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City of London, London

Building services design in the City of London

The Square Mile has very few homes, and the ones it has are mostly flats in towers, in the Barbican or above shops. Services there are bound up with a lease, a managing agent and often a listed building. We provide building services design for City of London homes: heating, hot water, ventilation, power and drainage planned as one system inside a space you do not fully control. Fixed quote after a free constraints check.

Fixed quote after a free constraints check

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We use it to check conservation areas and constraints.
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    Architectural model of a four-storey London stucco townhouse in its terrace, with a portico, area railings, sash windows, a cornice and chimney stacks
    The house as it stands: four storeys over a lower ground floor.Existing Proposed worksAn illustrative model, built for this page.

    How we work on building services design

    Four steps from first call to approval.

    The same model cut through the middle: every floor, the stair, the chimney breasts, the new mansard, rear extension and basement in section
    Section through the model: every floor on one datum.

    1. Enquiry and constraints check

      We check the property against conservation areas, listed status, Article 4 directions, tree preservation orders, flood zone and planning history. We choose the right route and send a fixed quote.

    2. Measured survey

      We survey the house on one datum: rooms, levels, boundaries, drains, trees and the neighbours' windows that the 45° and 25° tests depend on.

    3. Building regulations

      Technical drawings are coordinated with the structural engineer's calculations, the drainage and the planning conditions.

    4. Approval and hand-over

      Building control approval, then a next-steps pack covering the commencement notice, party wall timing and CIL.

    Free redraws until approval. Every drawing set is checked independently, and the checker is never the person who drew it.

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    Pencil resting on a dimensioned technical drawing beside a scale rule

    What the City of London asks for on services

    The City publishes its planning application requirements by size of scheme, and the services documents sit in the major applications list. The Energy Statement may be needed for major applications; GLA energy assessment guidance, and it must show predicted energy demand and carbon savings. The Sustainability Statement is listed for the same category: BREEAM pre-assessment; major applications.

    A flat refurbishment is not a major application, so neither document will usually be asked for. What matters is the lease, the freeholder's licence for alterations and building control. The City's list is still useful because it shows the order of thinking: how much energy the home needs, how it is supplied, and how the design limits both.

    The reference to the Code for Sustainable Homes in the sustainability item is an example of a document that has since been withdrawn nationally. We write to current practice and mention the older name only when a council document uses it.

    Two-storey rear extension under construction on a semi-detached house

    Local figures for City of London

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    Major applications may need an Energy Statement showing predicted energy demand, CO2 savings and the degree to which energy-efficiency and emissions targets are met, following the GLA guidance on preparing energy assessments.major applications; GLA energy assessment guidance—cityoflondon.gov.uk, City of London: Planning application requirements, Major applications (page updated 9 June 2025), web page, 'Energy Statement' item
    Major applications may need a Sustainability Statement covering sustainable design and construction for demolition, construction and long-term management, including a BREEAM or Code for Sustainable Homes pre-assessment (the Code is withdrawn nationally).BREEAM pre-assessment; major applications—cityoflondon.gov.uk, City of London: Planning application requirements, Major applications (page updated 9 June 2025), web page, 'Sustainability Statement' item
    Households4,914Census 2021 (21 March 2021)nomisweb.co.uk
    Households living in a house2 % of households living in a house or bungalow (detached, semi-detached or terraced)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Owner-occupied households36.5 % of households owner-occupied (owned outright or with mortgage/loan)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Conservation areas28 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Listed building entries637 list entries (Historic England, within the LPA boundary)—planning.data.gov.uk
    Scheduled monuments53 scheduled monuments intersecting the LPA boundary (Historic England)—planning.data.gov.uk
    Article 4 directions1 Article 4 directions published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Heritage at Risk entries5 Heritage at Risk Register entries within the LPA boundary (Historic England)—planning.data.gov.uk
    Minor application decisions173 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor applications granted97.1 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    AD L Vol 1 (2021 incl 2023) Table 4.1, PDF p.34; 2026 edition Table 3.11.6 W/(m2.K)—gov.uk
    AD F Vol 1 (2021), Table 1.1 intermittent extract, PDF p.16; 2026 edition Table 1.130 l/s—gov.uk
    AD F Vol 1 (2021), Table 1.1 intermittent extract, PDF p.16; 2026 edition Table 1.115 l/s—gov.uk

    A blank value means the figure has not been published, not that there are none. Check your own address with the council.

