The external shell of the new basement under this Grade II* listed building in Central London was completed this month. We achieved planning approval in late 2014 after working closely with the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea planning department. We faced the challenge of extending the house without compromising the existing façade or breaching the existing height – the only way was down.
Whereas most of London’s houses sit on modest plots of land with strict rules on the height of properties, it comes as no surprise that basements are rapidly becoming popular. The BBC documentary ‘Millionaire Basement wars’, shown in April 2015, listened to the views of builders, owners and neighbours on this growing phenomenon. They claim 2000 basements have been dug in the past 10 years in Central London alone, removing three million tonnes of soil. While disruptive at the dig stage, could this be a more discreet answer to expanding property, at the same time preserving our streets and houses above ground?
