Development plan
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Thank you for contacting the RBKC Planning department.
You can search, view and comment on applications using the Planning Applications Search on the council's website. The service is updated regularly, and key milestones and target dates are shown under "Proposal Details".
If you have submitted an application that is still within its statutory determination period, or an agreed extension of time, a progress update may not yet be available. If you need to speak to the planning officer dealing with your application, you can email them directly. Their contact details can be found in:
- your planning application acknowledgement letter
- any emails or letters about your application
For more information about planning applications, planning guidance, planning enforcement and other planning services, visit planning and building control.
Planning advice for your business or property is also available through our pre-application advice.
New arrangement for planning decisions from 31 October
The National Scheme of Delegation comes into force on 31 October 2026. The scheme changes the arrangements for deciding which planning applications can be determined by planning officers and which are referred to Planning Committee.
Following Full Council on 21 October 2026, the Council’s Constitution has been updated to reflect the new arrangements.
We have published further information explaining how the process will work in RBKC, including the role of ward councillors, the Gateway process and our new Member Representation Meeting.
Development plan documents
Development plan documents are those documents which equate most closely to the Royal Borough's current Unitary Development Plan and will be given the greatest weight when determining planning applications.
Given their importance, development plan documents will be subject to rigorous procedures involving community involvement and formal testing through an independent examination. They will be adopted by the Council after receipt of the Inspector's binding report.
Development plan documents may include:
Our core strategy
This will set out the vision, objectives and spatial strategy for the Royal Borough. It is likely to include a requirement for new housing derived from the London Plan as well as other strategic development needs such as employment, retail, leisure and community uses and transport development. All of the Council's other development plan documents must be in conformity with this core strategy.
Site specific allocations of land
These will include allocations for specific uses on specific sites within the borough
Generic development control policies
These are a limited suite of policies which will be in accordance with the Core Strategy. These policies will set out the criteria against which planning applications will be considered.
Development plan documents may include a proposals map.
Last updated: 29 November 2019