5, Aldwych, WC2B 4LD

25/08747/NMANon-Material AmendmentRefused

Refused on 10 February 2026

Approximate site (title boundary)

Boundary © HM Land Registry, © Ordnance Survey · details

This information is subject to Crown copyright and database rights 2026 and is reproduced with the permission of HM Land Registry. The polygons (including the associated geometry, namely x, y co-ordinates) are subject to Crown copyright and database rights 2026 Ordnance Survey AC0000851063. Conditions of use.

Proposal

Amendments to planning permission dated 14 November 2019 (19/00248/FULL) for: Use of the third and fourth floor as residential (C3 Use). Internal and external alterations to create a single residential dwelling including a new staircase, external lift shaft and creation of a roof terrace. Alterations to the stairwell and ground floor commercial unit (A3 Use) including new shopfront namely: rear fourth floor bay extension and spiral staircase.

Submitted: 1 December 2025
Council: City of Westminster

ReceivedSubmitted1 Dec
ValidatedValidated
Consult.Consultation
TargetTarget Date
DecidedDecided10 Feb

Decided in 71 days (council typically 49)

About this application

This is a planning application for an extension at 5, Aldwych, WC2B 4LD. Westminster has handled 230 applications of this type. This one was decided in 71 days, 3 weeks longer than Westminster's typical decision time. The site is in the Strand conservation area, with 20 listed buildings nearby. There have been 2 other applications at this address. In the past year there have been 276 applications across SJW_22. We hold 199 applications in total for the WC2B postcode area.

86% of non-material amendment applications at City of Westminster were approved. Across all application types, the council typically decides in about 7 weeks (median).

Based on decided applications received in the last 3 years.See what's approved near your address

Why it was refused

The City Council does not agree that the amendments are sufficiently minor in terms of the materials, scale and impact (both individually and cumulatively) in planning terms, having regard to the overall scope of the previously approved development, so as to constitute non material amendments to the planning permission dated 14 November 2019 (19/00248/FULL).

From the council's decision notice.

Application details

Postcode: WC2B 4LD
Application type: Non-Material Amendment

Site constraints

Checking the site

2/3

Council recordsAppealsFlood risk

Designations that overlap or adjoin the site outline.

Conservation area: Strand
Listed building: Grade II: Novello TheatreOn this site
Article 4 direction: Article 4 Basement Development Permitted Rights Removed+1 more
Flood zone 1: Low probability (rivers and sea)

Also checked, none recorded (21)

flood storage areas, tree preservation orders, green belt, scheduled monuments, World Heritage Sites, World Heritage Site buffer zones, registered parks and gardens, registered battlefields, Heritage at Risk entries, nutrient neutrality catchments, national parks, National Landscapes, SSSIs, Special Areas of Conservation, Special Protection Areas, Ramsar sites, ancient woodland, national nature reserves, local nature reserves, heritage coasts and brownfield registers.

A guide only, from official open data; it is not a planning search. Flood zones cover rivers and sea, not surface water.

Data © Crown copyright and others · sources and licences

Contains public sector information from planning.data.gov.uk (MHCLG and local planning authorities), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

© Historic England 2026. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. The Historic England GIS Data contained in this material was obtained on 2026-11-03. The most publicly available up to date Historic England GIS Data can be obtained from HistoricEngland.org.uk.

Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.

Planning history at this site

12 other applications at this property, newest first.

Source: Westminster

Contains public sector information from the Planning London Datahub, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

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