Borough Report

Richmond upon Thames

248 determined applications · 18 wards · 8 areas · 85 conservation areas · 2023–2025

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Headline findings

21%
Refusal rate
53 of 248 decided — among London’s lowest
Verified
−46%
Committee cliff
Per-unit residual drops at 7+ unit committee threshold
Verified
1+
Universal AH
Sliding scale 5%–45% from just 1 unit
Verified
85
Conservation areas
Most in any London borough — heritage-saturated
Verified

Key findings

Verified The 6-unit sweet spot: £188k/unit residual, delegated, zero committee exposure ›
Six units delivers the highest per-unit residual land value (£188,000) with delegated determination. At 7+ units, committee referral adds £8,800/unit in finance costs (1.5-year programme vs 1.0-year delegated), and the per-unit residual drops 46% to £102,000. Richmond’s £550k average GDV supports strong residuals despite high input costs.
Verified Universal AH from 1 unit: sliding scale 5%–45% changes every bid ›
Richmond is one of only two London boroughs (alongside Southwark) that requires affordable housing contributions on ALL schemes from 1 unit upward. Policy 11 applies a sliding scale: 5% for 1 unit (new-build), rising to 45% for 9 units. Conversions attract a lower scale (4%–36%). This must be factored into every land bid from the outset.
Verified 21% refusal rate — London’s most permissive small-site environment, zero appeals ›
Only 53 of 248 decided applications are refused — the lowest rate in our dataset. Zero appeals were lodged. The low refusal rate reflects high GDV (developers can afford quality design) and a heritage-conscious built environment where applications are pre-filtered by design sensitivity. n=248.
Verified 85 conservation areas — heritage is the dominant design constraint (p=0.023) ›
Richmond has more conservation areas than any other London borough. 44% of all applications touch heritage constraints. CA sites achieve 41% lower density than non-CA sites (median 69.1 vs 49.0 units/1000 sqm). The effect is statistically significant (p=0.023, Mann-Whitney U). Plus 7,000+ Buildings of Townscape Merit. Heritage design quality is non-negotiable.
Verified Policy 2: new refurbishment presumption changes demolition viability ›
Richmond’s new Local Plan (adopted October 2025) introduces Policy 2 — a presumption in favour of refurbishment over demolition. Demolition-and-replacement schemes must now prove retention is unfeasible. This adds a design and viability hurdle that did not exist under the previous plan. Factor into site appraisals for any demolition-led scheme.
Verified Density does not predict refusal — heritage design quality is the mechanism ›
Borough-wide, proposing more units does NOT increase refusal risk. Refused applications propose similar densities to approved ones. Refusals are driven by heritage sensitivity, design quality, and amenity impact. The practical takeaway: propose aggressively at the P75 benchmark in heritage-appropriate design. n=248.
Verified CIL costs among London’s highest: up to £504/m² combined (indexed) ›
Zone 1 (Barnes, Kew, Richmond, Twickenham, East Sheen): £250/m² borough base + £80 MCIL2 = ~£504/m² indexed in 2025. Zone 2 (Teddington, Hampton, Whitton): £190/m² + £80 = ~£406/m² indexed. These are among the highest combined CIL costs in London.

Plus additional findings covering density benchmarks by site type, ward-level patterns, determination time analysis, conversion vs new-build economics, and PTAL-adjusted density. Each graded Robust, Moderate, Indicative, or Anecdotal.

What you get

The full report

  • 52-page report (HTML & PDF) with 21+ evidence-graded findings
  • Density matrix by site type with P20–P75 ranges
  • PTAL-adjusted density lookup table
  • Viability model with cliff chart and sensitivity analysis
  • Ward-level and area-level approval rate maps
  • Refusal reason analysis with frequency data
  • Conservation area risk assessment (85 CAs)
  • Heritage sensitivity analysis (7,000+ BTMs)

Richmond-specific insights

  • Universal AH sliding scale from 1 unit (Policy 11)
  • Policy 2 refurbishment presumption impact analysis
  • Heritage saturation: 85 CAs + 7,000 BTMs quantified
  • Conservation area as dominant constraint (p=0.023)
  • 2-zone CIL: up to £504/m² combined (indexed)

Decision tools

  • Before-you-bid and before-you-submit checklists
  • One-page Market Snapshot for quick reference
  • Underlying data in Excel for your own analysis

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