Mapping the Subterranean Geographies of Plutocratic London: Luxified Troglodytism?

Abstract

Much has been written about the 'luxified skies' sprouting up across London; 'high-rise', 'super prime' housing for new elites. Thus far less attention has been paid to what has been happening to subterranean London. As a corrective to this, this paper examines the extent of elite residential basement development across seven London boroughs between 2008 and 2017. We identify some 4,650 basements granted permission over the decade and classify each into one of (six and then) three different types: standard; large; and mega. We present a series of maps and tables detailing the locations and the amenities contained within each basement. This empirical material is contextualized by way of a discussion of the form and functioning of what we conceptualize as the 'plutocraticization' of London following the 2008 global financial crash.

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Luxified(Troglodytism?(
Mapping(the(Subterranean(Geographies(of(Plutocratic(London(
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Abstract(
Much! has! been! written! about! the! ‘luxified! skies’! sprouting! up! across! London;!
‘high-rise’,!‘super!prime’!housing!for!new!elites.!Thus!far!less!attention!has!been!
paid!to!what!has!been!happening!to!subterranean!London.!As!a!corrective!to!this,!
this!paper!examines!the!extent!of!elite!residential!basement!development!across!
seven! London! boroughs! between! 2008! and! 2017.! We! identify! some!4,650!
basements!granted!permission!over!the!decade!and!classify!each!into!one!of!(six!
and!then)!three!different!types:!standard;!large;!and!mega.!We!present!a!series!of!
maps!and!tables!detailing!the!locations!and!the!amenities!contained!within!each!
basement.!This!empirical!material!is!contextualized!by!way!of!a!discussion!of!the!
form! and! functioning! of! what! we! conceptualize! as! the! ‘plutocraticization’! of!
London!following!the!2008!global!financial!crash.!!
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Ups(and(Downs(
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The!history!of!London!has!long!been!entwined!with!expansions!of!financial!capital!
and!the!machinations!of!global!plutocrats!and!their!more!proximate!counterparts!
(Atkinson!et#al.,!2017;!Jones,!2014;! Webber!and! Burrows,!2016;! Wilkins,!2013).!
But!what!has!happened!in!the!decade!since!the!global!financial!crisis!is!without!
precedent!(Atkinson! et#al.,!2017;!Minton,!2017);!London! has! been!transformed!
into! a!city! for!global! capital! rather! than!one!designed! to! meet! the! needs! and!
aspirations!of!the! majority! of!its!denizens.!The!global!figures!on!the!distribution!
of!wealth!are,!of!course,!well!known!and!stark.!Three!sets!of!figures!will!perhaps!
suffice! here.! !First,! whereas! in!2010! Oxfam! calculated! that! it! would! take! the!
combined!wealth! of!the!richest! 388!people!in! the!world! to!be! equivalent!to! the!
combined! wealth! of! the! poorest! 50! percent!(some! 3.7! billion),! by! 2016! it! was!

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calculated!to!be!just!42!(Oxfam,!2017).!Second,!in! 2008!there!were!estimated!to!
be! some! 8.6! million! –! of! what! the! financial! services! industry! term! –! ‘High! Net!
Worth!Individuals’! (HNWIs)! distributed!across!the!globe!(Beaverstock!and! Hay,!
2016:! 5)! but! by! 2016!this! figure! had! increased! by! almost! 92!percent!to! 16.5!
million,!568!thousand!of!whom!live!in!the!UK!(Capgemini,!2017)!the!great!bulk!–!
over!half-a-million!-!in!and!around!London!(Burrows!et#al.,!2016).!Third,!the!most!
recent!‘rich-list’!produced!by!The#Sunday#Times#(2017)!reveals! that!London!has!
the!greatest!number!of!resident!(sterling)!billionaires!in! the!world;!86!in!2016,!
compared!to!New!York!with!74,!San!Francisco!with! 60,!Hong!Kong!with!59!and!
Moscow!with!58.!!
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The! consequences! of! all! of! this! wealth! –! plutocratic! and! otherwise! -! sloshing!
around!London!has!had!myriad!consequences!for!the!built!environment!(Atkinson!
et# al.,!2017;!DeVerteuil! and! Manley,! 2017;!Glucksberg,! 2016;! Webber! and!
Burrows,! 2016),! of! which! perhaps! the! most! materially! evident! has! been! the!
appearance!of! a! large!number! of! ‘super-high’,! ‘super-prime’! residential! towers!
across ! the! city;! in ! 2015! there! were!some! 263! buildings! of! 20! storeys! or! more,!
either!under!construction!or!proposed!to!be!built,!with!31!of!them!planned!to!join!
the! 16! already! existing! with! 45! storeys! or! more! (Oldfield,! 2015).!They! are,! of!
course,!part!of!a!global!trend!towards!the!construction!of!what!Graham!(2015)!has!
called!‘luxified! skies’;!vertical! urban!housing! that! has!become! an! elite!preserve.!
But! the! geodemographics! of! transnational! elites! suggests!that! living! and/or!
investing!in!these!luxified!skies!does!not!appeal!to!all;!the!cultural!sensibilities,!
tastes!and!aesthetics!of!wealthy!elites!are!highly!differentiated!(Cunningham!and!
Savage,!2017)!and!this!is!nowhere!more!pronounced!than!in!the!choices!that!they!

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make!about!where!and!in#what#to!live!(Burrows!et#al.,!2016;!Webber!and!Burrows,!
2018).! Graham! (2015:! 639)! suggests! that! wealthy! elites! possessing! strong!
narcissistic! impulses! combined! with! ‘overwhelming! material! power,! sense! of!
entitlement,!crass!arrogance! -!and!desire!for!centrality’!are! the!most!likely!to! be!
drawn!to!these!new!‘vertical!cocoons’.!However,!life!in!the!luxified!skies!also!tends!
to! appeal!to! many! wealthy! overseas! investors,! those! from! Southeast! Asia! in!
particular,!who!may!or!may!not!have!these!characteristics,!but!who!nonetheless!
tend!to! have!a!familiarity!and! a!cultural! preference!for! such! newly!built!luxury!
properties!–!with!a!concierge,!security,!underground!parking,!a!private!elevator!
and! so! on! -! over! older! London! ‘super-prime’! houses,! the! characteristics! and!
functioning!of!which!they!are!often!unfamiliar!with!(Knowles!and!Burrows,!2017).!
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The! wealth! that! has! not! found! its! way! into! the! changing! skylines! of! the! city,!
although!sometimes!less!visible,! has!still!had!major! impacts!on!the!socio-spatial!
dynamics!of! the!built! environment.! Over! the!last! decade!in! particular!we!have!
begun!to!witness!an!intensification!of!processes!that!were!initially!conceptualized!
as! ‘super-gentrification’! (Butler! and! Lees,! 2006)! –where! early!gentrifiers!were!
‘replaced’!(if!not!‘displaced’)!by!people!with!much!greater!levels!of!wealth!(Clark,!
2005)!–!but!which!have!now!reached!a!stage!where!even!the!‘gentry!proper’!–!let!
alone! ‘ordinary! elites’! (Cunningham,! 2017)! -! can! often! no! longer! maintain! a!
foothold! in! some! streets! where! transnational! plutocratic! money-power! has!
become!the!cultural!dominant!(Atkinson!et#al.,!2017;!Webber!and!Burrows,!2016);!
London,!as!in!a!small!number!of!other!global!cities!(Forrest!et#al.,!2017),!is!now!a!
place!where!even!the!‘merely!wealthy’!are!engaged!in!socio-spatial!struggles!with!
the!‘new!Croesus’
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!(Burrows!and!Knowles,!2018;!Fernandez!et#al.,!2017).!!

