Politics · United Kingdom · 3 hrs ago
Notting Hill council rejects homeowner’s £500,000 extension plan
Dr Michael Young wants to replace the rooftop terrace at his Notting Hill home with a three-storey extension costing £500,000.
The extension would be built off-site and assembled at the property.
Young says it would provide more privacy than the open terrace.
He previously fought the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council over a wooden privacy screen on his roof.
In May, the Planning Inspectorate ruled in his favour in that dispute, which he says cost almost £10,000.
The council’s planning committee rejected the extension proposal by four votes to one, saying its height, bulk and position would make it overly dominant and could harm neighbours’ living conditions.
Young says the refusal is not justified and has instructed his planning consultant to appeal.
Kensington and Chelsea councillors rejected Dr Michael Young’s plan for a £500,000 extension to his Notting Hill home by four votes to one.
Young plans to appeal the decision, saying the council’s refusal was not justified.
The proposed extension would replace the home’s open terrace with a private structure.
The council said the design would be overly dominant and unsympathetic and would fail to protect neighbours’ living conditions.
The rejection follows a separate dispute over a rooftop privacy screen, in which a planning inspector ruled in Young’s favour in May.
- Who
- Dr Michael Young, the homeowner, and the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council.
- What
- Councillors rejected Young’s proposed £500,000 extension. Young plans to appeal.
- When
- Councillors voted on Tuesday, October 6; the council published its report on Thursday. The article was published on October 11, 2026.
- Where
- Young’s home in Notting Hill, London.
- Why
- The council said the extension’s positioning, height, bulk and form would make it overly dominant and unsympathetic and harm neighbouring living conditions.
Dr Michael Young
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council
Planning decision
Dr Michael Young
Young said the refusal was not justified and that the proposal deserved a proper and impartial examination.
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council
The council rejected the plan, saying the design would be overly dominant and unsympathetic and would fail to protect neighbouring living conditions.
Design and impact
Dr Michael Young
Young said the structure would provide more privacy than the existing open terrace and would not be an overlooking terrace.
Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea Council
The council said the proposal’s prominent position, excessive height and bulk, and atypical form would harm the area and neighbours’ living conditions.
The scheme deserves a proper and impartial examination, and I intend to pursue the appeal that will give it one.
We all walk around the borough and look at buildings and say: who on Earth gave that planning permission?
The proposed development would appear overly dominant and unsympathetic by virtue of its prominent and uncharacteristic positioning, excessive height and bulk and atypical form.
It's a much more private structure than it is at present with the open terrace.
Young said the council approved his rooftop screen in each of these years.
The council ordered Young to remove the screen, leading to a planning dispute.
The Planning Inspectorate ruled in Young’s favour over the screen.
Young sought permission to replace the screen with a three-storey extension costing £500,000.
Four councillors voted against the extension plan and one voted in favour.
The council’s report setting out reasons for rejecting the plan was released on Thursday.
- Homeowner
- Dr Michael Young
- Property location
- Notting Hill
- Proposed extension cost
- £500,000
- Council vote
- 4 against; 1 in favour
- Home value
- £1.2 million
- Appeal
- Young said he would appeal the decision
Sources
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