The decorating notebook
Access, parking & deliveries
A decorating programme needs somewhere to unload, a protected route indoors and a workable place for materials. Resolve these alongside the surface schedule.
Read the bay, not just the postcode
RBKC’s parking guide says that resident-bay operational times vary across the borough. It also describes visitor pay-by-phone parking during controlled hours. Check the sign at the actual space, including restrictions on duration. A controlled parking zone label alone is not enough to plan a day’s parking, and a resident’s permit should not be assumed to cover a contractor’s vehicle.
Sources: RBKC: guide to parking
If reserved kerbside space is needed
RBKC provides a parking-bay suspension application process and terms. If a proposed access arrangement needs a reserved space, check the current requirements and agree who will apply. Keep any approval with the work plan. Do not schedule work on the assumption that a suspension has been granted or that it permits every proposed use of the space.
Sources: RBKC: parking services
Red routes require a separate check
Use TfL’s red-route map to identify whether it manages the proposed stopping location. TfL’s rules depend on the signs and road markings, and it provides a separate parking-dispensation process. A nearby council parking space does not establish permission to unload on a red route. Choose the delivery point before deciding how materials will reach the property.
Sources: TfL: red routes
Congestion Charge: check the address and journey
TfL provides a postcode checker and map for its charging zones. Check the destination and the route a vehicle will take, including any journey through central London. Do not add a Congestion Charge allowance simply because an address is described as Kensington, or assume that the destination alone determines every charge on the journey. Use the current TfL information for the travel date.
Sources: TfL: Congestion Charge zone checker
Continue the access plan indoors
Measure awkward entrances and identify stairs, lifts, shared corridors and retained flooring. Agree delivery windows with the building manager where relevant. State where materials can be stored and how common parts will be protected. Exterior work also needs a clear plan for reaching the surface, with the relevant permissions for any equipment established before the programme is fixed.
- Full address and the proposed unloading point
- Current signs, permitted parking and any approvals
- Route from entrance to working rooms
- Storage, protection and any building-manager instructions
Start with a conversation
Tell us about your property.
Share the address, the rooms or surfaces, and what you have in mind.
Your project details
Tell us what you would like to decorate and where.