Party Wall Surveyor Richmond: How to Request Quotes

Planning a basement, rear extension or loft conversion in the London Borough of Richmond upon Thames, or responding to a neighbour’s work? A Party Wall surveyor may be needed under the Party Wall etc. Act 1996, and that work can involve notices, a schedule of condition and an award. A new basement beneath a house here also needs planning permission, which is a separate requirement from the Act. FindTheSurveyor is a marketplace, not a surveying practice: it does not inspect the property or act as a surveyor under the Act.

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Which Richmond projects usually involve the Party Wall Act

Rear extensions, loft conversions and chimney breast removals are common notifiable works in the borough, alongside basement projects. Terraced and semi-detached houses share flank walls with the house next door, and houses of all kinds outnumber flats in Richmond upon Thames.

At Census 2021 the borough had 80,705 households. Of these, 21,431 lived in a terraced house, 20,164 in a semi-detached house and 6,683 in a detached house, against 22,721 in a purpose-built block of flats.

Richmond upon Thames also determined 1,362 householder development decisions in the year ending March 2026. A planning decision, like the housing figures, does not tell you whether the Act applies to your own project. That turns on the proposed work and how it relates to the neighbouring building. The party wall notice guide explains which notice applies to which work and how far ahead it must be served, and the Party Wall surveyor guide explains when a surveyor may be needed.

A separate guide covers Party Wall surveyors for Twickenham properties, and the Party Wall surveyor south London guide covers the wider position south of the river.

Do Richmond basements need planning permission?

Yes, for a new basement beneath a house, anywhere in the borough. Two Article 4 directions, both sealed on 28 February 2017 and both in force from 1 April 2018, together cover the whole of Richmond upon Thames. One applies to the areas at greatest flood hazard and the other to everywhere else. They withdraw permitted development rights under Class A of Part 1 for the formation of basements, light wells, cellars or any other type of usable space beneath a private dwellinghouse. The borough’s adopted Local Plan confirms the position. Other householder permitted development rights are not withdrawn borough-wide by these directions.

Planning permission and the Act are separate requirements. Planning permission does not remove the need to serve notice, and serving notice does not grant planning permission.

What Richmond’s basement policy asks a scheme to show

The Richmond Local Plan 2024 to 2039 was adopted on 7 October 2025. It supersedes the 2018 Local Plan and the 2013 Twickenham Area Action Plan.

Its Policy 54, Basements and Subterranean Developments, resists basement development of more than one storey below existing ground level at residential properties or those previously in residential use. The plan describes a single storey as one that cannot later be subdivided into additional floors, roughly 2.7 metres floor to ceiling. Among its other requirements, a scheme must:

safeguard the structural stability of the existing building, neighbouring buildings and other infrastructure;
include a Structural Impact Assessment where a basement is added to or adjacent to a listed building;
keep within a maximum of 50 per cent of existing garden land;
leave at least one metre of permeable soil, plus a drainage layer, above any basement beneath a garden;
go through flood risk screening, which can lead to a Basement Impact Assessment; and
provide a Construction Management Plan.

The structural stability test is where planning and Party Wall work meet. A surveyor’s award commonly deals with related matters, such as the condition of the neighbouring building before work, the manner of executing the work and protection against damage. It does so under a different statute and by a different route.

So include in your request what already exists: drawings, a Basement Impact Assessment, a Structural Impact Assessment or a Construction Management Plan. Say too whether your property, or the building beside it, is listed or in a conservation area. The council states that there are 85 conservation areas in the borough, where further controls apply.

What a Party Wall surveyor’s fee covers

A quote should explain who would appoint the surveyor and what work the fee includes. Depending on the project, that may involve:

reviewing drawings and notices;
inspections;
a schedule of condition;
preparing an award;
liaison with another surveyor; and
later visits.

The Party Wall surveyor cost guide explains the factors that can affect the proposed fee.

How to request Party Wall quotes for a Richmond property

Send with your request:

the full property address;
whether you are carrying out the work or responding to a neighbour’s work;
whether the property is terraced, semi-detached, detached or a flat;
a clear description of the proposed construction;
whether a basement, light well or cellar is proposed, and its depth;
whether the property is listed or lies in a conservation area;
whether a Basement Impact Assessment or Structural Impact Assessment has been prepared;
drawings where available;
notices, responses and correspondence already exchanged; and
known dates and access constraints.

Once the requester’s email has been verified, an administrator manually reviews the request. There is no automatic matching. Submission does not guarantee an invitation, quote or introduction. During beta, FindTheSurveyor charges neither the customer nor the surveyor an introduction fee.

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Questions Richmond owners ask about party walls

If the council approves my basement, do I still need to serve notice?

Often, yes. Excavation near a neighbouring building can engage section 6 of the Party Wall etc. Act 1996 on its own terms, and planning permission does not remove the need to serve notice where it does.

Can a Richmond basement go two storeys deep?

Current policy weighs against it. Policy 54 resists basement development of more than one storey below existing ground level at residential properties. The plan treats a single storey as roughly 2.7 metres floor to ceiling.

Does meeting Policy 54’s structural stability test replace a Party Wall award?

They run side by side. Policy 54 is a planning test, while an award deals with related matters under a different statute and by a different route.

We are not digging a basement. Can the Act still apply?

Yes, it can. Rear extensions, loft conversions and chimney breast removals are common notifiable works in the borough’s terraced and semi-detached houses.

How FindTheSurveyor checks surveyors

Where possible, membership is confirmed against the issuing body’s public register. Where no suitable register is available, the submitted document is checked and shown as such. FindTheSurveyor checks evidence but does not assess technical competence, endorse a surveyor or guarantee the standard of their work.

Sources checked

These statements were recorded on 21 August 2026:

the basement Article 4 directions, from the council’s two directions and Local Plan paragraph 25.50;
the Local Plan adoption, from the council’s adoption statement;
Policy 54’s one-storey limit and structural stability requirement, from Policy 54 of the Richmond Local Plan 2024 to 2039;
the Census 2021 household total and the terraced, semi-detached, detached and purpose-built flat counts, from ONS Census 2021 table TS044; and
the householder-decision total, from MHCLG district planning application statistics for the year ending March 2026.

Check the current published plan text and the property’s designations before relying on them for a specific application.