial planningQuote on request
Fees are starting prices and depend on property size, complexity, location and scope. Statutory application charges, Planning Portal charges, Building Control fees, specialist consultants and VAT where applicable are additional.
Planning applications in Kensington: approval and refusal data
The latest comparable official statistics show how the relevant local planning authority performed across all planning application decisions. They are useful context, but they are not a prediction for an individual property. Design quality, policy compliance, heritage impact, neighbour amenity, evidence and the site’s planning history remain decisive.
Official planning data
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea: latest annual snapshot
92.8% grantedApplications received2,435
Decisions issued1,960
Granted1,819
Refused141
Refusal rate7.2%
These are authority-wide figures for Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, not a claim that every decision occurred inside the neighbourhood of Kensington. Data cover the year ending 31 March 2026. Applications received and decisions made are separate flows: a decision in the period may relate to an application received earlier. The official return does not publish a reliable neighbourhood-level or “full application only” received total, so we do not invent one.
We monitor the application from submission to decision
We do not submit an application and then leave it unattended. During the determination period we check validation, consultation and officer progress; make ourselves available to answer planning queries; issue clarifications or supplementary information; and, where a focused amendment is proportionate, act quickly to help resolve concerns before the decision. No architect can guarantee approval, but active case management can prevent avoidable misunderstandings and lost time.
Conservation areas in and around Kensington
Important designations in or close to Kensington include Kensington, Kensington Court, Kensington Palace, Kensington Square, Edwardes Square, Scarsdale and Abingdon. The exact boundary must be checked against the property address. Conservation area status does not prevent change, but the proposal should preserve or enhance the area’s special architectural or historic character.
- Extensions can be acceptable when their scale, position, materials and detailing respect the host building and surrounding pattern.
- Roof alterations, dormers, replacement windows, front-boundary changes and external plant are often more sensitive than comparable work outside a conservation area.
- Article 4 Directions may remove selected permitted development rights, so “normally permitted” work can require an application.
- Relevant demolition usually requires planning permission, and work to protected trees normally requires notice or consent.
- A heritage statement may be required to identify significance, explain the design response and justify any harm.
Property types and planning priorities in Kensington
The area includes listed townhouses, grand terraces, villas, mansion blocks, mews and mixed-use high streets. Common assessment issues include historic fabric, roofscape, terraces and garden squares, mews scale, basements, plant, servicing, neighbour amenity and townscape views. We study the host building and its neighbours before deciding how much change the site can comfortably accommodate.
Planning strategy for high-value property in Kensington
Kensington planning applications frequently involve layered constraints: listed status, conservation designations, Article 4 controls, garden squares, mature trees, dense neighbouring development and high expectations for architectural detailing. We map these constraints before design development.
On high-value refurbishments and extensions, early coordination is essential. We can manage the route from measured survey and feasibility through planning and technical design, bringing in heritage, structural, daylight, acoustic, transport or building-services specialists when the project needs them.
What we can manage for you
- Initial feasibility review of the address, planning history and likely consent route.
- Measured survey and accurate existing drawings.
- Design options for extensions, loft conversions, internal reconfiguration, façade changes, refurbishment or commercial use.
- Planning drawings, design and access or heritage statements, application forms and document coordination.
- Submission, validation checks and monitoring through the council determination period.
- Prompt responses to officer questions and proportionate amendments where they support the application.
- Building Regulations drawings and technical coordination after planning approval or confirmation of permitted development.
Coordination with structural engineers and specialist consultants
We aim to make the process as effortless as possible for the client. Where the project requires other expertise, we can define the brief, coordinate information and keep the design aligned across the professional team. Typical inputs may include:
- heritage and townscape assessments
- structural and basement engineering
- acoustic, daylight, transport, arboricultural or MEP reports
- other reports requested by the council once the exact proposal and validation requirements are known
How much does a planning application cost in Kensington?
The statutory planning fee is set nationally, not separately by each London borough. From 1 April 2026, a typical householder application for the alteration or extension of one house costs £548. Applications submitted online through the Planning Portal that attract a fee above £100 also currently incur a Planning Portal service charge of £75.83 plus VAT. Different application types—such as new dwellings, commercial floorspace, prior approval, conditions or change of use—use different fee calculations.
Horizon Architecture’s planning application submission service is £100, in addition to planning drawings from £1,400 and any statutory or third-party charges. We confirm the likely fee before submission and identify any additional reports that may be needed.
A typical project sequence
- 1. Free initial discussion and review of your objectives.
- 2. Address-specific planning and conservation checks.
- 3. Measured survey and existing drawings.
- 4. Design options and client review.
- 5. Planning package, supporting statements and specialist coordination.
- 6. Submission, validation and active monitoring with the council.
- 7. Response to queries or targeted amendments where appropriate.
- 8. Building Regulations and construction information after consent.
Frequently asked questions about planning in Kensington
Can you guarantee planning approval in Kensington?
No. Planning decisions remain with the local planning authority. We improve the quality of the application by checking constraints, using relevant policy and local character, coordinating evidence and staying engaged during determination.
Will you speak to the council after submission?
Yes. We monitor the application, respond to reasonable information requests and seek to address proportionate concerns quickly where the officer is willing to engage.
Can you take over an application prepared by somebody else?
Yes. We can review the drawings, planning history, validation position and any officer feedback, then advise whether to continue, amend, withdraw, resubmit or appeal.
Do conservation areas prevent extensions or loft conversions?
No, but proposals usually need a more careful response to scale, visibility, roof form, materials, historic fabric and the character of the street or landscape. Address-specific Article 4 controls must also be checked.
Can you coordinate the technical stage too?
Yes. We can prepare Building Regulations information and coordinate with structural engineers and other consultants, subject to an agreed scope.
Discuss your Kensington project
Send us the Kensington property address, photographs and your objectives. We will outline the likely planning route, key risks, required information and an appropriate quotation.
Get a free quoteRelated architectural services
Planning applications · Building Regulations drawings · Rear extensions · Loft conversions · Conservation area architecture · Help after refusal
Relevant London borough planning guides
See the Kensington & Chelsea council planning guide, or browse all 32 London boroughs.
