The Kensington Society

Welcome to the website of the Kensington Society.

Formed in 1953, the Kensington Society strives to ensure that our part of London retains its magnificent heritage of buildings, parks and gardens alongside the best of contemporary architecture and design.

With more than 700 members and some 30 affiliated societies, we are very active in planning issues and exert a real influence on planning decisions in the Royal Borough of Kensington & Chelsea.

Events

We also have a programme of lectures, talks, walks and visits, covering a wide range of subjects. The events offer the chance to meet your Kensington neighbours. All upcoming society events can be found here.

Annual report

Our annual report is produced in the spring and has both an update report on the activities of the society as well as interesting and topical articles relating to Kensington. The most recent annual report can be read here, and all annual reports since 1961 can be found in the society archive.

Newsletter

Our newsletter is produced in the autumn. The most recent newsletter can be read here, and all newsletters since 2006 can be found in the society archive.

Membership

The annual membership subscription is £15 and you can join here.

The news blog (click to see all)

News

What will happen to Europe’s largest roof garden?

2018-02-27

What will happen to the unique roof garden on top of the Derry & Toms building on Kensington High Street? It was once the largest in the world and is still the largest single roof garden in Europe. It was suddenly closed in the beginning of January and there are rumours that the freeholder has instructed an estate agent to try to find a new leaseholder after Virgin, but nobody knows for sure.

LGA demands planning permission for all phone boxes

2018-02-03

Local Government Association (LGA), which represents 370 councils in England and Wales, has urged the government to scrap the permitted development right which enables phone companies to install telephone boxes without planning permission, as the new "boxes" are nothing but advertisement panels making use of an old law to circumvent planning control. This as BT has begun replacing 750 of their traditional phone boxes in London with a 3 metre high two-sided advertisement tower, the InLink.

Half of the households still in hotels

2017-12-12

On Thursday, a televised Grenfell Tower national memorial service will be held in St Paul's Cathedral.
Six months after the Grenfell Tower fire, only 45 of the 208 households have moved into new permanent homes. Of the remaining, more than 100 are still living in hotels.

Latest planning news (click to see all)

Sadiq Khan to decide Newcombe House

On 28 March, London mayor Sadiq Khan decided to “call in” the latest Newcombe House application, which means that he takes over the role of local planning authority. He does so because he feels that the project "would have an important and a significant impact on the implementation of the adopted London Plan." His decision will come after a public hearing during the summer or early autumn.
read more

Newcombe House plans yet again refused

On 31 January, the RBKC planning committee decided to yet again refuse the plans for the Newcombe House complex, although the planning department recommended approval and although the revised plans followed the advise for a successful application that Planning Inspector David Nicholson outlined in his decision in June 2017.
read more

Upcoming society events (click to see all)

The Kensington Society AGM 2018

At the 2018 AGM, our guest speaker will be Barry Quirk, the new RBKC chief executive who is busy reorganising the borough services in the wake of the Grenfell Tower disaster. After the meeting, there will be a wine reception in the Mayor's Parlour.
Date: Monday 21 May 2018
Place: Kensington Town Hall, the Great Hall
read more

Celebrating the work of George and Peto – again

This event was so popular last time, so we're doing it again! Professor Hilary Grainger, chairman of the Victorian Society and an expert on buildings of Sir Ernest George and his design partner Harold Peto, will give us a talk and a walking tour of Collingham Gardens and Harrington Gardens, where 29 of their astonishing houses can be found.
Date: Tuesday 5 June 2018
read more