Islington Council planning guide: what the council asks for, and which report answers it

What Islington's Local Plan says about basements and heritage

Islington's Local Plan was adopted on 28 September 2023 and has three parts: the Strategic and Development Management Policies, Site Allocations, and the Bunhill and Clerkenwell Area Action Plan. The first is the one household projects meet. Our Islington planning permission page covers drawings for applications in the borough.

Policy DH4 is the basement policy, and it is written as limits. A residential basement “must cumulatively occupy less than 50% of the original garden and/or unbuilt area”, must not involve no more than one storey of excavation below the original habitable floor level, and a height that “must not exceed 3m floor to ceiling height”. The policy also says applicants “must provide evidence of the impact of basement development in the form of a Structural Method Statement”.

Policy DH2 covers heritage assets. Read together with the borough's conservation area pages, they explain why a modest extension to a house on a conservation-area street is judged on how it sits against its neighbours.

Flood zones and drainage

Islington's list has no stand-alone flood risk assessment row for household work. Its only mention is in the drainage rows, where major developments must submit a Surface Water Drainage Pro-forma, and the text says this should refer to a site-specific Flood Risk Assessment “if one is required”.

For a house, the flood question is answered by the address and the Environment Agency map rather than by a council threshold, and the basement policy covers groundwater and water conditions. A planning constraints report shows the flood zone for your address. If it shows risk, a flood risk assessment is the document to ask the case officer about before you submit.

Daylight and sunlight

Islington asks for a daylight and sunlight assessment for all new major residential development and for proposals where there may be a potential adverse impact on the sunlight or daylight enjoyed by adjoining properties, including gardens and amenity space. The list names the Building Research Establishment guide, “Site layout planning for daylight and sunlight”, citing its 2021 edition.

A tall rear addition beside a neighbour's window can reach that test, even on a small scheme. Where it might, a daylight and sunlight report is prepared from your drawings by our own team.

Party wall, builder's reports and the construction management plan

Terraced houses make party wall notices common in Islington, and a basement beside a neighbour makes them near certain. The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 is national law that runs alongside planning, and our party wall services guide explains the notices.

The list asks for a construction management plan on major applications, on any other site which may cause disruption during construction, and on applications with basement development. It points to the council's Code of Practice for Construction Sites (2018) and a CMP pro forma. Basement applications also need a Structural Method Statement signed by a Chartered Civil Engineer or Chartered Structural Engineer. Our construction management plan page explains the plan, and a basement feasibility visit comes before drawings.

Other reports Islington's list can ask for

The reports section runs from archaeology and a Design and Access Statement to biodiversity, tree surveys, noise, ventilation and sustainable design. Householder applications are listed as exempt from mandatory Biodiversity Net Gain, though a statement explaining the exemption is needed if the scheme claims one.

A Community Infrastructure Levy information form is needed for applications that may be liable, and our CIL form preparation covers it. For a modest house project the Design and Access Statement is the document most often needed, and our design and access statement page covers it.