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Tower Hamlets, London

Double-storey extension drawings in Tower Hamlets

Double-storey extension drawings for Tower Hamlets homes start at £1,295 including VAT. Houses are rare here, at 12 per cent of households, so the houses that can take a second storey are few, and many sit in protected streets. The council's test is about neighbours: privacy, outlook, daylight and enclosure.

From £1,295 (VAT included)

  • MCIAT chartered
  • £2m PI insured
  • LABC Partnered
  • Fixed fees, VAT included

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We use it to check conservation areas and constraints.
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    House extension under construction with scaffolding, new glazed doors and building materials

    How Tower Hamlets judges a double-storey extension

    The council's test for a two-storey addition is not a depth in metres. It is in the Tower Hamlets Local Plan 2031: Managing Growth and Sharing the Benefits, in the policy on extensions: they must maintain privacy, outlook and daylight and sunlight to neighbours, and must avoid an unacceptable increase in the sense of enclosure. Each of those four words is a separate check on a second storey.

    That puts the burden on the evidence in the drawings. Where the guidance gives no number, the application has to show the effect on the neighbour: sections through the gap, window positions on both sides, and a view of how the new wall appears from the next garden or yard. We build these into the model first, and the design follows from what they show.

    In a dense terrace one answer is a part-width upper floor, stepped away from the shared boundary, with windows placed to avoid direct views. The drawings make that argument visible, and they also show the officer what has been considered and rejected. We would rather answer them on the sheet than in correspondence.

    Brick house being extended, with a wide new opening supported over the ground floor

    Local figures for Tower Hamlets

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    Conservation areas59 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Article 4 directions64 Article 4 directions published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Article 4 direction areas63 Article 4 direction area polygons published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Listed building entries916 list entries (Historic England, within the LPA boundary)—planning.data.gov.uk
    Tree preservation orders72 tree preservation orders published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Domestic gardens share of land (GLUD 2005)7.4 % of land that is domestic garden (GLUD 2005)2005data.london.gov.uk
    Householder decisions191 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications granted92.7 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications decided in time95.8 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Class A, para A.2(c)No rear extension of more than one storey under PD on article 2(3) land—legislation.gov.uk
    Approved Document B Vol 1, 2019 ed. incl. 2026 amendments, para 2.10Escape window: unobstructed openable area at least 0.33 m², at least 450 mm high and 450 mm wide, bottom of opening no more than 1100 mm above floor—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 Tower Hamlets
    The 45-degree test in planTest used in daylight assessments: 45 degrees (plan and elevation)A

    The 45-degree test in plan

    A line from the middle of the neighbour's nearest window: the extension should stay behind it.

    A · Test used in daylight assessments
    45 degrees (plan and elevation)

    Conservation areas, Article 4 and listed streets

    The borough has 59 conservation areas and has published 64 Article 4 directions, drawn over 63 mapped areas. For a protected area the national rule is: No rear extension of more than one storey under PD on article 2(3) land. For an address inside one, permitted development for a second storey is off the table.

    Listed building entries total 916. For a listed house the first step is consent for the work, not the extension design, and we would raise that at the first call.

    Trees, yards and small plots

    Domestic gardens cover only about 7.4 per cent of the land in Tower Hamlets. With so little garden land, a second storey sits close to neighbouring windows and yards, which is exactly what the policy tests.

    The borough records 72 tree preservation orders. Where a protected tree stands in or beside the plot, its roots and canopy can fix the footprint before the upper floor is considered.

    How Tower Hamlets decides householder applications

    In its latest published year the council decided 191 householder applications. It granted 92.7 per cent and decided 95.8 per cent within eight weeks or an agreed extension.

    The total is small, and a small total means the average can move a lot from year to year, so we would not treat it as a forecast.

    Upper-floor requirements we draw in

    A new first-floor bedroom needs an escape window: Escape window: unobstructed openable area at least 0.33 m², at least 450 mm high and 450 mm wide, bottom of opening no more than 1100 mm above floor. Windows in a side wall must meet this condition: Upper-floor side windows obscure-glazed and non-opening below 1.7 m above floor.

    In a terrace the extension often touches the party wall, and a cut into it needs: Party structure notice at least 2 months before work. We prepare the party wall notices and the structural calculations in Tower Hamlets that the work depends on.

    Price, what you receive and nearby boroughs

    The fee is £1,295 with VAT included, fixed before you commit, and the council's householder fee is £548, paid separately. You receive both floors, elevations, sections and location plans, checked by a second chartered technologist. We redraw at no charge if the council asks for changes.

    A loft can add space with less effect on neighbours; see loft conversion drawings in Tower Hamlets. The same two-storey job is covered across the boundary in Hackney and Newham. The borough overview is architectural drawings in Tower Hamlets, and the national rules are in the double-storey extension drawings guide.

    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.
    Finished white-rendered rear house extension with large glazed doors
    Every side considered
    Flick across the turntable to spin it.

    Other services in Tower Hamlets

    Double-storey extension drawings nearby

    Questions

    What does Tower Hamlets require for a two-storey extension?

    The Local Plan's extensions policy requires them to maintain privacy, outlook and daylight and sunlight to neighbours and to avoid an unacceptable increase in the sense of enclosure. It sets no single depth limit.

    Can I use permitted development for a double-storey extension in Tower Hamlets?

    Often not. The borough has 59 conservation areas and 64 Article 4 directions, and the permitted development limit above one storey is itself tight: Over one storey: max 3 m beyond the original rear wall and not within 7 m of the rear boundary.

    Do I need a daylight study for a Tower Hamlets extension?

    The policy tests daylight and sunlight, so we model the effect on neighbouring windows before the design is chosen, and add a separate daylight report only if the council or the site calls for one.

    How much do double-storey extension drawings cost in Tower Hamlets?

    From £1,295 including VAT, fixed up front.

    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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