Richmond upon Thames planning guide: what the council asks for and the reports that answer it

Richmond's Local Plan, adopted in October 2025

The council's Local Plan page says: "The new Richmond Local Plan and Policies Map was adopted on 7 October 2025." The validation checklist cites the new numbering: Policy 29 and Policy 30 for heritage, Policy 8 for flood risk and Policy 46 for daylight.

Two of those do most of the work on a house extension. The checklist ties the heritage statement to Policy 29 and Policy 30, and asks that it show how the proposal complies with the relevant Conservation Area Appraisal. It ties the daylight assessment to Policy 46.

Alongside the plan sits the House Extensions and External Alterations SPD, adopted in 2015. It is the document officers reach for on side and rear extensions. Our Richmond planning permission page covers drawings for applications in the borough.

Flood zones, basements and the documents they trigger

Policy 8 sets the rule, and the checklist reproduces its table. In Flood Zone 2 and in Flood Zone 3a, "self-contained residential basements and bedrooms at basement level will not be permitted". That is a refusal risk, not a paperwork point, so find the zone before you draw a basement.

For other work, a flood risk assessment is asked for in Flood Zones 2 and 3 (except a change of use from water compatible to less vulnerable in Zone 2). It is also asked for in Zone 1 where there is evidence of surface water, groundwater or sewer flooding, which the council maps in its Strategic Flood Risk Assessment. Sites beside the Thames must account for the line of the tidal defences. Our flood risk assessment covers this, and the Richmond flood page goes into the zones borough-wide.

Basements need more. Any subterranean or basement proposal in the throughflow or groundwater policy zones needs a Basement Assessment, in stages: a screening assessment, then a Basement Impact Assessment if screening finds a possible effect. The BIA is carried out by a chartered professional such as a civil engineer, geologist or hydrogeologist, so we treat it as specialist work and begin with basement feasibility to see whether the idea survives the zones.

Daylight and sunlight: the 25 and 45 degree tests

Richmond's checklist asks for a daylight, sunlight and overshadowing assessment for major schemes and for any proposal that "could have a potential adverse impact on daylight or sunlight levels" at the host building or neighbours, gardens included. It cites Local Plan Policy 46 and says the council expects the method in the BRE guide, "Site layout planning for daylight and sunlight" (2022). A suitably qualified professional prepares it, with diagrams and a plain summary.

The 2015 extensions SPD gives the first screen: extensions "should pass the BRE assessments which include the 25 degree and 45 degree tests". Both can be drawn on your own section and plan before any report is bought. If a simple extension passes, you may need no assessment; if it fails, the officer will expect one.

That is the honest order: draw the tests, then decide. Our daylight and sunlight report is prepared by our own team from your drawings.

Party wall

The Party Wall etc. Act 1996 is national law, and Richmond's terraces and semis mean many extensions touch a shared wall or sit close to a neighbour's foundations. It runs separately from planning: a permission does not give you the right to build on a shared wall.

Our party wall services page tells you for free whether the Act applies, then covers the notice and the record of condition.

Construction management plans and Richmond's template

The checklist is clear that a construction management plan is needed for "any basement and subterranean developments (including householders)", and for major schemes, confined sites and big excavations. The council wants its own pro-forma: a Construction Management Plan guidance and template dated July 2021.

The guidance warns that wording must be precise: vague phrases such as "generally" or "likely to be" are grounds for rejection, and an approved plan becomes an enforceable condition. Our construction management plan service writes to that format.

Other reports Richmond's list can ask for

Part 2 of the checklist also names, beyond those above: a structural impact assessment for listed buildings and basements, an archaeological assessment in archaeological priority areas, an arboricultural impact assessment with a tree survey and draft protection plan, fire safety information, a drainage strategy with SuDS, noise and lighting assessments, ecology reports, and a statement on use of residential outbuildings or granny annexes.

Most apply only on triggers. A tree survey is needed where a tree is close to the works, and a planning constraints report is the quickest way to learn which triggers your address meets.