01Richmond upon Thames, London
Basement conversion drawings for Richmond upon Thames houses
A borough-wide Article 4 direction removes the permitted right to dig down, so a basement in Richmond upon Thames is a planning application every time. The plan then limits depth, garden coverage and soil cover, and asks for more where the house is listed. We draw to those limits from £1,995 including VAT.
From £1,995 (VAT included)
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02The brief
The limits Richmond puts on a basement
The basements policy of the Richmond Local Plan 2024-2039 sets three measurable limits: how deep the basement may go below existing ground level, how much of the garden it may take, excluding the original footprint, and how much soil must remain over any part under the garden, with a drainage layer. The measures are in the table, quoted from the plan.
These limits fix the slab level and the planting zone, so we settle them at the first design option. The same policy asks for a screening assessment in groundwater zones, which becomes a full basement impact assessment if impacts are likely, a construction management plan, and a structural impact assessment where the basement is at or next to a listed building.
03The record
Local figures for Richmond upon Thames
| Measure | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Basements to homes or former homes resisted if deeper than one storey below existing ground level | 1 storey (approx. 2.7 m floor to ceiling) storey | No period | richmond.gov.uk, Richmond upon Thames Local Plan 2024 to 2039 (adopted October 2025), Policy 54 A; para 25.50-25.55, p.366 |
| Basement extent limited to half of existing garden land or of any other undeveloped garden area, excluding original footprint | 50% of garden % | No period | richmond.gov.uk, Richmond upon Thames Local Plan 2024 to 2039 (adopted October 2025), Policy 54 B.1, p.366 |
| Soil cover over basement under garden plus drainage layer required | 1 m permeable soil + 200 mm drainage layer m | No period | richmond.gov.uk, Richmond upon Thames Local Plan 2024 to 2039 (adopted October 2025), Policy 54 B.4, p.366 |
| Screening Assessment needed in groundwater zones or >=25% groundwater flood susceptibility; escalates to Basement Impact Assessment if impacts likely | Screening Assessment, then BIA if required | No period | richmond.gov.uk, Richmond upon Thames Local Plan 2024 to 2039 (adopted October 2025), Policy 54 B.5 |
| Structural Impact Assessment required for basements at or next to a listed building; Construction Management Plan required | SIA (listed) + CMP required | No period | richmond.gov.uk, Richmond upon Thames Local Plan 2024 to 2039 (adopted October 2025), Policy 54 B.2, B.7 |
| Article 4 Directions from 1 April 2018 remove permitted development for basements across the whole borough | planning permission always required | No period | richmond.gov.uk, Richmond upon Thames Local Plan 2024 to 2039 (adopted October 2025), para 25.50 |
| Domestic gardens share of land (GLUD 2005) | 19.4 % of land that is domestic garden (GLUD 2005) | 2005 | data.london.gov.uk |
| Party Wall etc. Act 1996 s6(1), s6(2), s6(5) | Adjacent excavation notice at least 1 month before work: within 3 m and deeper than the neighbour's foundations, or within 6 m and cutting a 45° line from their foundations | No period | legislation.gov.uk |
| Approved Document B Vol 1, para 2.16 | Basement storeys with habitable rooms need an escape window or external door, or a protected stair to a final exit | No period | gov.uk |
| Householder: alterations/extensions to a single dwellinghouse, from 1 Apr 2026 | 548 GBP | No period | ribblevalley.gov.uk |
A blank value means the figure has not been published, not that there are none. Check your own address with the council.
- Hounslow
- Kingston upon Thames
- Wandsworth
- Elmbridge
- Spelthorne
- Hammersmith & Fulham
04The streets
Householder applications by street in Richmond upon Thames
| Street | Applications | Approved |
|---|---|---|
| Waverley Avenue | 40 | 72% |
| Castelnau | 39 | 81% |
| Lyndhurst Avenue | 28 | 83% |
| Lincoln Avenue | 26 | 87% |
| Cole Park Road | 25 | 83% |
| Redway Drive | 25 | 83% |
| Sheen Road | 25 | 65% |
| Ormond Crescent | 23 | 81% |
| Ullswater Road | 23 | 85% |
| Gladstone Avenue | 22 | 64% |
| Madrid Road | 22 | 80% |
| The Vineyard | 22 | 80% |
| Haliburton Road | 21 | 100% |
| Houblon Road | 21 | 90% |
| Cleveland Gardens | 20 | 83% |
Counts of householder applications by street; no individual applications are shown. Streets with fewer than five applications are left out.