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Many! properties! have! been! transformed! as! super-affluent! newcomers!
commission!high-end!designers!to!undertake!often-brutal!structural!conversions!
of!older!properties!into!‘state-of-the!art’!living!spaces;!maximizing!the!size!of!all!
interior!spaces!and!infusing!them!with!exterior!light!has!now!become!de#rigueur,!
as! have! various! design! and! technological! ‘solutions’! to!matters! of! privacy! and!
security!(Atkinson!and!Blandy,!2016;!Webber!and!Burrows,!2016).!!However,!in!
many!areas!of!‘super!prime’!London!attractive!to!‘super-rich’!elites!the!nature!of!
the!original!architecture!combined!with!planning!restrictions!often!makes!it!very!
difficult!to! extend!properties!laterally!over!existing!terrain!or!to!add!additional!
floors!on!the!top!of!properties.!Thus,!for!some!the!only!‘solution’!has!been!to!go!
‘down’,! and! co nsequently! residential!basement!developments! in! the!wealthiest!
parts!of!London!have!increased!markedly!in!recent!years!(Graham,!2016:!313-21;!
McCarthy!and!Kilgour,!2011).!!!
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This!relationship!between!wealth,!power!and!‘verticality’!!(Graham,!2016:!1-22)!–!
up!and!down!-!is!a!fascinating!one,!intimately!tied!up!with!what!some!would!view!
as!the!inherently!secessionary!propensities!of!many!wealth!elites!(Atkinson,!2015;!
Atkinson!and!Blandy,!2009).!Indeed,!it!is!as!if!the!‘super-rich’!cannot!bear!to!be!on!
the!same! ‘ground’! as! the!rest!of!us:! if! they!are!not!in! th eir! pen thouses! a top! the!
luxified!skies!looking!down,!they! are! even!higher!up!still!-! in!their! private! jets,!
helicopters!(Budd,!2016)!or,!now,!even!in!their!own!spaceships!(Seife,!2014);!or!
else! they! are!far!out! at!sea! –!beyond!most! jurisdictions!-! in!th eir! ‘su per! yach ts’!
(Spence,!2016;!2017),!on!their!private!islands!(Urry,!2013)!or,!now,!their!very!own!
‘seasteads’! (Steinberg!et# al.,! 2012);! or,!of! course,! and! our! focus! here,! they! are!

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‘going!underground’!!–!living!in!deep!subterranean!spaces,!but!still!not!in!the!same!
‘plane’!as!the!rest!of!us.
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As! Graham! (2016:! 314)! makes! clear,! as! with! ‘most! things! associated! with! the!
underground! of! cities,! London’s! “iceberg! house”! phenomenon! has! quickly!
generated! its! own! urban! myths.’! Certainly,!much! media! coverage! of! the!
phenomena
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!has!tended!to!portray!a!world!of!über-wealthy!troglodytes!occupying!
luxified!subterranean!lairs!of!gargantuan!proportions!apposite!for!their!lifestyles!
(Featherstone,!2014)!containing,!inter#alia:!swimming!pools;!spas;!games!rooms;!
wine! cellars;! multiple! bedrooms;! servants’! and! nannies’!rooms;! playrooms;!
ballrooms;!car!parks;!car!lifts;!tennis!courts;!private!art!galleries;!gun!rooms;!and!
panic!rooms.!!
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In!this!paper!we!will!attempt!to!provide!some!empirical!evidence!that!will!allow!
us!to!flesh!out!some!of!the!realities!of!these!claims.!Just!how!many!basements!have!
been!built!in! the!last!decade?! Where!are! they?! How!big!are!they?!What! do!they!
contain?!!What!consequences!do!they! have! for!our!conceptual!understanding!of!
how!London!is!changing?!In!short,!we!attempt!to!map!out!the!hidden!subterranean!
geographies!of!plutocratic!London.!
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Methods(
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Ideally,! we! wou ld! have! liked! to! explore! th e! geography! of! residential! basemen t!
across!the!whole!of!London!between!2008-2017;!covering!the!decade!long!arc!of!
the! consolidation! of! transnational! wealth! elites! in! London.! However,! we! had!