    Councils bordering City of London
    Building regulations, layer by layerPart A: structure: Approved Document A: Structure, 2004 edition incorporating 2004, 2010 and 2013 amendments. Part B: fire safety: All dwellings: fire detection and alarm system minimum Grade D2 Category LD3 (BS 5839-6), mains-operated smoke alarms to BS EN 14604. Part L: insulation: New elements in existing dwellings, limiting U-values W/(m²·K): roof 0.15, wall 0.18, floor 0.18, windows 1.4 (or WER Band B), doors 1.4. Part K: stairs: 2.0 m clear headroom over stairs. Full plans application: Building control body must decide a full plans application within 5 weeks, or longer if agreed in writingPart A: structurePart B: fire safetyPart L: insulationPart K: stairsFull plans applicationABCDE

    Building regulations, layer by layer

    The Approved Documents that shape most house projects, from structure to the application itself.

    A · Part A: structure
    Approved Document A: Structure, 2004 edition incorporating 2004, 2010 and 2013 amendments
    B · Part B: fire safety
    All dwellings: fire detection and alarm system minimum Grade D2 Category LD3 (BS 5839-6), mains-operated smoke alarms to BS EN 14604
    C · Part L: insulation
    New elements in existing dwellings, limiting U-values W/(m²·K): roof 0.15, wall 0.18, floor 0.18, windows 1.4 (or WER Band B), doors 1.4
    D · Part K: stairs
    2.0 m clear headroom over stairs
    E · Full plans application
    Building control body must decide a full plans application within 5 weeks, or longer if agreed in writing

    A residential borough in miniature

    The City has 4,914 households, and only 2 per cent of them live in a house. Of those households, 36.5 per cent are owner-occupied. Almost every job is a flat, a maisonette or a live-work unit.

    In a flat we start with the building's own services. A heat network or a communal riser may already serve the block, and the lease will say what you can and cannot connect to. Where a fan must discharge through a communal facade, or a new bathroom needs a stack through a neighbour's void, the drawing marks the route so the managing agent can approve it from a plan.

    Fabric and ventilation numbers still matter. A new window is limited to 1.6 W/m²K, a kitchen extract venting outside needs 30 l/s and a bathroom 15 l/s. In a sealed tower flat those numbers define how much plant space the layout needs.

    Noise and vibration need a line of their own. Plant on a shared floor slab or a wall that touches a neighbour's bedroom can generate complaints long after the work is signed off. We note the preferred plant positions, suggest isolation mounts where a fan or pump must sit on the structure, and keep the loudest items as far from sleeping areas as the plan allows.

    Heritage designations that affect plant and routes

    The City has 28 conservation areas, 637 listed building entries and 53 scheduled monuments in a very small area. It also has 1 Article 4 direction, and Historic England lists 5 places in the borough on its Heritage at Risk Register.

    The Barbican Estate is listed, and the council keeps listed building management guidelines for it, with a volume given to the residential flats. A new extract terminal, a replacement window or an external condenser on a Barbican facade is therefore a design-and-consent question, and we advise on what is likely to pass before the drawings are finished.

    Below ground, the City's archaeology is a separate consideration. Trenching for a new drain or a cable in a ground-floor unit may meet old foundations, and we flag the risk early.

    What you receive and how it is used

    Our package is a services strategy note, a heat-loss summary, plant and riser positions in the model, and coordination sheets against the structure. The City decided 173 minor applications in its latest year, granting 97.1 per cent, so most services work is dealt with through the lease and building control, not planning.

    The set sits beside our building regulations drawings in the City of London. For detailed layouts, see our M&E drawings in the City of London, and for the heating design behind them, MEP design in the City of London. Wider borough context is in architectural drawings in the City of London.

    We design and draw. An installer fits and certifies. Send us the plans and the lease details and we will give a fixed quote after a free constraints check.

    Timing matters in a managed building too. A freeholder may only allow noisy works on certain days, and a lift or a loading bay may have to be booked in advance. We list the access and programme points that affect services work on the first sheet, so the builder can plan around them.

    What you receive

    Building regulations section drawing showing the construction build-up
    Sample drawing. Building regulations section showing construction build-up for a building control check.
    House extension under construction with scaffolding, new glazed doors and building materials
    Every layer specified
    Move across to open the layers; move down to pick one.

    Other services in City of London

    Building services design nearby

    Questions

    Do I need an energy statement for a City of London flat refurbishment?

    No, the City lists the statement for major applications. A flat refurbishment is usually handled through the lease, the freeholder and building control.

    Can I add an extract fan to a Barbican flat?

    It depends on the estate's guidelines and your lease. We draw the proposed terminal and route so you can ask the managing agent and the council with a clear drawing.

    Is there a heat network I could join?

    Some buildings have one. We check what serves your block before we design a separate heat source.

    How is the work priced?

    Fixed quote after a free constraints check, based on the number of systems and floors.

    Sources and dates

    City of London skyline glowing at dusk across the Thames under a dramatic orange sky

    Tell us about your property.

    We check the constraints, then send a fixed fee. Messages before 3pm get a reply the same working day.

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