Legal powers will be used by Westminster City Council to halt the “underground epidemic” of mega-basements across central London.
Alongside new policies to limit the size and depth of basement construction, the council will use powers to ensure all basement-to-homes applications are considered through the planning process.
Currently, this can be done without the need of planning permissions and under permitted development rights.
The decision comes days after neighbouring Kensington & Chelsea successfully defended its policy on basement developments - known as 'iceberg homes'.
Cllr Robert Davis, deputy leader of the council, said: “Our residents have been facing an underground epidemic on their quiet residential streets, and I want to help stop the horror stories of people living next to mega-basement construction.
“All basements will now go before the council’s planning department, allowing neighbours and local communities to have their say and for developers to demonstrate they will not cause undue harm to neighbours or the character of the area.”
It follows the council’s revision to Westminster’s City Plan - the document that governs planning matters in the City.
The Basement Revision provides a policy framework for determining planning applications for basement development, and Westminster is proposing to limit basements to a single storey except in ‘exceptional circumstances’, introduce a measure to limit extent of basements to 50% of site area, and bring forward a new code of construction service to manage impacts on neighbours.
Earlier this year, Labour member of the council called for tighter restrictions on how far homeowners could extend underground.
It came as Britain's wealthiest woman, Kirsty Bertarelli, upset neighbours with her plans for a two-storey mega-basment in Belgravia.
The publication draft documents for the Basement Revision, and supporting documents can be viewed or downloaded at www.westminster.gov.uk/revision-westminsters-city-plan.