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neither! the! time! nor! the! resource! to! gather! data! from! all! thirty-two!London!
Boroughs!(plus!the!City!of!London),!so!instead!we!have!focused!our!attention!on!
the! seven! that! contain! the! most! affluent! postcode! districts:! Camden;!
Hammersmith! and! Fulham;! Haringey;! Islington;! Kensington! and! Chelsea;!
Westminster;! and! Wandsworth.! For! those! unfamiliar! with! the! local! authority!
geography!of! London! these!are!shown! in!Figure!1.
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!Space! precludes! a! detailed!
description! of! each! them,! bu t! some! useful! comparative! summary!statistics! are!
provided!in!Table!1.!
!
- Figure!1!About!Here!-!
!
- Table!1!About!Here!–!
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All!are!highly!diverse,!cosmopolitan!and!densely!populated!areas!with!far!higher!
than!average!(for!Greater!London)!house!prices!and,!for!the!most!part,!levels!of!
annual! pay! (Haringey
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!is! an! exception).! All! have! experienced! substantial! net!
international!migration!in!recent!years.!!Although!we! are! confident! that!three!of!
these! boroughs! -! Hammersmith! and! Fulham,! Kensington! and! Chelsea! and!
Westminster! -! contain!the! highest! concentrations! of! basement! development! in!
London,!there!are!other! boroughs! –! amongst!them! Ealing,!Hackney,!Greenwich,!
Kingston,! Lambeth,! Lewisham,! Merton,
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!Southwark! and! Richmond–! parts! of!
which!could!well!be!on!a!par!with!the!other!four!we!have!examined;!all!demand!
future!investigation.!!
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The! data! we! draw! upon! has! been! collected! from! the! planning! portals! of! each!
borough.!The!application!for!a!basement!development!will!be!made!public!by!the!
local!authority!with!notices!outside!each!property!and!full!details!can!be!found!on!
the!planning!portal!website.!Each!application!must!include!necessary!plans!of!the!
site,! supporting! documentation! and! a! fee.!It! is! common! with! applications! that!
other!relevant!drawings!or!information!are!included!to!help!the!local! authority!
determine! the! outcome.!The! data! in! this! paper! has! been! derived! from! the!
information!provided!on!each!London!borough’s!planning!portal.!The!Freedom!of!
Information!Act! allows!one!to!access!such!information!which!has!been!recorded!
and!held!by!a!public-sector!organization.!We!searched!‘basement’!as!a!keyword,!
and! each! application! this! generated! was! inspected! in! detail! to! see! if! it! was! an!
actual! excav ation;!most!were! not .! So,! by! way! of! illus tration,! in! Kensin gton! and!
Chelsea!the!keyword!‘basement’!generated! an!average!of!1,103!applications!per!
year! of! which! only! an! average! of! 117! per! year! (11! percent)! turned! out! to! be!
subterranean! development! proposals.!!This! was! time! consuming.! For! each!
basement! pr oposal! located! w e!extracted! data,
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!which!included:! the! year! of!the!
application;!the!decision!date;!the!decision!(granted!or!refused);!the!address;!an!
estimate! of! the! average! depth
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!of! the! proposed! excavation;!the! architect! or!
designer!responsible! for! drawing! the! plans;!and! a! detailed! description!of! the!
proposed! development.!From! this! description! we! were! able! to! ascertain! if! the!
proposed! development! contained:! a! swimming! pool;! a! gym;! a! cinema;! a! wine!
cellar;!a!garage;!and!myriad!other!features!which!we!will!discuss!below.!!
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Using! all! of! this! detailed! information! we! then!attempted! to! produce! a! simple!
typology!of!the!basements.!First,!we!separated!the!proposals!into!two!categories!

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based!on! the!type!of! property!under!which!the!basement!was!going:!terraced#or#
semi-detached!(both! of! which! will! share! a! party! wall)! on! the! one! hand! and!
detached!on!the!other.!Second,!we!made!a!judgment!as!to!the!size!of!the!basement!
using!a!simple!three-point!scale:!standard;!large;!or!mega.!We!defined!‘standard’!
as!a!one-storey!(average!height!of!3m)!basement!contained!within!the!footprint!of!
the! house.! We! defined! ‘large’! as! a! two-storey! basement!contained! within! the!
footprint! of! the! house! or! as! a! one-storey! basement! that! extends! beyond! the!
footprint!of!the!house!under!the!garden.!We!defined!‘mega’!as!a!three-storey!(or!
equivalent!in!height)!under!the!footprint!of!the!house!(or!larger)!or!a!two-storey!
basement! that! extends!beyond! the! footprint! of!the! house!under! the!garden! (or!
larger).! This!sounds!complicated! but,!in!practice,!allocation!to! each!category! is!
relatively!unambiguous.!Figure!2!provides!a!visualization
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!of!each!of!the!six!types!
of!basements.!
!
- Figure!2!About!Here!-!
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Figure!3!shows!a!detailed!example!of!the!type!of!basement!that!would!be!allocated!
to!Type!1.!In!this!instance!we!estimate!that!some!280m3!of!earth!would!need!to!be!
excavated.! Figure!4!shows!an!example!of!a!basement!allocated! to!Type! 2!where!
we!estimate!that!some!395m3!of!earth!would!be!removed.!!
!
- Figure!3!About!Here!–!
!
- Figure!4!About!Here!-!

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Figure!5!shows!two!examples!of!the!type!of!basements!that!would!be!allocated!to!
Type!3,!on!average!these!two!would!involve!about!555m3!of!earth!being!removed.!
Figure!6!shows!two!examples!of!basements!that!would!be!allocated!to!Type!4,!on!
average!these!two!would!involve!an!excavation!of!about!1,185m3!of!earth.!
!
- Figure!5!About!Here!–!
!
- Figure!6!About!Here!-!
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Figure!7!shows!two!examples!of!the!type!of!basements!that!would!be!allocated!to!
Type! 5,! on! average! these! two! would! involve! about! 1,253m3!of! earth! being!
removed.!Figure!8!shows!two!examples!of!basements!that!would!be!allocated!to!
Type!6,!on!average!these!two!would!involve!an!excavation!of!a!colossal!1,690m3!
of!earth.!
!
- Figure!7!About!Here!–!
!
- Figure!8!About!Here!-!
(
Initially! we! found! 5,870!applications! for! basement! developments! –! excluding!
those!that!were!still!pending!a!decision!or!were!withdrawn!-!made!between!the!
beginning! of! 2008! and! the! end! of! 2017! across! the! seven! boroughs.! ! The! great!
majority!of!these!applications!–!91.3!percent!-!were!‘granted’!although!this!varied!
significantly! across! the! boroughs,! ranging! from! a! 2.1! percent!rejection! rate! in!

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Hammersmith!and!Fulham!up!to!18.4!percent!in!Islington.!!The!figures!are!shown!
in!Table!2.!
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- Table!2!About!Here!–!
- !
Of!the!5,357!that!were!‘granted’!we!found! 707!duplicates!cases.!!The!reasons!for!
this!were!varied!but!were!mainly!due!to!the!necessity!to!renew!permission!if!the!
basement!had!not!been!built!3!(or!sometimes!5!years)!after!planning!permission!
had! been! granted.! Others! came! back! with! revised! plans!–!sometime! on! 3! or! 4!
occasions.!An!example!from!Hammersmith!and!Fulham!will!illustrate;!a!terraced!
house!in!Fulham!SW6!4UB!appears!in! the! data!three!times.!Permission!was!first!
granted!in!2008!for!a!‘1-storey!basement!under!1/2!property.!TV!Room.!Shower.!
Utility’.! Permission! was! granted! again! in! 2010! –! this!time! with! plans! from! a!
different!architect!–!for!a!very!similar!design.!!It!appears!for!the!last!time!in!2014!
–!with! the! same!architects!–! but! now! as! a!’1-storey! basement! under! the! entire!
property.!Bedroom!&!en-suite,!utility,!family!room.’!This!one!was!built.!Only!the!
final! one!of! these! –! for!2014! –! appears!in!our!‘non-duplicate’!data!set.!Once!all!
duplicate!cases!are!removed!we!are!left!with!a!total!of!4,650!basements!that!have!
been!granted! permission!to! be!built!and! the!great!majority!of!them!either!have!
been!or!are!in!the!process!of!being!constructed.!It!will!be!these!4,650!basements!
that!will!be!the!focus!of!our!attention!in!the!rest!of!the!paper.!
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Some(Results(
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Table!3!shows!the!distribution!of!the!4,650!basements!across!the!7!boroughs!and!
compares!these!numbers!with!the!number!of!households!in!each!borough!in!2017.!
Hammersm ith! and! Fulham! has! t he! greatest! number! –! 1,147! over!the!decade!–!
followed!by!Kensington!and!Chelsea!with!1,022!and!then!Westminster!with!678.!
These! 3! boroughs! also! show! the! highest! rates! of! basement! development! per!
household:! the! 1,147! basements! in! Hammersmith! and! Fulham! represents! 1.37!
percent!of!all!households!living!in!the!borough!in!2017;!the!figure!for!Kensington!
and!Chelsea!is!1.27!percent;!and!that!for!Westminster!0.57!percent.!!!
!
-!Table!3!About!Here!-!
!
Table!4!shows!how!the!4,650!basements!are!distributed!across!the!different!types!
of! basement! and! how! this! varies! across! the! boroughs.!Table! 5! is! a! simplified!
version! of! the! s ame! table! merging! the! 6! different! basement! types ! into! just! 3! –
standard,!large!and!mega!–!in!order!to!make!interpretation!less!complex.!!!
!
-!Table!4!About!Here!–!
!
-!Table!5!About!Here!-!
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The! great! majority! –! 80.7! percent!(3,753)! -! of! the! basements! are! classified! as!
standard!and!only!2.4!percent!(112)!as!mega.!! However,!this! distribution!varies!
significantly!across!the!boroughs.!In!Kensington!and!Chelsea!6.6!percent,!and!in!

