Underground garages and car galleries in London

What the boroughs allow

All three prime central boroughs limit a basement to one storey and 50% of the garden. A London gallery is therefore one level, not a stack of levels.

Wider plots in Holland Park, Hampstead, Highgate and St John's Wood give the most room. Westminster's exception for large sites and Camden's for comprehensively planned sites are the routes to anything bigger. Our planning permission guide sets out each policy in full.

Kensington and Chelsea: Policy CL7

CL7 limits a basement to one storey, with exceptions possible on large sites. It may extend under no more than 50% of each garden, with the rest left as one area. It was adopted in January 2015 and replaced an 85% limit.

The policy followed a rise in basement applications, from 180 in 2010 to 393 in 2014. Basements under listed buildings are restricted, so a gallery for a listed house usually sits under the garden.

Westminster: Policy 45

Westminster's City Plan Policy 45 covers Mayfair, Belgravia and St John's Wood, among other areas. A basement may extend under no more than 50% of garden land. Where the garden is 8m deep or less, the limit is 4m from the building.

It may be no more than one storey below the lowest original floor, unless the site is large and has good construction access. At least 1m of soil plus a 200mm drainage layer must sit on top. A basement may run no more than 1.8m under the highway.

Camden: Policy A5

Camden's Policy A5 covers Hampstead, Highgate and parts of St John's Wood and Belsize. A basement may be no more than one storey, under no more than 50% of each garden and 50% of its depth.

Camden counts driveways and paved areas as garden. In one Hampstead pre-application case, an existing garage footprint was counted as garden and pushed a basement garage over the limit. The policy is under review at the current Local Plan examination.

Getting the car in: forecourts, mews and lids

London plots rarely have the length for a long ramp, so most London galleries are reached by a car lift. A flush lid can sit in a forecourt or in mews cobbles and shows nothing when closed. Our residential car lift guide explains how a drive-through lift works.

A turntable at the top or bottom solves a tight turn. Every BELOW gallery is planned with an independent second route out, normally a drive-out ramp. On a tight London plot, fitting it is part of the feasibility work.

Precedent: a car lift under a South Kensington road

Kensington and Chelsea granted planning permission and listed building consent for a two-car pop-up car lift at Thurloe Place. It sits beneath the road, with a turntable at ground level. Neighbours challenged it in the High Court, and the court rejected their bid to quash it.

Neighbours, ground and construction

London basements are built close to neighbours. Councils ask for evidence on structural stability, flooding and heritage, and a Construction Management Plan for lorries, noise and working hours. Party wall matters run alongside.

A site investigation comes first, because the ground and the water table set the structure. Our underground garage cost guide explains how depth, ground and access drive the budget.

Who builds a BELOW gallery in London

Every gallery is delivered with a hand-picked team of structural and geotechnical engineers, architects, lift specialists and specialist groundworkers. One BELOW project director leads it from first sketch to handover.

Where the house already has an architect, we work within their design. London remains one of the world's largest concentrations of private wealth.