Hammersmith & Fulham Planning Consultant
Riverside terraces to White City towers
Hammersmith and Fulham runs from the Old Oak railway lands in the north to the Thames at Sands End, taking in 44 conservation areas and several large regeneration areas on the way. Cedar Planning prepares applications and advice written around the borough's own Local Plan, not a generic London template.
Dan Malloy MRTPI leads every instruction. Cedar is a Norfolk practice that works across England, London included, dealing with the council and the Planning Inspectorate directly and visiting West London sites when a project needs it.
- RTPI Chartered
- Fixed-fee quotations
- Direct advice from a Chartered Planner
The 2018 Local Plan and the replacement now in preparation
Applications in the borough are decided mainly against the Hammersmith and Fulham Local Plan, adopted on 28 February 2018. It replaced the 2011 Core Strategy and the 2013 Development Management Local Plan, and it was adopted alongside a Planning Guidance SPD that sets out the detailed standards on housing, basements, lightwells, shopfronts and conservation.
A replacement plan looking ahead to 2042 is being prepared. The first draft went out for Regulation 18 consultation between 29 October and 10 December 2025 and drew 667 representations. A council update in February 2026 set out a Regulation 19 consultation in summer 2026, submission in December 2026 and adoption targeted for late 2027.
The draft signals a tougher line in some areas, including a proposed 50 per cent affordable housing target and a longer marketing period, up from 12 to 24 months, before office space can be lost. Until the new plan is examined, it carries limited weight, so the 2018 policies still decide most cases.
The far north of the borough is different. Land around Old Oak and Wormwood Scrubs falls within the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation, which is the planning authority there and adopted its own Local Plan in June 2022. Checking which body decides your site is the first step.
Basements need full permission everywhere
A borough-wide Article 4 Direction, in force since 26 April 2018, removes permitted development rights for basement excavation across the whole borough apart from the OPDC area. Any new basement or lightwell is therefore tested against Policy DC11 and the Planning Guidance SPD, including construction impact and drainage.
Planning pressures particular to Hammersmith & Fulham
Policy DC3 resists tall buildings that harm the skyline, while pointing to regeneration areas such as White City, Earls Court and West Kensington, and South Fulham Riverside as the places where height may be considered.
The council consulted in winter 2024 to 2025 on an Article 4 Direction covering 44 retail and employment locations, with a proposed start date of 5 December 2025, so Class MA conversions need checking site by site.
Land along the Thames at Fulham, Sands End and Hammersmith is at tidal flood risk behind the river defences, which shapes basements, ground floor bedrooms and sequential test work.
Old Oak sits under the OPDC rather than the borough, with different policies, a different policies map and its own pre-application service.
What we prepare for Hammersmith & Fulham sites
Each job is priced as a fixed-fee quotation once we have seen the site and the brief. These are the areas of work most relevant to the borough.
Planning Applications
Full applications for infill homes, mansards, mixed-use schemes and changes of use, argued against Policies DC1, DC2 and HO4 and the relevant London Plan tests.
View serviceHeritage Statements
Assessments for listed buildings and conservation areas such as The Mall, Parsons Green, Barons Court and Walham Green, tied to Policy DC8 and the local appraisal.
View serviceHouseholder Applications
Rear, side and roof extensions to Fulham and Brook Green terraces, prepared with Policy DC4 on alterations and extensions and neighbour amenity in mind.
View serviceClass MA Prior Approval
Checking whether an Article 4 Direction covers your shop or office, then either a prior approval submission or a full application with a policy case.
View serviceLawful Development Certificates
Certificates for long-standing flat conversions and uses, and for proposed works that remain permitted development once the basement direction is taken into account.
View serviceLocal Plan Representations
Written representations on the new Local Plan for landowners and developers, including site promotion and comments on draft affordable housing and office policies.