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Westminster! 5! percent,!are! mega.!!No! mega!basement!development! is!found! in!
Haringey,! Islington! or! Wandsworth! and! only! 3! instances! are! found! in!
Hammersmith! &! Fulham.! Hammersmith! &! Fulham! accounts! for! almost! one-
quarter! (1,147)! of! all! of! the! basements! (although! 96.2! percent!of! these! are!
standard!developments! under! terraced! properties).! Kensington! &! Chelsea!
accounts!for!another!22!percent!(although!here!over!one-third!are!large!or!mega!
developments).!Westminster!accounts!for!15!percent!of!developments!(again!with!
over! one-third! being! large!or! mega).! Both! Camden! and! Haringey! account! for!
another!13!percent!each!and!Haringey!and!Islington!another!13!percent!between!
them.!!!
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Within!each!borough!the!geography!of!development!is!quite!clear.!Focusing!here!
on!just!the!3!boroughs!with!both!the!greatest! number! of! developments!and!the!
highest!rate!of!basement!development!per!household,!as!described!above!and!in!
Table!3!–!Hammersmith!&!Fulham!(1,147),!Kensington!and!Chelsea!(1,022)!and!
Westminster!(678)!–!it!is!possible!to!map!out!the! locations!of!each!development.!
We!show!the!postcode!location!of!these!–!by!basement!type!-!granted!permission!
in!each!of!the!3!boroughs!across!the!decade.!Some!postcodes!will!contain!a!number!
of!developments.!Figure!9!shows!Hammersmith!&!Fulham,!Figure!10!Kensington!
and!Chelsea,!and!Figure!11!Westminster.!Although!difficult!to!decipher!at!the!scale!
of! resolution! available! here,! each!development! is! coded! by! basement! type! (1!
through! 6)! and! developments! that! include! swimming! pools! –! which! we! will!
discuss!below!–!are!also!indicated.!!
!
-!Figure!9!About!Here!–!

!
13!
!
-!Figure!10!About!Here!–!
!
-!Figure!11!About!Here!–!
!
Figure!9!shows!that!in!Hammersmith!&!Fulham!the!southern!end!of!the!borough!
has!become!most!susceptible!to!new!basement!constructions,!with!a!much!greater!
density!of!developments!than!the!middle!or!north!of!the!borough.!The!cluster!of!
roads!between!Parsons!Green,!South!Park!and!Eel!Brook!Common!have!witnessed!
a!significant!increase!in!the!number!of!excavations.!This!area!includes!Bradbourne!
Street,!Coniger!Road!and!Chipstead!Street,!for!example.!Although!the!majority!of!
excavations!are!‘standard’!there!appears!to!be!an!accumulation!of!‘large’!basement!
developments!surrounding!Bishops!Park!in!the!southwest!corner!of!the!borough.!
Ellerby! Street,!in! particular! has! seen! a! drastic! rise.! It! is! in! this! area! of!
Hammersmith! and! Fulham! that! we!find!the!small!number!(just!3)!of!basement!
swimming!pools.!
!
Figure!10!shows!similar!data!for!Kensington!&!Chelsea.!The!map!suggests!a!spread!
of!basement!developments!across!the!whole!borough.!The!cluster!of!roads!close!
to!Roland!Gardens,!Roland! Way!and!Drayton!Gardens!have!a!significant!number!
of!excavations!but!the! majority!of!these!are!‘standard’!developments.!Tregunter!
Road,! Harcourt! Terrace,! The! Little! Boltons! and! Cathcart! Road! are! home! to! a!
significant!number!of!‘large’!developments.!These!roads!in!particular!have!seen!a!
notable!increase!in!excavations!with!swimming!pools.!Indeed,!our!data!suggests!
that!Tregunter!Road!is!likely!the!road!with!the!greatest!number!of!excavations!

!
14!
granted!permission!in!the!last!decade;!a!full!21!basements!(3!of!them!‘mega’)!have!
been!constructed!or!are! in!the! process!of! being!built.! To! the!east!of!Kensington!
Palace,! the! roads! of! Kensington! Palace! Gardens,! Palace! Garden! Mews! and!
Brunswick!Gardens!possess!a!high!concentration!of!‘mega’!developments.!!
!
Figure! 11! shows! similar! data! for! Westminster,! which! also! includes! a! high!
proportion!of!‘mega’!and!especially!‘large’!sized!excavations.!The!map!identifies!a!
cluster! of! basement! developments!to! the! east! of! Buckingham! Palace! Gardens,!
including!Kinnerton!Street!and!Belgrave!Mews.!These!streets!in!particular!have!a!
significant!number!of!‘large’!excavations!with!swimming!pools.!Additionally,!there!
appears!to!be!a!cluster!of!‘mega’!excavations!developing!around!St!John’s!Wood.!
10
!
!
Now!that!we!have!a!reasonable!understanding!of!the!types,!number!and!locations!
of! the! basements,! we! can! turn! our! attention! to! the! sorts! of! amenities! they!
contain.
11
!Table!6!shows! that! over! one-fifth! contain!a! gym,!with! the!probability!
increasing!with!the!size!of!the!development;!almost!60!percent!of!mega!basements!
under! detached! properties! include! one.! Overall,! almost! 12! percent!contain! a!
media!room!and!almost!10!percent!a!cinema;!however,!almost!one-third!of!mega!
basements!under!detached!houses!contain!a!cinema.!Perhaps!the!most!significant!
differentiator!is!the!presence!of!a!pool!of!some!sort.!We!found!374!developments!
that!included!a!pool!–!359! were!full!swimming!pools!and!15!were!lap!or!plunge!
pools.!We!also!found!two!developments!that!contained!two!pools,!and!one!these!
also!included!a!‘beach’.!Almost!by!definition,!there!are!very!few!pools!in!‘standard’!
basements!–!just!7!in!total.!However,!the!proportion!increases!with!the!size!of!the!

