Few London boroughs are more heavily conservation-area constrained than Kensington and Chelsea. The borough's listed building density, the protected views from the parks, and the conservation areas across Chelsea, South Kensington, Brompton, and Notting Hill rule out airspace work on most central sites entirely. The work that does come forward concentrates on the post-war and 1960s residential blocks across North Kensington, the World's End area, and the parts of the borough closer to the boundary with Hammersmith and Fulham. Some mansion blocks in less protected streets also support rooftop schemes where the planning context allows.
Dense urban airspace work is where most of our specialist chartered surveying sits. We cover Kensington and Chelsea from our London office, with the practice RICS regulated and over 30 years of combined residential extension and rooftop experience. Airspace development advice covers feasibility before any application is prepared given the heavy heritage layer in this borough.
As well as providing daylight, sunlight and rights of light advice, our role would be to make contact with the occupants of the existing building to establish any concerns regarding the development. We will work closely with the professional team to identify the initial questions and look at how these can be addressed.
It is our experience that maintaining the same point of contact for the duration of the project offers the existing occupants’ reassurance and continuity.
Rooftop additions to mid-rise residential blocks and mansion blocks are the centre of the work here. The existing occupants liaison role is the most demanding part of the brief, given the value of the affected flats and the expectations residents typically have. We make initial contact with each leaseholder, attend meetings to discuss concerns, prepare Schedules of Condition for the flats directly below the new units, and act as the named point of contact through construction.
Day-to-day issues, scaffolding placement on narrow Kensington streets, deliveries, parking, access, and noise, get handled as they arise. Construction logistics need particularly careful planning given the borough's pedestrian density and transport networks. Daylight and sunlight reports almost always accompany the planning submission given the tight plot density.
Airspace work in Kensington and Chelsea typically sits alongside daylight and sunlight, rights of light, and party wall workstreams on the same scheme. The same surveyor stays on the project from instruction to handover.
Over the past four years, CHP have worked very successfully with us in their capacity as party wall surveyors. Through his calm, sensible approach and excellent communication skills James Crowley, in particular, gained the trust and confidence of the entire team and stakeholders. Looking forward to working with CHP again.”
- Clare Goggin, Jackson Coles
The main protection comes from the Schedule of Condition. Each flat below the development has a documented record of its state before any work begins, so if damage is later alleged it can be checked against the schedule rather than argued from memory or photos taken after the event.
Leaseholders retain their statutory rights to quiet enjoyment and protection from damage, and the occupant liaison surveyor gives them one named person to raise concerns with throughout construction. Planning sits with the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea, which operates one of the strictest planning regimes in London. Rights of light assessments sit outside the planning process but often run in parallel where height affects surrounding properties.
Get in touch.
Head Office
2-6 Boundary Row
London, SE1 8HP
Essex Office
2-6 Boundary Row
London, SE1 8HP
020 3714 4090
Get in touch.
Head Office
2-6 Boundary Row
London, SE1 8HP
Essex Office
2nd Floor, 10 High Street
Wickford, Essex
SS12 9AZ
020 3714 4090
enquiries@chpsurveyors.com
