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City of London, London

Loft conversion drawings in the City of London

Loft conversion drawings in the City of London start at £695 including VAT. Only 2 per cent of households in the Square Mile live in a house, so the house-only permitted development right reaches almost nobody, and most roof schemes begin as planning or listed building applications.

From £695 (VAT included)

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

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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 loft conversion drawings

    Nine 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.

    8. Building regulations

      Technical drawings are coordinated with the structural engineer's calculations, the drainage and the planning conditions.

    9. Approval and hand-over

      Building control approval, then a next-steps pack covering the commencement notice, party wall timing and CIL.

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

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    Slate-clad roof extension on a yellow-brick London terraced house

    What the City's building stock means for a loft

    The national right to enlarge a roof belongs to houses. A flat, a maisonette or a home above a shop does not have it, and that describes nearly every City home. A roof-level conversion for those buildings is a planning matter from the first day.

    The council's policy base is the City of London Local Plan 2015, adopted in 2,015. For Barbican residents it also publishes the Barbican Estate Listed Building Management Guidelines: Volume I Introduction and Volume II Residential (SPD). If you live in a listed estate or block, the guidelines and the listing come before any design idea.

    So we establish the legal position of the building first: whether it is a house, how the lease treats the roof space, who owns the airspace and whether the building is listed. All of that is answered before we measure.

    Converted loft bedroom with roof windows and a Juliet balcony

    Local figures for City of London

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    Conservation areas28 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Article 4 directions1 Article 4 directions published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Listed building entries637 list entries (Historic England, within the LPA boundary)—planning.data.gov.uk
    Scheduled monuments53 scheduled monuments intersecting the LPA boundary (Historic England)—planning.data.gov.uk
    Households living in a house2 % of households living in a house or bungalow (detached, semi-detached or terraced)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Owner-occupied households36.5 % of households owner-occupied (owned outright or with mortgage/loan)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Householder decisions1 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications granted100 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications decided in time100 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Class B, para B.1(f)Class B roof enlargements are not permitted development on article 2(3) land—legislation.gov.uk
    Approved Document K 2013, para 1.13, Diagram 1.4Loft conversions where 2.0 m cannot be achieved: 1.9 m at the centre of the stair, 1.8 m at the side (half width)—gov.uk
    Approved Document B Vol 1, para 2.21New storey above 4.5 m by loft conversion: protect the full escape route with fire-resisting doors (min E 20) and partitions (min REI 30)—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
    Loft enlargement in section: the permitted development limitsExtra roof volume allowed: 40 m³ (terrace house) / 50 m³ (any other house) additional roof volume. Set-back from the eaves: Original eaves maintained; enlargement set at least 0.2 m from the eaves measured up the roof slope, so far as practicable (not required for hip-to-gable or roofs joining a rear/side extension). Height limit: No part higher than the highest part of the existing roofABC

    Loft enlargement in section: the permitted development limits

    A dormer on the rear slope, with the limits that decide whether it needs planning permission.

    A · Extra roof volume allowed
    40 m³ (terrace house) / 50 m³ (any other house) additional roof volume
    B · Set-back from the eaves
    Original eaves maintained; enlargement set at least 0.2 m from the eaves measured up the roof slope, so far as practicable (not required for hip-to-gable or roofs joining a rear/side extension)
    C · Height limit
    No part higher than the highest part of the existing roof

    A dense heritage layer

    Historic England records 637 list entries inside the City's boundary, a large number for such a small area. The borough also holds 53 scheduled monuments, 5 registered parks and gardens and 28 conservation areas, with 1 Article 4 direction on top.

    A roof alteration to a listed building needs listed building consent, and a roof enlargement inside a conservation area needs planning permission. In the national wording, roof enlargement is excluded in conservation areas: Class B roof enlargements are not permitted development on article 2(3) land. Both are judged on the roofline as seen from the street and from nearby buildings.

    Surveying a City roof

    City roofs are seldom plain pitched timber. We find mansards, flat roofs behind parapets, party walls shared with commercial neighbours, and plant or lift cores running up through the structure. The survey records parapet heights, access and the position of any stair or lift.

    From it we work out how much usable floor the roof space could give and where a stair could land without costing the floor below too much. Escape for a new top storey is a serious design issue in a multi-storey building: New storey above 4.5 m by loft conversion: protect the full escape route with fire-resisting doors (min E 20) and partitions (min REI 30). The stair itself follows Loft conversions where 2.0 m cannot be achieved: 1.9 m at the centre of the stair, 1.8 m at the side (half width). Both go into the building regulations drawings in the City of London.

    Householder volumes are tiny here

    The council decided 1 householder application in its latest published year, granted 100 per cent of them and decided 100 per cent on time. One decision is not a trend and we read nothing into it.

    It does show that householder work is a small share of the City's caseload, so a drawing set that explains the heritage context on the sheet does much of the talking. Owner-occupation is 36.5 per cent, so freeholder and lease consents often matter as much as the council.

    Feasibility before a full set

    We would rather tell you early if a roof conversion is not realistic than draw it up and see the application fail. A feasibility look at your building costs far less than a refusal. If a Lawful Development Certificate in the City of London is an option for a house, we say so; otherwise the route is the application built on our planning drawings in the City of London.

    What the set contains and costs

    A City loft set shows existing and proposed floor plans, the roof in section, elevations of any visible face and the location and block plans, from £695 with VAT included. If the building is listed or a freeholder must consent, the quote says so. A second chartered technologist checks every sheet, and we redraw free of charge if the council asks for changes.

    Other City services and neighbours

    For all our work in the borough, see architectural drawings in the City of London. A roof form may suit a dormer loft conversion in the City of London or a rooflight scheme, described under Velux loft conversion drawings in the City of London. Across the boundary, compare Islington and Hackney.

    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
    Storey by storey
    Move up and down — the car travels between floors.

    Other services in City of London

    Loft conversion drawings nearby

    Questions

    Can I convert a loft in a City flat?

    Not under permitted development, which covers houses only. A flat needs planning permission, and the freeholder's and lease consents too. We check all three before we draw.

    Do I need listed building consent for a roof in the City?

    Yes, if the building is listed. Historic England records 637 list entries here, and roof alterations to a listed building normally need consent as well as planning permission.

    Is there a council guide for Barbican residents?

    Yes: the Barbican Estate Listed Building Management Guidelines: Volume I Introduction and Volume II Residential (SPD). We read it with the building's listing before suggesting any roof change.

    How much are loft conversion drawings in the City of London?

    From £695 including VAT, fixed before you commit. Council fees are paid separately.

    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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