Renovations in Belsize Park, NW3.

Building in Belsize Park.

Belsize Park was laid out in the 1850s as a suburb of paired stucco villas with generous gardens, between Hampstead to the north and Primrose Hill to the south. The villas survive in long, leafy streets, many divided into flats, alongside Edwardian mansion blocks and post-war infill.

It is one of the most active refurbishment markets in north London: reuniting houses that were split into flats, refurbishing garden and first-floor maisonettes, and adding rear extensions and basements beneath the villas. Camden's Belsize guidance shapes what is possible on each street.

The Belsize Conservation Area covers most of the district.