020 7864 7245Request a fixed quote

Tower Hamlets, London

Garage conversion plans in Tower Hamlets

Garage conversion plans for a Tower Hamlets property start at £695 including VAT. Only 12 per cent of households here live in a house, so the garage may belong to a flat or sit in a block, and the drawings begin with who owns what.

From £695 (VAT included)

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

Request a fixed quote

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.
Add photos or drawings

Drop files here or choose from your device

PDF, JPG, PNG, DWG · up to 10 files, 90 MB in total

    Upper floors of a large yellow-brick Victorian house in London with chimney pots

    How Tower Hamlets treats a garage conversion

    Tower Hamlets publishes design guidance such as its Central Area Good Growth SPD and High Density Living SPD, and neither sets a figure aimed at garages. We checked the borough's guidance for a garage rule with a value and found none, so a conversion here is judged on the general tests of design, neighbours and the street.

    In practice the front elevation carries the case. A garage door in a terrace or block can be one of a run of matching ground-floor openings, and replacing it with a window or brick infill changes that frontage. Our drawings show the new opening beside its neighbours on one sheet.

    Where a garage sits under a building, the structure above matters as much as the planning view. A new opening in a load-bearing line needs an engineer, and the structural opening goes on the drawings before the application is made.

    Pencil resting on a dimensioned technical drawing beside a scale rule

    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
    Listed building entries916 list entries (Historic England, within the LPA boundary)—planning.data.gov.uk
    Households living in a house12 % of households living in a house or bungalow (detached, semi-detached or terraced)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Owner-occupied households23.1 % of households owner-occupied (owned outright or with mortgage/loan)Census 2021nomisweb.co.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
    Householder: alterations/extensions to a single dwellinghouse, from 1 Apr 2026548 GBP—ribblevalley.gov.uk
    Class A, condition A.3(a)Exterior materials must be of similar appearance to the existing house (conservatories excepted)—legislation.gov.uk
    Approved Document L Vol 1 2021 incl. 2023 amendments, Table 4.2New 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—gov.uk
    Approved Document B Vol 1, paras 1.1-1.2All dwellings: fire detection and alarm system minimum Grade D2 Category LD3 (BS 5839-6), mains-operated smoke alarms to BS EN 14604—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
    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

    Conservation areas, Article 4 and listed buildings

    Tower Hamlets has 59 conservation areas and 64 Article 4 directions, and Historic England lists 916 entries within the borough. An Article 4 direction can remove rights that would otherwise apply to a front wall or door, and a listed building needs listed building consent for most external changes.

    Where a house still has permitted development rights, the national condition is: Exterior materials must be of similar appearance to the existing house (conservatories excepted). The check on the address comes first, and the result decides whether a conversion that keeps the door's appearance is enough or whether the front has to be designed for the council.

    Flats, leases and who owns the garage

    In the borough 23.1 per cent of households are owner-occupied, and many homes are flats. Householder permitted development does not cover flats, so a flat owner's garage needs an application where a house owner's might not.

    A lease can add a second approval. A garage in a block or estate may be restricted by the lease or need the freeholder's consent, so we ask for the title or lease at the first call. The council application is then drawn with our planning drawings in Tower Hamlets. For a house, the householder fee is £548; an application for a flat carries a different fee.

    How Tower Hamlets decides householder applications

    The borough decided 191 householder applications in its latest published year. It granted 92.7 per cent, and 95.8 per cent were decided within eight weeks or an agreed extension.

    These figures cover every householder project, not garages alone. We read them as a guide to timing, never as a forecast for one address.

    Technical drawings for a converted garage

    Even where no planning application is needed, Building Regulations approval is. Insulation is tested against this limit: 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.

    A room beneath or beside flats also brings fire separation, and every dwelling needs smoke detection: All dwellings: fire detection and alarm system minimum Grade D2 Category LD3 (BS 5839-6), mains-operated smoke alarms to BS EN 14604. The full technical set is drawn as building regulations drawings in Tower Hamlets.

    What we need, what you receive and nearby boroughs

    Send the lease or title if you have it, any decision notice and a photograph of the frontage. We survey the garage on one datum with the floors around it, and the design is frozen in writing before the sheets are issued. Garage conversion plans start at £695 with VAT included, fixed before you commit, and a second chartered technologist checks every sheet. If the council asks for changes, we redraw at no charge until approval.

    For the borough as a whole, see architectural drawings in Tower Hamlets, or the overview of garage conversion plans. Across the border, compare Hackney, Newham and Greenwich.

    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.
    Two-storey rear extension under construction on a semi-detached house
    Unit by unit
    Move up and down — the nearest units slide out.

    Other services in Tower Hamlets

    Garage conversion plans nearby

    Questions

    Do I need planning permission to convert a garage in Tower Hamlets?

    Often yes. With 59 conservation areas, 64 Article 4 directions and many flats, permitted development often does not apply. We check the address and tell you the route before you pay.

    Can I convert a garage that belongs to a flat?

    Householder permitted development does not cover flats, so an application is normally needed. A lease may also require the freeholder's consent.

    How much do garage conversion plans cost in Tower Hamlets?

    From £695 including VAT, fixed up front. For a house, the householder application fee of £548 is paid separately to the council.

    Does Tower Hamlets set a specific rule for garage conversions?

    We found no garage-specific figure in the borough's design guidance, so a conversion is judged on general design and neighbour tests. We draw it against those.

    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.

    Request a fixed quoteCall 020 7864 7245WhatsApp