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Rows of brick terraced houses and gardens on a residential street

City of London, London

Change of use drawings in the City of London

In the Square Mile the permitted route from offices to homes is closed, and has been for years. Our change of use drawings in the City of London start from £879, and we draw the full application the Corporation expects, with the evidence it asks for.

From £679 drawings + £200 survey (£879 total), no VAT to add

  • MCIAT chartered
  • £2m PI insured
  • LABC Partnered
  • Fixed fees, no VAT to add

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We use it to check conservation areas and constraints.
Pick the council that decides your application.
A few lines: what you want to build, and anything the council has already said.
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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 change of use drawings

    Seven 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. Design options

      We model the house in Revit and show you options in 3D and plan, with the planning strategy and the precedents in your street.

    4. Design frozen

      You choose an option in writing. Nothing changes after this without your say.

    5. Independent check

      A second chartered technologist checks every sheet against the council's validation checklist and the policy. A senior review signs it off before anything is submitted.

    6. Submission

      We prepare the forms, certificates, fee and documents and submit through the Planning Portal.

    7. Officer liaison

      We answer the planning officer and make any amendments within five working days, at no charge until approval.

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

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    An exemption that covers the whole City

    The Corporation's change of use page opens with the position: offices to residential needs planning permission. It adds that the Corporation has adopted an Article 4 direction to allow this.

    The direction itself is specific about what it removes: Class E(g)(i) offices to C3, direction of 23 July 2021. It covers offices, the use that matters in the City, and it removes the Class MA right. A conversion of an office is therefore a full planning application, assessed against the City's policies on protecting office floorspace.

    Other Class E uses, such as a shop or restaurant on a ground floor, are outside the direction, so they follow the national route: Class E to C3 by prior approval after 2 years' continuous Class E use.

    Georgian brick terrace with sash windows, arched fanlight doorways, stone steps and iron railings in London

    Local figures for City of London

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    The City is exempted from the national permitted right to change offices to residential: the Corporation has adopted an Article 4 direction under which planning permission is needed for the change (page updated 9 June 2025).offices to residential needs planning permission—cityoflondon.gov.uk, Council page: Change of use, opening paragraph
    The direction dated 23 July 2021 applies to land shown on its plan and removes the Class MA right for a change of use from offices (Class E(g)(i)) to dwellinghouses (C3).Class E(g)(i) offices to C3, direction of 23 July 2021—cityoflondon.gov.uk, Article 4 Direction 23 July 2021, first and second schedules
    Sch 2 Pt 3 Class MA, para MA.1(1)(b)Class E to C3 by prior approval after 2 years' continuous Class E use—legislation.gov.uk
    GPDO 2015 art 3(9A)Homes created under PD must meet the nationally described space standard—legislation.gov.uk
    Approved Document E 2003 incl. 2015, Table 0.1aSeparating walls 43 dB DnT,w+Ctr (min); floors and stairs 43 dB airborne (min), 64 dB L'nT,w impact (max) for dwellings formed by material change of use—gov.uk
    Change of use of a building to one or more separate dwellinghouses, not more than 10: per dwellinghouse, from 1 Apr 2026610 GBP per dwelling—ribblevalley.gov.uk
    Households living in a house2 % of households living in a house or bungalow (detached, semi-detached or terraced)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
    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
    Minor applications decided in time93.1 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.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
    Which application your project needsLawful Development Certificate decision: 8 weeks. Prior approval decision: 42 days. Householder decision: 8 weeksYour projectWithin permitted development?Lawful Development CertificatePrior approvalHouseholder applicationYesLarger rear extensionNoABC

    Which application your project needs

    The usual route for a house; flats and listed buildings follow other rules.

    A · Lawful Development Certificate decision
    8 weeks
    B · Prior approval decision
    42 days
    C · Householder decision
    8 weeks

    What the application must answer

    Because office floorspace is the policy concern, the application should show the building's use history, its marketing record where relevant and what is lost and gained in floor area. Our drawings mark the existing and proposed area of every floor, so the officer can read the change without a scale rule.

    The Corporation's page lists what a change of use submission needs beyond the standard forms, including a site location plan at a stated scale and full drawings, and we prepare those as part of the set.

    A small residential population

    Only 2 per cent of City households live in houses, and the area has 28 conservation areas and 637 list entries. Converting a listed office building means listed building consent for the internal work as well.

    Homes created by change of use must meet the space standard: Homes created under PD must meet the nationally described space standard. Between floors, Separating walls 43 dB DnT,w+Ctr (min); floors and stairs 43 dB airborne (min), 64 dB L'nT,w impact (max) for dwellings formed by material change of use, which is a real cost in twentieth-century office blocks.

    The council's record and fees

    The Corporation decided 173 minor applications in the latest published year, granted 97.1 per cent and decided 93.1 per cent in time.

    The fee to change a building to separate dwellings is £610 each in a scheme of not more than ten, paid to the council.

    Next steps

    For the wider service see architectural drawings in the City of London, and for splitting a larger home into flats see flat conversion drawings in the City of London.

    What you receive

    Planning drawing sheet for a rear extension with plans, elevations and sections
    Sample drawing. Planning drawings for a rear extension: plans, elevations and sections on one sheet set.
    Brick cottage with a tiled roof, chimneys and a front dormer window
    The street around you
    Move across the plinth — the blocks rise around the pointer.

    Other services in City of London

    Change of use drawings nearby

    Questions

    Can I convert a City office to homes under permitted development?

    No. The Corporation's page records: offices to residential needs planning permission.

    What does the City's direction remove?

    Class E(g)(i) offices to C3, direction of 23 July 2021.

    What does the council charge for homes created by change of use?

    £610 for each dwelling in a scheme of not more than ten.

    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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