!
15!
excavations;!over!80!percent!of!mega!basements!developments!contain!a!pool!of!
some!sort.!Also ! popu lar! were!wine!storage!facilit ies! (381,! 8.2!percent!overall),!
games!rooms!(340,!7.3!percent),!steam!rooms!or!saunas!(242,!5.2!percent),!staff!
accommodation! (115,! 2.5! percent!overall,! but! in! over! one-fifth! in! mega!
developments),! spa! rooms! (60,! 1.3! percent)! and! garage! or! car! parking! space!
(sometimes!with!elaborate!car!lifts)!(1.4!percent).!Table!6!shows!the!number!and!
distribution!of!some!less!popular!amenities:!42!bars;!40!libraries;!29!music!rooms;!
26!treatment!rooms;!18!art!spaces!and!galleries;!15!massage!rooms;!15!Jacuzzi’s,!
15!rooms!dedicated!to!pilates!and/or!yoga!and!7!private!hair!salons.!Not!shown!
are!the!2!golf!simulators,!2!gun!stores!and!the!one!plan!that!admitted!to!including!
a!‘panic’!room!(Atkinson!and!Blandy,!2016)!in!its!design.!!
!
As!we!have! already!mentioned! calculating! the!volume!of! each!of!the! basements!
was! a! task! that! would! have! been! too! time-consuming.! However,! we! have!
estimated!the!maximum!height!of!each!of!the!basements! which!does! allow!us!to!
make! some! rough! calculations! concerning! the! aggregate! depth! (height)! of! the!
4,650!basements!constructed!across!the!7!boroughs.!The!great!majority!of! one-
storey!basements!were!about!3m!in!depth,!and!most!two-storey!excavations!were!
6m!deep,!but!the!deepest!development!we!discovered!was!a!massive!18m.!Taken!
together!the!4,650!basements!reach!down!a!total!of!some!15,300m.!To!put!this!in!
to!some!sort!of!crude!perspective,!this!is!almost!50!times!the!height!of!The!Shard!
–!currently!the!tallest!building!in!London.!
!
(
(

!
16!
Concluding(Comments((
(
As! far! as! we! know! this! is! the! first! time! that! London! residential! basement!
development!has!been!mapped!out!in!such!detail.!There!certainly!seems!to!have!
been!a!step! change!in! both!the!overall!number!of!such!developments! and!in!the!
number!of!larger!excavations!in! the!last!decade!compared!to!the!first!decade!of!
the!century!(McCarthy!and!Kilgour,!2011).!Changes!in!subterranean!London!seem!
to!us!to!be!an!important!component!of!broader!changes!in!the!built!environment!
that! have!been! cons equent! on! the! ‘plu tocraticization’! o f! the! city! post! the! 2 008!
crash;!the!luxified!skies!are!highly!visible!reminders!of!elite!verticality!but!luxified!
Troglodytism!is! also!an!important! aspect! of!the!changing! geometries!of! wealth,!
power!and!architecture!in!the!city.!
!
Of!the!4,650!basements!that!we!located!over!four-fifths!(3,753)!were!of!a!standard!
size! –! one-storey! and! not! extending! beyond! the! envelope! of! the! property.!
However,!even!these!cost!a!significant!amount!of!money!to!construct!and!generate!
considerable! disruption! to! neighbours,! especially! when! a! number! of! such!
excavations!cluster!together,!as!they!often!do.!!!Although!some!of!these!standard!
basement! developments! may! be! quite! modest,! as! we! saw! in! Tables! 5! and! 6,! a!
significant! number! of! them! contain! amenities! that! suggest! a! high! degree! of!
‘luxification’:!638!have!a!gym;!278!a!cinema;!246!a!games!room;!52!staff! spaces;!
31!a! library;!23!a! music!room;! 14! a! bar;! and,! as! previo usly!mentioned,!7!even!
manage!to!squeeze!in!a!swimming!pool.!
!

!
17!
However,!it!is!the!785!large!and!112!mega-basements!that!should!be!the!real!focus!
of! our! interest.! These! almost! 900! excavations! are! on! a! different! scale! to! the!
standard!constructions.!Together!they!contain:!367!swimming!pools;!358!gyms;!
178! cinemas;! and! 63! staff! spaces.! Some! can! take! many! years! of! disruptive!
construction! to! complete! and! concerns! have! been! raised! about! their!
environmental!impact.!Indeed!Kensington!and!Chelsea’s!revised!basement!policy!
of!2015!restricted!basements! to! a! single! stor ey,! extend ing! to! no! more! than! 50!
percent! of! the! garden! in! order! to!prevent! developments! on! such! a! huge! scale.!
Westminster!council!followed!suit!the!following!year.!Time!will!tell!if!these!policy!
changes! have! managed! to! curtail! the! desires! of! the! uber-wealthy;! previous!
research!in!Highgate!(Webber!and!Burrows,!2016)!suggests!that!in!the!long!term!
raw!money-power!tends!to!win!out!where!planning!disputes!are!concerned.!!!
!
For!us,! the! construction!of!these! basements!over! the! last!decade! on! the! sort!of!
scale!we!have!detailed!here!is!emblematic!of!the!profound! plutocraticization!of!
London.!The!global!excesses!of!wealth,!focused!upon!such!a!small!fragment!of!the!
global!population,!now!find!spatial!expression!in!many!of!the!neighbourhoods!of!
central!London.!At!a!time!when!so!many!households!face!a!crisis!in!their!housing!
circumstances!the!new!subterranean!geography!of!London!is!deeply!symbolic!of!
the! realities! of! the! intensification! of! global!inequalities! and! their! spatial!
expression.! The!architecture
12
!of!luxified!Troglodytism,! and!its!geodemographic!
concentration! in! certain! neighbourhoods! in! central! London,! deserves! greater!
attentio n! than! it! has! hitherto! rec eived! and! we! hope! th at! this! paper! pro vides! a!
baseline!description!of!the!phenomena!from!which!further!research!can!develop.!
!

