Architectural drawings in Tower Hamlets

Family homes and conversions into flats

The council protects larger homes. It allows a family house to be converted only on one condition (3-plus bed unit retained), and the retained family unit should have access to a private garden where applicable. A plan that shows two small flats and no family unit will be refused on the first read.

We therefore start flat conversion drawings in Tower Hamlets from the retained family unit and work outwards. Garden access, entrance arrangements and unit sizes are settled in the options stage, long before a planning fee is paid.

Space for outdoor living is also tested: a new dwelling needs private outdoor space of 5 sq m (+1 sq m per extra occupant); 1500 mm min width/depth. In a borough where gardens cover only 7.4 per cent of the land, balconies and terraces carry real weight.

Heritage on a scale few boroughs match

Tower Hamlets has 59 conservation areas, 64 Article 4 directions and 2 World Heritage Sites reaching into its boundary. Historic England lists 916 buildings here, with 21 at Grade I and 39 at Grade II*, and 39 entries are on the Heritage at Risk Register.

In practice, a street can be inside a conservation area and an Article 4 direction at once, and the combination changes what a window, a roof or a front wall may be. We check every layer and put the result in a single written note.

Any application that affects a listed building or a conservation area also needs a heritage impact statement, so we include a short one with the drawings and keep it proportionate to the work.

Flood zones and ground-floor work

A householder application in an Environment Agency flood zone of medium or high probability that includes a basement or ground-floor extension needs a flood risk assessment, covering drainage and safe access. The zone check is therefore a standard first step on any ground-floor job.

Basements need a basement impact assessment under the local plan. If a basement is on your list, we flag the assessment at the first reply so you can budget for the engineer's input before you commit to the idea.

How the council has been deciding

Tower Hamlets decided 191 householder applications in its latest year and granted 92.7 per cent. It decided 95.8 per cent on time.

Prior approval for larger home extensions was rarely used: 3 granted and 4 refused. The council also issued 136 lawful development certificates.

These counts describe the past, and we do not treat them as a forecast. Prior approval is a small part of the picture here, and a formal certificate is the usual way to confirm permitted work; see our Lawful Development Certificate page.

Tenure, prices and the levy

Of 120,539 households, just 23.1 per cent own their home. The average flat sold for £430,120 and the average terraced house for £690,210, so the premium for a house is steep and a family home is worth protecting.

The Mayor's levy is band 2, 72.73 pounds per square metre once indexed, and the council's own charge under the Tower Hamlets CIL2 Charging Schedule 2020 is £335.33/m² (Zone 1); £179.64/m² (Zone 2); £59.88/m² (Zone 3). We show new floor area on the drawings so you can estimate both.

Begin with planning drawings in Tower Hamlets or loft conversion drawings in Tower Hamlets.

Architectural drawings in Tower Hamlets: how we work

If you own across a border, see our hubs for Newham, Hackney and Southwark.

We survey, model in Revit and present options in 3D. A second technologist checks the set before submission, and redraws requested by the officer cost nothing extra.