London Central Mosque · Westminster · 2026
Planning permission and listed building consent for repaving the courtyard of a Grade II* listed mosque.
Replacement of the hard landscaping to the central courtyard of Sir Frederick Gibberd’s mosque in Regent’s Park, to stop water reaching the structure below. The work had already begun, so the applications were part retrospective. Heritage Unlimited acted as agent, produced the drawings and Heritage Statement, and both consents were granted.
The Islamic Cultural Centre and London Central Mosque was built between 1970 and 1977 to the competition-winning design of Sir Frederick Gibberd and Partners, on a courtyard plan beneath a gold-coloured dome and minaret. It was listed at Grade II* in 2018 and stands within the Grade I registered landscape of Regent’s Park and the Regent’s Park Conservation Area.
Water passing through the courtyard paving had been damaging the structure beneath for some time, and work to replace the surface had started. About half of the courtyard had been relaid when the work was paused so that the necessary consents could be obtained. Heritage Unlimited was instructed in January 2026 to prepare and submit part retrospective applications, against a tight deadline agreed with the council. Planning permission and listed building consent were granted by Westminster City Council in May 2026.
- Property
- London Central Mosque, Park Road, London NW8
- Listing
- Grade II*
- Location
- Regent’s Park, London
- Authority
- Westminster City Council
- Year
- 2026
- Outcome
- Planning permission and listed building consent granted (part retrospective)
Six weeks from instruction to submission.
Work that has started without consent on a listed building needs to be regularised quickly and properly. We were appointed at the end of January 2026 and visited the following day. There was no architect on the project, so Heritage Unlimited acted as agent, agreed the programme with the council’s officer, and commissioned a laser measured survey of the courtyard and the structure beneath.
From the survey we produced the full drawing set: location and block plans, floor plans as existing, as built and as proposed, a plan of defects, paving details and a section. The applications were submitted on 5 March 2026, a day inside the agreed deadline.
What matters in a courtyard of 1977.
The mosque is of very high significance, and the courtyard is an important part of Gibberd’s plan. The list entry is careful, however, about where the special interest lies, and it describes the courtyard as modestly paved in concrete slab. Our assessment found the original paving deteriorated and already altered, and of lesser interest than the dome, the minaret and the arcades that enclose the space.
The courtyard is enclosed on all sides, so the works have no effect on the registered park or the conservation area. The Heritage Statement set out the significance of the building, recorded the defects against a keyed plan, and weighed the loss of the original concrete slabs, replaced with porcelain paving, against the benefit of protecting the building’s structure and keeping the courtyard in use.
Enough detail to decide, with nothing left to condition.
Applications of this kind are often approved subject to later agreement of materials and details, which would have delayed completion of the half-finished courtyard. We asked for the full specification at the outset, covering the paving, the screed, the retained damp-proof layer and the new perimeter drainage, and included the evidence of water damage so that the need for the work was clear.
Planning permission (26/01435/FULL) and listed building consent (26/01436/LBC) were granted on 15 May 2026. Eighty-one neighbours were consulted and none responded. The officer’s report found the new surface appropriate in design and material and accepted that replacement was needed to prevent water ingress. No condition requiring further details or samples was imposed.
What we did
Two services, one outcome.
Listed Building Consent
We acted as agent for the part retrospective planning and listed building consent applications, commissioned the measured survey and produced the drawing set.
About Listed Building Consent →Heritage Statements
The Heritage Statement assessed the significance of the mosque and its courtyard and recorded the defects that made the work necessary.
About Heritage Statements →Work started on a listed building without consent?
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We act as agent for listed building consent applications across England and Wales, including retrospective applications and work to places of worship. Send us the details and you will have a response within one working day.
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