Policy information sourced from the Kensington and Chelsea Local Plan
CL1 Context and Character
The Council will require all development to respect the existing context, character and appearance, taking opportunities available to improve the quality and character of buildings and the area and the way it functions, including being inclusive for all.
To deliver this the Council will:
- require development to contribute positively to the townscape through the architecture and urban form, addressing matters such as scale, height, bulk, mass, proportion, plot width, building lines, street form, rhythm, roofscape, materials and historic fabric as well as vistas, views, gaps, and open space;
- require development to respond to the local context;
- require the density of development to be optimised, sensitive to context;
- require riverside and canalside development to enhance the waterside character and setting, including opening up views and securing access to the waterway;
- require development within the Thames Policy Area to protect and improve the strategic importance and iconic role that the Thames plays in London;
- require a comprehensive approach to site layout and design including adjacent sites where these are suitable for redevelopment, resisting schemes which prejudice future development potential and/or quality;
- require the development of backland sites to ensure vehicular and pedestrian access is properly integrated into the surrounding street network and that the scale and massing respect the hierarchy of the existing urban block so as to enhance the character of the area;
- ensure that, in carrying out alterations and extensions, the characteristics of the type of building, such as mews, terrace or mansion block, is preserved and enhanced;
- resist the demolition of, and inappropriate alterations and extensions to, artists’ studios.
For more information please see the Kensington and Chelsea Local Plan