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Brick cottage with a tiled roof, chimneys and a front dormer window

Newham, London

Change of use drawings in Newham

Newham's list of Article 4 directions is short: shared houses and some conservation areas, and nothing on shops and offices. Our change of use drawings in Newham start from £879, and that short list changes how we advise an investor: prior approval is the usual route for commercial buildings, planning for houses.

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

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  • 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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    What the council's list shows

    The council's Article 4 page says what is currently in place and the finding for commercial conversions is no Class E direction listed. The national route therefore applies: Class E to C3 by prior approval after 2 years' continuous Class E use.

    The council has 56 days to decide a prior approval and may consider only the matters the Order lists. Newham sits partly in the area once covered by the London Legacy Development Corporation, so confirm which authority decides your site.

    A short list does not mean a risk-free one. A planning condition on an earlier consent, a listing or a lease can still prevent the change, and we check the history before the survey.

    Rear view of brick terraced houses in London with slate roofs and chimney stacks along the shared roofline

    Local figures for Newham

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    The council's Article 4 page lists only the HMO direction and directions in some conservation areas; it lists no direction removing the Class E to dwellings right.no Class E direction listed—newham.gov.uk, Council page: Article 4 Directions, list of directions
    A borough-wide Article 4 Direction, introduced on 31 July 2013, requires planning permission to convert a single-household home to a small HMO (3-6 occupants).borough-wide, from 31 July 2013—newham.gov.uk, Newham Local Plan 2018, p.141, justification to Policy H1
    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
    Sch 2 Pt 3 para W(11)(c)56 days—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
    TCPA 1990 s55(3)(a)Using a single dwellinghouse as two or more dwellinghouses is a material change of use—legislation.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 house47.1 % of households living in a house or bungalow (detached, semi-detached or terraced)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Minor application decisions407 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor applications granted78.9 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor applications decided in time92.6 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Conservation areas9 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.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 Newham
    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

    Houses and shared houses

    The direction that does exist is on houses turned into small HMOs, and it is borough-wide, from 31 July 2013. A shared house of three to six people therefore needs a planning application anywhere in the borough. See HMO conversion drawings in Newham.

    Newham has 47.1 per cent of households in houses, so the stock for conversion is largely terraced family homes, and splitting a house into flats is its own route: Using a single dwellinghouse as two or more dwellinghouses is a material change of use. See flat conversion drawings in Newham.

    What a conversion must meet

    New homes 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.

    We test both on the survey, and show the floor area of every unit on the plan, so the prior approval or application can be checked without measuring the drawing.

    The council's record and fees

    Newham decided 407 minor applications in the latest published year, granted 78.9 per cent and decided 92.6 per cent in time. It has 9 conservation areas.

    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 borough overview see architectural drawings in Newham. The prior approval drawings page lists what a submission contains.

    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.
    Pencil resting on a dimensioned technical drawing beside a scale rule
    The street around you
    Move across the plinth — the blocks rise around the pointer.

    Other services in Newham

    Change of use drawings nearby

    Questions

    Does Newham have a Class E to homes Article 4 direction?

    The council's page records: no Class E direction listed.

    Does a small HMO need consent in Newham?

    Yes: the direction is borough-wide, from 31 July 2013.

    How long does prior approval take?

    The council has 56 days to decide.

    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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