Electrical design drawings in Tower Hamlets

A borough of flats, rented homes and shared supplies

Only 12 per cent of Tower Hamlets households live in a house, and 23.1 per cent are owner-occupiers. Electrical work here usually happens in a flat, with a landlord, a managing agent or a freeholder involved.

We therefore write for more than one reader. A freeholder needs to see loads and any change to a riser, a managing agent wants a clear scope and a contractor needs a priced schedule. The drawing shows all three on one sheet, with the existing intake and any shared supply marked.

Gardens are scarce, covering only 7.4 per cent of land, so outbuilding work is rare and roof terraces, balconies and lofts take its place. A terrace charger or a rooftop supply needs a cable route that does not cross a neighbour's property.

Heritage and where fittings show

The borough has 59 conservation areas, 916 listed building entries and 2 World Heritage Sites. Officers made 191 householder decisions in the latest year, with 92.7 per cent granted.

In Spitalfields, Bethnal Green and the Wapping warehouses, original brick, timber and plaster are what buyers pay for. We draw surface-mounted routes and concealed risers where they protect that fabric, and mark any cut for the heritage officer. Our architectural drawings in Tower Hamlets page lists the designations in full.

Working in a flat, a warehouse or a roof terrace

A warehouse conversion has high ceilings, exposed brick and few places to hide cable. We design the routes first: surface containment where it is part of the look, concealed risers where the brick is protected, and dedicated lighting tracks that the occupier can reconfigure without touching the wiring.

On a roof terrace the question is weather and safety. External sockets, lighting and a charger need weatherproof enclosures, residual current protection and a route that does not cross another leaseholder's space. Our drawing shows each piece at the position the contractor will fix it, with the isolator where it can be reached.

For a flat extension, we fix the supply capacity at the start, because an overloaded riser found after work has begun can hold the project up.

A last practical point concerns access. In a block with a managing agent, work on a riser or the landlord's supply needs a method statement and a booking, so our scope note lists which tasks touch shared plant and which stay inside the flat. That lets the agent approve the job in one read and keeps the programme moving.

National rules and what we issue

Part P work is certified within 30 days of completion, fixed lighting must meet 75 lumens per circuit watt now and 105 later, and new dwellings with parking need a charge point of at least 7 kW.

Each issue contains a plan per floor, a schematic and a schedule, checked by a second technologist. See also the MEP design service in Tower Hamlets, your building regulations drawings and the electrical design drawings hub.