House renovation
and refurbishment
in St John's Wood, NW8

The 2008 conservation area audit is plain about roofs. It finds roof extensions in many cases unlikely to be acceptable in St John's Wood because of the damage they would do to the roof profile, and says the distinctive, individual character of the buildings leaves very few that could take a full additional storey. Under City Plan Policy 45 a roof extension can be acceptable in principle if it has no adverse impact on heritage assets, and a terrace whose roofline is still intact should be treated as a whole, with roof additions of one consistent design.

Repairs count too. When a roof is stripped, the audit wants as much of the original covering as possible put back, preferably on the slopes that can be seen, with matching new material on the others.

At the front, boundaries are most often painted stucco or brick walls with tall gate piers topped by simple slab or pyramidal caps. To the side, the audit singles out extensions that closed the open gaps between houses and lost the glimpses of greenery beyond as especially harmful.

Some addresses carry extra control. Westminster's 2004 mini guide sets out an Article 4 direction for Nos. 1-47 (odd) and 2-56 (even) Abbey Gardens covering development that affects the street-facing exterior, new or altered buildings and enclosures, exterior painting other than doors, and satellite dishes.

Sources: Westminster City Council: St John's Wood Conservation Area Audit SPD, Westminster City Plan 2019-2040 (2026, adopted January 2026), Westminster City Council: St John's Wood conservation area mini guide

Westminster's 2008 audit already noted a trend for subterranean extensions under St John's Wood gardens, and it asks that any below-ground work takes account of existing trees and leaves room for new ones to grow.

Basement development lost its permitted development rights everywhere in Westminster on 31 July 2016, when a city-wide Article 4 direction took effect, so a new or enlarged basement cannot rely on permitted development rights. The City Plan's preferred form is one storey beneath the lowest original floor level, roughly 2.7m from floor to ceiling, though it accepts that a large site able to hold plant and machinery, with suitable access for building without harming the neighbours, could be an exception.

Policy 50 asks that a basement's lightwells, skylights, vents, plant and escape routes are designed with sensitivity and sited discreetly. In a listed house the basement should leave the original order of rooms in balance where that order contributes to the building's significance. A structural methodology statement is required for any basement, and the application should carry a signed Appendix A of the Code of Construction Practice.

In Westminster's construction code, a job that is not Level 1 or Level 2 but builds or extends a basement of any size is a Level 3 project, and Level 3 means a Construction Management Plan.

Sources: Westminster City Council: St John's Wood Conservation Area Audit SPD, Westminster City Council: Article 4 Directions in Westminster, Westminster City Plan 2019-2040 (2026, adopted January 2026), Westminster City Council: Code of Construction Practice (May 2026)

I would like to thank Ross and his team for their consistent commitment to quality and their unerring reliability.

We have worked with Ross and his company many times. They are extremely professional and hardworking individuals who can work under any circumstances. There was no variation to the works.