What we do

The St John’s Wood Society’s planning committee is dedicated to the preservation of the St John’s Wood Conservation Area, an area of special historic and architectural interest immediately recognisable for its distinctive low density townscape with wide tree lined streets. Originally envisaged as an Arcadian suburb, the St John’s Wood Conservation Area today retains its leafy, residential character where trees and shrubs belie the reality of its inner urban location.

Click Here for Map of Conservation Area

Click Here for Schedule of Listed Buildings

Westminster City Council consults us on between 400-500 applications a year. We do not object to reasonable proposals where materials and detailed design take into account and enhance original architectural features, or where the proposals are in proportion to the existing building and streetscape. 

We consider each application on its merits but there are certain aspects of developments to which we pay particular attention. 

Walls, Piers, Railings and Gates

We request that railings are leaded into the coping stone as is traditional to the Conservation Area (see left). We also request that gates are not made of a solid material and articulated as a pair as is traditional rather than as one wide sliding gate.

If your property is a listed building, the boundary wall, railings, gate piers and most other structures within the curtilage (unless constructed after 1948) are also listed, and listed building consent from Westminster City Council is required for any works to them. Planning permission is also required for any new boundary gate, fence or wall, even those under 1 metre high, or material alterations to an existing gate, fence or wall.

If your property is not listed but is situated within the conservation area (most parts of St John’s Wood are), conservation area consent is required from Westminster Council for the demolition of most existing structures and the removal of all or any part of front boundary walls, gates or railings where any part of these exceeds one metre in height.  

For WCC Guidelines click here

Loss of Front Gardens

The front gardens and boundary walls of houses are an important feature of the street scene in St John’s Wood and make a significant contribution to the character of the Conservation Area. Unless there are exceptional reasons, the Society will always object to alterations to the front boundary if they include an application for a crossover which would lead to the loss of a front garden for parking. Often these proposals also result in the loss of one or more resident parking bays which is particularly unacceptable in areas of high demand on street parking. We will also object if the materials used are not compliant with Sustainable urban drainage Systems. 

The Society will object to applications if the proposed works to a front garden will result in the damage to or felling of trees which provide amenity value. The City Council (Tree Section) must be notified six weeks in advance of any pruning or felling works to the trees within a conservation area or to trees protected by Tree Preservation Orders.

The City Council may also seek to remove the permitted development rights for property owners through what is known as an Article 4 Direction and may go further, after local consultation, and resolve that planning permission normally will be refused for the laying out of a hardstanding and alterations to boundary walls. This is the case in Abbey Gardens.

Demolitions

We do not usually object to the demolition of an unlisted building so long as the architecture of the replacement building is of the highest quality and design that will enhance the Conservation Area.

It is a legal requirement that a building in a conservation area may not be demolished until there is a planning consent for its replacement and a building contract in place for its construction. This is to avoid unsightly empty sites within the conservation area. This will be controlled byt the planning process and the Society insists that this is enforced rigorously.

For WCC guidelines click here

Roof Alterations and Extensions

The Society seeks to protect historic roofscapes within the Conservation Area. Roof profiles are fundamental to the architectural character of any building or group of buildings and as such contribute to the character and appearance of the Conservation Area.

We object to oversized dormers or rooflights which are visible from the street and are not sympathetic to the existing building's architectural character and proportions or to the Conservation Area.

Roof clutter such as guard rails, antennae and satellite dishes can harm the character of the area affecting both short and long distance views.

For WCC Guidelines click here

Basements

We do not object to the development of basements under the footprint of the existing house or if there is a modest intrusion into the garden which does not affect mature trees. We object to basement proposals which represent an overdevelopment of the site, are of an excessive scale or if the basement is out of proportion to the existing house. 

We are also concerned with the environmental issues arising from excessive basement developments, in particular the potential damage to trees, the effect on local water table and flooding, the impact of excavating large volumes of earth, the noise from plant and the unsustainability of ventilation and light pollution from the light wells. 

We request that soil depth is at least 1.5m to support the future growth of trees to maturity.

We also request that there is provision to ensure the structural integrity of any adjacent houses during and after construction and that structural engineers submit a statement to Westminster Council which includes details of development phasing, timescales and how they will protect the amenity of neighbours.

Click here for more information

Infill Development 

The Society will object to an application for an infill development where the scale and detailing and proportions of the proposals will have a detrimental impact on the character of the building. Where open gaps between buildings have been blocked and glimpses through to greenery beyond have been lost, the impact of side extensions can be especially harmful to the streetscape. 

 

 

Planning Enforcement

The Planning Committee has also endeavoured to take a more proactive role in enforcement and to this end we should be grateful if members would contact us at stjohnswoodsoc@aol.com to report any breaches to planning control of which you may be aware. We are only as good as the eyes of our members.

Alternatively you can make a complaint directly to the WCC Planning Enforcement on 020 7641 2513

Click here for more information

Christine Cowdray, Planning Officer - Contact via email