!
18!
Notes(in(the(Text(
!
1
!The!simile!!‘rich!as!Croesus’!-!in!use!in!English!since!1577!it!seems!-!alludes!to!
Croesus,!the!legendary!King!of!Lydia!who!died!in!546!BC,!and!who!was!
supposedly!the!richest!man!on!earth.!
!
2
!These!observations!were!originally!made!by!the!cultural!political!economist!
Will!Davies!at!an!event!held!at!the!City!University!of!Hong!Kong!in!early!2015!
that!led!to!the!publication!of!Forrest!et#al.!(2017).!
!
3
!See!for!example!Wainwright!(2012)!and!the!2015!BBC!documentary!Millionaire#
Basement#Wars#available!at:#https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sLJ0zZQb9x0.!
!
4
!One!cannot!help!but!be!struck!by!the!similarity!of!this!contiguous!cluster!of!
boroughs!to!the!popular!cartoonist!representation!of!super!rich!London!shown!
here:!https://novicecartography197.wordpress.com/student-portfolios/abi-
polintan/a-simplified-map-of-london-losers/.!
!
5
!Haringey!is!highly!diverse,!with!substantial!areas!of!deprivation,!but!a!good!
portion!of!it!contains!highly!affluent!areas!such!as!Highgate!(Webber!and!
Burrows,!2016)!where!basement!development!is!widespread.!
!
6
!Merton!(perhaps!because!it!contains!Wimbledon!within!its!boundary)!was!one!
of!the!case!studies!–!alongside!Camden,!Camden,!Kensington!and!Chelsea!and!
Wandsworth!–!in!the!earlier!more!policy!and!practice!orientated!study!of!the!
phenomena!carried!out!by!McCarthy!and!Kilgour!(2011).!
!
7
!The!data!was!extracted!and!collated!by!Sophie!Baldwin,!Elizabeth!Holroyd!and!
Joseph!Nettleton!Burrows.!
!
8
!We!had!hoped!to!be!able!to!calculate!the!volume!of!each!proposed!basement!but!
it!soon!became!clear!that!this!would!take!a!huge!amount!of!time!to!do.!We!have,!
however,!done!some!illustrative!calculations!in!what!follows.!
!
9
!Sophie!Baldwin!and!Elizabeth!Holroyd!are!responsible!for!the!production!of!all!
of!the!graphics!in!this!paper.!
!
10
!Readers!may!find!the!short-animated!movie!Construction#Lines!by!Max!Colson!
(2017)!of!interest!in!this!regard.!!
!
11
!These!are!likely!to!be!minimum!numbers!as!a!small!number!of!plans!are!not!
clear!exactly!what!is!contained!in!the!development.!
!
12
!It!is!notable!that!certain!architectural!practices!are!disproportionally!involved!
in!the!basement!developments!we!have!described!in!this!paper,!those!involved!in!
30!or!more!include:!Icon!Architects;!The!London!Basement!Company;!Ashley!Fox!
Associates;!Cranbrook!Basements;!The!Basement!Design!Studio;!Paul!Blount!&!
Associates;!Jo!Cohen!Design;!Roxborough!Construction;!DNA!Architecture;!Lab!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!

!
19!
!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
!
Architects;!and!Hogarth!Architects.!Significant!players!in!mega!basement!
development!include:!Wolff!Architects;!Cranbrook!Basements;!23!Architecture;!
Scott!Brownrigg;!and!Timothy!Hatton!Architects.!!!
!
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20!
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23!
Figure(1:(Map(of(the(London(Boroughs(
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24!
Figure(2:(Visualization(of(the(Typology(of(Basements(
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!

!
25!
Figure(3:(A(Standard(Basement(Under(a(Terraced(or(a(Semi-Detached(
Property(
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!

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26!
Figure(4:(A(Standard(Basement(Under(a(Detached(House(
(
(
(

!
27!
Figure(5:(Two(Examples(of(a(Large(Sized(Basement(Under(a(Terraced(or(a(
Semi-Detached(Property((
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(
(

!
28!
Figure(6:(Two(Examples(of(Large(Sized(Basement(Under(
(a(Detached(Property((
(
(
(
(

!
29!
Figure(7:(Two(Examples(of(Mega(Sized(Basement(Under(a(Terraced(or(a(
Semi-Detached(Property((
(
(
(

!
30!
Figure(8:(Two(Examples(of(Mega(Sized(Basement(Under(Detached(Property((
(
(
(
(
(
(

!
31!
Figure(9:(Map(of(Hammersmith(&(Fulham(Basements(2008-2017(
(
Basement(Types(
(
(

!
32!
Figure(10:(Map(of(Kensington(&(Chelsea(Basements(2008-2017(
(
(
(
(
Basement(Types(
(
(

!
33!
Figure(11:(Map(of(Westminster(Basements(2008-2017(
(
(
(
(
Basement(Types(
(
(

!
34!
!"#$%&'(&)*+%&,*+-"."/01%&)2++".3&)/"/04/054&*6&/7%&)%1%6&8*.*2974&06&,*+-".04*6&/*&:.%"/%.&;*6<*6&&
=%"42.%&
,"+<%6&
>"++%.4+0/7&&
?&@2$7"+&
>".069%3&
A4$069/*6&
B%64069/*6&?&
,7%$4%"&
C"6<4D*./7&
C%4/+064/%.&
:.%"/%.&
;*6<*6&
Population!Estimate,!2017!
242,500!
185,300!
278,000!
231,200!
159,000!
321,000!
242,100!
8,835,500!
Household!Estimate,!2017!
107,654!
83,552!
115,608!
105,038!
80,200!
138,149!
118,975!
3,601,963!
Area!(hectares)!
2,179!
1,486!
2,960!
1,640!
1,212!
3,426!
2,149!
157,215!
Population!Density!(per!hectare),!2017!
111.3!
113.0!
93.9!
155.6!
131.1!
93.7!
112.7!
56.2!
Net!International!Migration,!2015!
7,504!
2,926!
6,675!
6,295!
2,234!
1,296!
10,763!
133,901!
Resident!Population!Born!Abroad,!2015!(%)!
41.4!
43.2!
39.6!
36.6!
51.9!
32.8!
49.8!
36.6!
Gross!Annual!Pay,!2016!(£s)!
39,796!
38,041!
31,063!
36,592!
-!
41,064!
42,141!
33,776!
Unemployment!Rate,!2015!
4.0!
4.7!
5.7!
4.5!
4.2!
5.7!
8.8!
6.1!
Median!House!Price,!2015!(£s)!
700,000!
730,000!
432,500!
583,000!
1,200,00
0!
557,000!
920,000!
399,950!
Social!Housing,!2014!(%)!
34.4!
25.9!
33.4!
35.3!
29.1!
19.3!
27.8!
23.1!
Area!Green!Space,!2005!(%)!
24.8!
19.1!
25.5!
12.4!
15.1!
26.9!
38.2!
38.3!
Largest!Migrant!Population!!
!
!
!
!
USA!
France!
!
!!
Poland!
Ireland!
USA!
Poland!
USA!
India!
Second!Largest!Migrant!Population!
Bangladesh!
Ireland!
Turkey!
Turkey!
France!
South!Africa!
France!
Poland!
Third!Large!Migrant!Population!
Ireland!
!
Australia!
Jamaica!
USA!
Italy!
Ireland!
Iraq!
Ireland!
&
Source:!https://data.london.gov.uk/dataset/london-borough-profiles.!