View serviceThe policies behind most decisions in the borough
The design and conservation chapter of the 2018 plan does most of the work on smaller schemes. Policy DC1 asks for a high quality urban environment that respects townscape context, DC2 covers new buildings, DC4 alterations and extensions, DC6 replacement windows, DC7 views and landmarks and DC8 heritage and conservation. Housing proposals also meet HO3 on affordable housing, HO4 on quality and density and HO11, which Inspectors have applied to protect neighbours' outlook.
From the London Plan 2021, the policies that come up most here are D9 on tall buildings, D10 on basements, HC1 on heritage, HC3 on strategic views, SI 12 on flood risk and SD1 on Opportunity Areas, which covers White City and Old Oak. The borough has also adopted a Climate Change SPD (October 2023).
The council has charged its own Community Infrastructure Levy since 1 September 2015, in addition to the Mayoral CIL. Larger schemes also carry section 106 obligations, typically covering affordable housing and transport.
Key policy areas we navigate
Depth, extent, construction management, drainage and trees, all assessed in full because the permitted development route is closed.
Height is judged against local townscape analysis and London Plan criteria, with most streets outside the regeneration areas unsuited to it.
Around 500 listed buildings and 44 conservation areas mean heritage significance is a live issue on a large share of sites.
Outlook, privacy and daylight for adjoining homes, often decisive on infill and rear extensions in tight terraces.
A Consultancy That Works With You, For You
The borough's rules change sharply over short distances. A house in the Olympia and Avonmore conservation area, a warehouse near White City and a plot inside the OPDC boundary each sit under a different mix of policy, and an early review saves drawings being redone.
Advice is also worth having while the new Local Plan moves towards examination, because landowners who want to influence allocations or draft policies need to make representations at the right stage.
RTPI Chartered
Led by a Chartered member of the Royal Town Planning Institute with more than ten years of public and private-sector planning experience.
Honest Prospects
A realistic view of the planning risks and options before you commit time or money.
Fixed, Transparent Fees
Fixed-fee quotations agreed before work starts, so you know the cost from the outset.
Direct Access
You deal with the Chartered Planner doing the work, not an account manager.
Planning Consultants Across London
We cover every council area in London. See our main London planning consultants page.
Hammersmith & Fulham Planning FAQs
Can I dig a basement under my Fulham house without planning permission?
No. The borough-wide Article 4 Direction in force since April 2018 means every basement needs planning permission, outside the OPDC area. The council applies Policy DC11 and the Planning Guidance SPD, looking at the extent of excavation, construction impact, drainage and the effect on garden trees.
Who decides applications near Old Oak and Wormwood Scrubs?
Within the Old Oak and Park Royal Development Corporation boundary, the OPDC is the local planning authority and its 2022 Local Plan applies. Outside it, the borough decides. The boundary is shown on both policies maps, and we confirm it at the outset of any instruction.
How much weight does the new H&F Local Plan carry yet?
Limited. The first draft was consulted on in late 2025 and the council aimed to consult on a submission version in summer 2026. Weight grows as a plan advances and unresolved objections fall away, so the 2018 plan remains the main test for now.
Is Class MA still available for an office in Hammersmith?
It depends on the address. The council has pursued an Article 4 Direction covering 44 retail and employment locations. If your building falls within one, a full application is needed. Our London Class MA case study shows how these cases are approached.
Do I need a heritage statement for work in a conservation area?
For most applications affecting a conservation area or listed building, yes. The council expects the significance of the asset and the effect of the works to be explained, and with 44 conservation areas that covers a large part of the borough.
Do you visit sites in Hammersmith & Fulham?
Yes, when a site visit adds value. Cedar works across England from Norfolk, and many West London instructions start with a desktop review of planning history and constraints before a visit is arranged.
Get a Free Quote
Tell us what you are trying to achieve and where the property or site is. We will give you an initial view and a fixed-fee quote.
Or email us at info@cedarplanning.co.uk with the relevant information.
Planning a basement, extension or conversion in Hammersmith or Fulham? Book a free 15-minute call, or read about heritage statements and design and access statements in London.