Policy information sourced from Hammersmith & Fulham Planning Guidance
BL3 Front lightwells
Where a new front lightwell is acceptable in policy, it should be as discreet as possible, and allow the scale, character and appearance of the property, street or terrace to remain largely unchanged.The design of any basement elevation, in its form and fenestration [and in particular the material, opening style and subdivision of any fenestration], should relate to the design of the ground floor elevation.
The following key points should be considered when creating a front lightwell:
- The excavation should retain a significant amount of accessible and usable planting area at ground level.
- Fences, glazed screens or vertical railings to surround the lightwell should be avoided, as they draw attention to the change, and would look cluttered especially if there are differing styles. It would be acceptable however, to put a railing from the front to back adjacent to the garden path in order to give protection.
- In the case of splay bay and square bay windows, the lightwell should follow the shape of the bay window on the ground floor.
- In the case of a flat fronted property the excavation should be no wider than the outer edge of the window or windows in the ground floor elevation.
- All excavations should not exceed 800mm from front to back
- A horizontal metal grille flush with the surface of the garden should be used to achieve such protection over the excavation
- Where a lightwell is used as a means of escape, a ladder will also need to be provided to affect the escape arrangements from the basement.
For more information please see the Hammersmith & Fulham Planning Guidance