!
35!
!"#$%&'(&)"*%+%,-&./010*"$*&2"3%&'4456'478!
)0/09:;&
<9+#%/&0=&
>11$?@"-?0,*&
<9+#%/&A%B%@-%3&
C&
A%B%@-%3&
D"+3%,&
705!
60!
8.5!
E"++%/*+?-;&&F&G9$;"+&
1275!
29!
2.3!
E"/?,:%H&
356!
25!
7.0!
I*$?,:-0,&
350!
63!
18.0!
J%,*?,:-0,&F&D;%$*%"&
1300!
180!
13.8!
K",3*L0/-;&
980!
37!
3.8!
K%*-+?,*-%/&
904!
119!
13.2!
All#
5870#
513#
8.7#
!
!
!
!
!
!
!"#$%&M(&)"*%+%,-*&>11/0N%3&)%-L%%,&'4456'478&"*&"&.%/@%,-":%&0=&
<9+#%/&0=&E09*%;0$3*&?,&O"@;&)0/09:;P&'478&
!
)0/09:;&
<9+#%/&0=&
)"*%+%,-*&
<9+#%/& 0=&
E09*%;0$3*P&
'478&
)"*%+%,-*Q&
;09*%;0$3*&
D"+3%,&
597!
107,654!
0.55%!
E"++%/*+?-;&&F&G9$;"+&
1,147!
83,552!
1.37%!
E"/?,:%H&
320!
115,608!
0.28%!
I*$?,:-0,&
275!
105,038!
0.26%!
J%,*?,:-0,&F&D;%$*%"&
1,022!
80,200!
1.27%!
K",3*L0/-;&
611!
138,149!
0.44%!
K%*-+?,*-%/&
678!
118,975!
0.57%!
All#
4650#
749,176#
0.62%#
!
&

!
36!
!"#$%&R(&S?*-/?#9-?0,&0=&S?==%/%,-&!H1%*&0=&)"*%+%,-&>@/0**&-;%&)0/09:;*&
!
)"*%+%,-&!H1%&
!
)0/09:;&
T-",3"/3&
U"/:%&
2%:"&
!0-"$&
Terraced#
or#Semi-
Detached#
Detached#
Terraced#
or#Semi-
Detached#
Detached#
Terraced#
or#Semi-
Detached#
Detached#
Camden!
%#within#Borough#
%#within#Basement#Type#
%#of#Total!
385!
49!
97!
58!
2!
6!
597!
64.5%!
8.2%!
16.2%!
9.7%!
0.3%!
1.0%!
100.0%!
10.9%!
23.7%!
16.0%!
32.8%!
2.7%!
15.8%!
12.8%!
8.3%!
1.1%!
2.1%!
1.2%!
0.0%!
0.1%!
12.8%!
Hammersmith!&!Fulham!
%#within#Borough#
%#within#Basement#Type#
%#of#Total!
1103!
8!
31!
2!
3!
0!
1147!
96.2%!
0.7%!
2.7%!
0.2%!
0.3%!
0.0%!
100.0%!
31.1%!
3.9%!
5.1%!
1.1%!
4.1%!
0.0%!
24.7%!
23.7%!
0.2%!
0.7%!
0.0%!
0.1%!
0.0%!
24.7%!
Haringey!
%#within#Borough#
%#within#Basement#Type#
%#of#Total!
238!
41!
10!
31!
0!
0!
320!
74.4%!
12.8%!
3.1%!
9.7%!
0.0%!
0.0%!
100.0%!
6.7%!
19.8%!
1.6%!
17.5%!
0.0%!
0.0%!
6.9%!
5.1%!
0.9%!
0.2%!
0.7%!
0.0%!
0.0%!
6.9%!
Islington!
%#within#Borough#
%#within#Basement#Type#
%#of#Total!
240!
9!
25!
1!
0!
0!
275!
87.3%!
3.3%!
9.1%!
0.4%!
0.0%!
0.0%!
100.0%!
6.8%!
4.3%!
4.1%!
0.6%!
0.0%!
0.0%!
5.9%!
5.2%!
0.2%!
0.5%!
0.0%!
0.0%!
0.0%!
5.9%!
Kensington!&!Chelsea!
%#within#Borough#
%#within#Basement#Type#
%#of#Total!
654!
22!
252!
27!
48!
19!
1022!
64.0%!
2.2%!
24.7%!
2.6%!
4.7%!
1.9%!
100.0%!
18.4%!
10.6%!
41.4%!
15.3%!
64.9%!
50.0%!
22.0%!
14.1%!
0.5%!
5.4%!
0.6%!
1.0%!
0.4%!
22.0%!
Wandsworth!
%#within#Borough#
%#within#Basement#Type#
%#of#Total!
536!
38!
19!
18!
0!
0!
611!
87.7%!
6.2%!
3.1%!
2.9%!
0.0%!
0.0%!
100.0%!
15.1%!
18.4%!
3.1%!
10.2%!
0.0%!
0.0%!
13.1%!
11.5%!
0.8%!
0.4%!
0.4%!
0.0%!
0.0%!
13.1%!
Westminster!
%#within#Borough#
%#within#Basement#Type#
%#of#Total!
390!
40!
174!
40!
21!
13!
678!
57.5%!
5.9%!
25.7%!
5.9%!
3.1%!
1.9%!
100.0%!
11.0%!
19.3%!
28.6%!
22.6%!
28.4%!
34.2%!
14.6%!
8.4%!
0.9%!
3.7%!
0.9%!
0.5%!
0.3%!
14.6%!
Total!
%#within#Borough#
%#within#Basement#Type!
3546!
207!
608!
177!
74!
38!
4650!
76.3%!
4.5%!
13.1%!
3.8%!
1.6%!
0.8%!
100.0%!
100.0%!
100.0%!
100.0%!
100.0%!
100.0%!
100.0%!
100.0%!

