The Forum is in the process of updating the 2018 neighbourhood plan for the neighbourhood area, as adopted by RBKC in 2018.  The statutory ‘pre-submission consultation’ on the revised Draft Plan took place from July 8th to September 8th.  We are dropping the redundant ‘and Woodlands’ part of the title of the document as agreed at our AGM in 2024.

Some 40 consultation responses came in from local residents.  RBKC planning officers also sent in some comments.  We are now in the process of revising the draft version prior to its fornal submission to the Council for independent examination.  RBKC will then carry out a further 6 week consultation on this draft.  If all goes well, the new version of the plan for 2026-40 should become part of the statutory development plan for Kensingfon and Chelsea early in 2027.

Meanhile the Forum continues to be involved in planning and development proposals wwhich iimpact on this part of North Kensington.  See recent posts on the right hand side of this page.

The back story to the Forum and its neighbourhood plan is as follows:

The St Quintin and Woodlands Neighbourhood Forum was established in 2013 and went on to prepare a Neighbourhood Plan  for the part of North Kensington shown in the map below.

The local referendum on the Plan was held on February 25th 2016. The plan was supported by 92% of the electorate in the area, on a 23% turnout.  RB Kensington and Chelsea has since that date used the policies in the StQW Plan when deciding planning applications in the defined neighbourhood area.

If you are submitting a planning application, or are an architect working on an application in the StQW neighbourhood, you need to check the policies in the 2018 Plan.  A copy can be downloaded from the RBKC website.

The updated RBKC Local Plan adopted in 2024 endorses the neighbourhood-level policies in our Plan, in relation to housing sites, variations to Borough-wide policies for conservation, and bespoke policies for Latimer Road .  The Neighbourhood Plan also designates three Local Green Spaces..

The RBKC website has information on the StQW Plan.  This includes all the supporting documents which were required for the independent examination of the Draft Plan in 2016 (the Consultation Statement and Basic Conditions Statement).

There are around 23 adopted neighbourhood plans in areas across London.  Neighbourhood plans are have long been part of the day to day decision making on new development in these parts of the city.

Across England, there are over 1,800 neighbourhood plans which have been successful at referendum and are in force.  These plans are less common in big cities as compared to areas with parish councils.

Please contact us at sthelensassn@aol.com if you would like more background, or if you live or work in the neighbourhood and would like to join the StQW Forum and St Helens Residents Association.  Membership is free.

We meet a few times at sessions open to all at St Helens Church Hall or sometimes on Zoom, and a monthly newsletter is circulated to members.