05The drawing
A basement in section
A house and garden over a single-storey basement. The lettered marks show the limits the legend gives.
- A Richmond upon Thames: depth and garden share
- 50% of garden %
- B Richmond upon Thames: excavation depth
- 1 storey (approx. 2.7 m floor to ceiling) storey
- C Richmond upon Thames: soil over the basement
- 1 m permeable soil + 200 mm drainage layer m
- D Party wall notice for excavation
- Adjacent excavation notice at least 1 month before work: within 3 m and deeper than the neighbour's foundations, or within 6 m and cutting a 45° line from their foundations
- E Escape from basement rooms
- Basement storeys with habitable rooms need an escape window or external door, or a protected stair to a final exit
06The detail
Low ground and the Thames meander
Ground and water conditions shape how a Richmond basement is built. Barnes shows why: The council's Barnes Green appraisal describes Barnes as sitting within the meander of the Thames in an area of flat, low-lying floodplain. The Barnes neighbourhood guide lists its conservation areas and Article 4 directions.
Gardens matter as well, since a basement takes land from them. Domestic gardens cover 19.4% of the borough's land in the national land-use survey.
Party walls, escape and alarms
Excavating beside a neighbour brings in the Party Wall etc. Act 1996. Adjacent excavation notice at least 1 month before work: within 3 m and deeper than the neighbour's foundations, or within 6 m and cutting a 45° line from their foundations. A dispute arises if the adjoining owner does not consent within 14 days of the notice.
Building Regulations add their own demands. Basement storeys with habitable rooms need an escape window or external door, or a protected stair to a final exit. All dwellings: fire detection and alarm system minimum Grade D2 Category LD3 (BS 5839-6), mains-operated smoke alarms to BS EN 14604. The council's householder fee is £548, paid separately from our fixed fee.
Listed houses and the other two applications
Historic England records 819 list entries in the borough, and a basement under any of them needs consent as well as permission. Start with listed building consent drawings for Richmond upon Thames, then mansard roof drawings if the roof is changing too.
07The papers
What the drawings rest on
Party wall services
08Correspondence
Questions
Can I dig a basement under my Richmond house without planning permission?
No. The council records the position as planning permission always required, because the borough-wide Article 4 direction removes the permitted right.
How much of the garden can a Richmond basement take?
The plan limits a basement to a share of the garden land and requires a depth of soil with a drainage layer above it; the measures are quoted in the table above. We read your plot against both before drawing.
Do I need an impact assessment?
Sometimes. The plan asks for a screening assessment in groundwater zones, and for a structural impact assessment beside a listed building. We coordinate the structural calculations that sit behind them.
What do the drawings cost?
Basement drawings start at £1,995 including VAT. Council fees are separate, and a party wall notice is £45 per adjoining owner.
19.4%
of land that is domestic garden (GLUD 2005)
Domestic gardens share of land (GLUD 2005), Richmond upon Thames, 2005. Source: data.london.gov.uk
09Further reading
Related pages
Other services in Richmond upon Thames
10Sources
Sources and dates
- richmond.gov.uk, retrieved
- data.london.gov.uk, retrieved
- legislation.gov.uk, retrieved
- gov.uk, retrieved
- ribblevalley.gov.uk, retrieved
- richmond.gov.uk, retrieved
- richmond.gov.uk, retrieved
- planning.data.gov.uk, retrieved
Licences
- Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.
- Contains Historic England data © Historic England 2026. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.
- GLA Planning London Datahub, householder applications. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Send us the address of your house.
We look up the conservation area, listing and Article 4 position, then reply with a fixed fee. A message before 3pm is answered the same working day.