!
37!
!"#$%&V(&S?*-/?#9-?0,&0=&S?==%/%,-&T?W%*&0=&)"*%+%,-&>@/0**&-;%&)0/09:;*&
&
&
&
!
!
)0/09:;&
T-",3"/3&
U"/:%&
2%:"&
!0-"$&
Camden!
%#within#Borough#
%#within#Basement#Type#
%#of#Total!
434!
155!
8!
597!
72.7%!
26.0%!
1.3%!
100.0%!
11.6%!
19.7%!
7.1%!
12.8%!
9.3%!
3.3%!
0.2%!
12.8%!
Hammersmith!&!Fulham!
%#within#Borough#
%#within#Basement#Type#
%#of#Total!
1111!
33!
3!
1147!
96.9%!
2.9%!
0.3%!
100.0%!
29.6%!
4.2%!
2.7%!
24.7%!
23.9%!
0.7%!
0.1%!
24.7%!
Haringey!
%#within#Borough#
%#within#Basement#Type#
%#of#Total!
279!
41!
0!
320!
87.2%!
12.8%!
0.0%!
100.0%!
7.4%!
5.2%!
0.0%!
6.9%!
6.0%!
0.9%!
0.0%!
6.9%!
Islington!
%#within#Borough#
%#within#Basement#Type#
%#of#Total!
249!
26!
0!
275!
90.5%!
9.5%!
0.0%!
100.0%!
6.6%!
3.3%!
0.0%!
5.9%!
5.4%!
0.6%!
0.0%!
5.9%!
Kensington!&!Chelsea!
%#within#Borough#
%#within#Basement#Type#
%#of#Total!
676!
279!
67!
1022!
66.1%!
27.3%!
6.6%!
100.0%!
18.0%!
35.5%!
59.8%!
22.0%!
14.5%!
6.0%!
1.4%!
22.0%!
Wandsworth!
%#within#Borough#
%#within#Basement#Type#
%#of#Total!
574!
37!
0!
611!
93.9%!
6.1%!
0.0%!
100.0%!
15.3%!
4.7%!
0.0%!
13.1%!
12.3%!
0.8%!
0.0%!
13.1%!
Westminster!
%#within#Borough#
%#within#Basement#Type#
%#of#Total!
430!
214!
34!
678!
63.4%!
31.6%!
5.0%!
100.0%!
11.5%!
27.3%!
30.4%!
14.6%!
9.2%!
4.6%!
0.7%!
14.6%!
Total!
%#within#Borough#
%#within#Basement#Type!
3753!
785!
112!
4650!
80.7%!
16.9%!
2.4%!
100.0%!
100.0%!
100.0%!
100.0%!
100.0%!

!
38!
Table&6:&Most&Popular&Amenities&by&Basement&Type&
&
&
Gym&
Media&
Room&
Cinema&
Wine&
Cellar&
Pool&
Games&
Room&
Steam&
or&
Sauna&
Staff&
Space&
Spa&
Garage&or&
Car&Park&
Total&
Standard&
Terraced'
or'Semi-
Detached&
579!
16.3%!
444!
12.5%!
248!
7.0%!
241!
6.8%!
6!
0.2%!
211!
6.0%!
47!
1.3%!
39!
1.1%!
29!
0.8%!
15!
0.4%!
3546&
Detached&
59!
28.5%!
9!
4.3%!
30!
14.5%!
33!
15.9%!
1!
0.5%!
35!
16.9%!
10!
4.8%!
13!
6.3%!
2!
1.0%!
9!
4.3%!
207&
Large&
Terraced'
or'Semi-
Detached&
200!
32.9%!
69!
11.3%!
103!
16.9%!
61!
10.0%!
154!
25.3%!
44!
7.2%!
79!
13.0%!
19!
3.1%!
13!
2.1%!
11!
1.8%!
608&
Detached&
99!
55.9%!
12!
6.8%!
47!
26.6%!
30!
16.9%!
122!
68.9%!
33!
18.6%!
63!
35.6%!
25!
14.1%!
10!
5.6%!
14!
7.9%!
177&
Mega&
Terraced'
or'Semi-
Detached&
37!
50.0%!
9!
12.2%!
16!
21.6%!
12!
16.2%!
56!
75.7%!
10!
13.5%!
26!
35.1%!
11!
14.9%!
3!
4.1%!
8!
10.8%!
74&
Detached&
22!
57.9%!
4!
10.5%!
12!
31.6%!
4!
10.5%!
35!
92.1%!
7!
18.4%!
17!
44.7%!
8!
21.1%!
3!
7.9%!
6!
15.8%!
38&
&
N'
%'
996'
21.4%'
'
547'
11.8%'
456'
9.8%'
381'
8.2%'
374'
8.0%'
340'
7.3%'
242'
5.2%'
115'
2.5%'
60'
1.3%'
63'
1.4%'
4650'
100%'
&
&
&

!
39!
&
Table&7:&Some&Less&Common&Amenities&by&Basement&Type&
&
&
Bar&
Library&
Music&
Room&
Treatment&
Room&
Art&
Massage&
Room&
Jacuzzi&
Pilates&or&
Yoga&
Hair&
Salon&
Total&
Standard&
Terraced'
or'Semi-
Detached&
11!
0.3%!
25!
0.7%!
18!
0.5%!
5!
0.1%!
7!
0.2%!
2!
0.1%!
4!
0.1%!
5!
0.1%!
0!
0.0%!
3546&
Detached&
3!
1.4%!
6!
2.9%!
5!
2.4%!
1!
0.5%!
1!
0.5%!
0!
0.0%!
1!
0.5%!
2!
1.0%!
0!
0.0%!
207&
Large&
Terraced'
or'Semi-
Detached&
13!
2.1%!
6!
1.0%!
4!
0.7%!
6!
1.0%!
1!
0.2%!
2!
0.3%!
4!
0.7%!
2!
0.3%!
0!
0.0%!
608&
Detached&
8!
4.5%!
2!
1.1%!
1!
0.6%!
7!
4.0%!
2!
1.1%!
7!
4.0%!
6!
3.4%!
2!
1.1%!
4!
2.3%!
177&
Mega&
Terraced'
or'Semi-
Detached&
5!
6.8%!
0!
0.0%!
1!
1.4%!
3!
4.1%!
5!
6.8%!
0!
0.0%!
0!
0.0%!
2!
2.7%!
1!
1.4%!
74&
Detached&
2!
5.3%!
1!
2.6%!
0!
0.0%!
4!
10.5%!
2!
5.3%!
4!
10.5%!
0!
0.0%!
2!
5.3%!
2!
5.3%!
38&
&
N'
%'
42'
0.9%'
40'
0.9%'
29'
0.6%'
26'
0.6%'
18'
0.4%'
15'
0.3%'
15'
0.3%'
15'
0.3%'
7'
0.2%'
4650'
100%'
&
&
&