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North Wing Courtauld Institute Of Art Somerset House Strand London WC2E 7EA

26/02831/CLLBCert of Law - Prposed works to LBApproved

Approved on 13 May 2026

Site boundary (council red line)

Proposal

Series of investigative works to the North Block. The proposed investigative and opening up works comprise trial pits in third party walls at basement level, the careful removal of plaster in various locations to expose the structure behind, and other physical works to open up elements of the building where required to better inform the Stage 4 design elements within the existing structural context. The locations of the opening up works have been carefully selected to ensure minimal disruption on the historic fabric, and where possible, investigations and openings are proposed in areas of twentieth century construction.

Received
28 April 2026
Ward
St James's
Agent
The Planning Lab
  1. Received28 Apr
  2. Validated28 Apr
  3. Consult.
  4. Target9 Jun
  5. Decided13 May

Decided in 15 days

About this application

This is a planning application at North Wing Courtauld Institute Of Art Somerset House Strand London WC2E 7EA. Westminster has handled 27,078 applications of this type. This one was decided in 15 days, 5 weeks quicker than Westminster's typical decision time. The site is in the Strand conservation area, with 8 listed buildings nearby. There have been 5 other applications at this address. In the past year there have been 478 applications across St James's. We hold 396 applications in total for the WC2E postcode area.

Application details

Postcode
WC2E 7EA
Application type
Cert of Law - Prposed works to LB
Scale / size
Small

Planning application dates

Date validated
28 April 2026
Target decision date
9 June 2026

Applicant and agent

Agent
The Planning Lab
Agent address
South Wing Somerset House Strand London WC2R 1LA

Planning decision

Statutory period
42 days

Additional information

Comments
0
Documents
4

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: 152 and 153, Strand Wc2On or next to this site · +1 more
  • 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.

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

© Environment Agency copyright and/or database right 2026. All rights reserved. Flood Map for Planning, Open Government Licence v3.0.

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

5 other applications at this property, newest first.

  1. 2026
    12 Feb

    Series of investigative works to the North Block.

    ApprovedCert of Law - Prposed works to LB26/01251/CLLB
  2. 2026
    12 Jan

    Waterproofing works on the upper terrace of the Somerset House courtyard comprising temporary removal and…

    ApprovedListed building consent26/00145/LBC
  3. 2025
    21 Nov

    Variation of Conditions 1 and 7 of planning permission dated 17 July 2024 (23/03681/FULL

    ApprovedVariation of conditions (s73)25/08530/FULL
  4. 2025
    21 Nov

    Introduction of new slate-clad dormer extensions on the north and east roof pitches; façade interventions…

    ApprovedListed building consent25/08532/LBC
  5. 2025
    10 Oct

    Amendments to planning permission dated 17 July 2024 (RN: 23/03681/FULL

    ApprovedNon-material amendment25/07330/NMA

Source: Westminster

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

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