UK district wins bid to limit basement sizes

London

THE Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea won backing from the UK government to limit the size of basement extensions after a boom in construction projects by wealthy property buyers sparked complaints.

Basements will be limited to 50 per cent of the length of a property's back yard, down from 85 per cent, under the plan, which will be formally adopted on Jan 21, the district said. In most cases, basements will be restricted to a single level and reconstruction under historically protected buildings will be banned.