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City of London, London

M&E drawings in the City of London

The City of London has very few houses and a great many flats, offices and listed buildings. Domestic M&E work here usually means a flat refit or a conversion inside a historic building. We prepare M&E drawings for City of London properties that show services routes, ventilation and alarms, and say plainly where the Corporation's requirements apply. Fixed quote after a free constraints check.

Fixed quote after a free constraints check

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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 m&e drawings

    Four 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. Building regulations

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

    4. 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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    Two-storey rear extension under construction on a semi-detached house

    The Corporation's requirements for M&E drawings in the City of London

    The City's planning requirements page separates small and major applications. For majors, the council says an energy statement may be needed: it is listed against major applications; GLA energy assessment guidance. A sustainability statement may also be needed, with BREEAM pre-assessment; major applications. Neither applies to an ordinary flat refit, but a change of use of a whole building may cross the threshold.

    The London Plan figures apply here as they do everywhere in the capital. Residential water use is limited to 105 l/p/d (+ up to 5 l external), and large schemes follow a cooling hierarchy, 6 steps order for dealing with heat. The way heat is shed from a small flat still matters, even though no planning rule for a single flat is written for it.

    We tell you at quote stage which of these apply. If your project is a single-flat refit, the services drawing is a Building Regulations and landlord document. If it is a conversion with several homes, expect the energy statement to be a separate piece of work, and we point you to the right specialist.

    House extension under construction with scaffolding, new glazed doors and building materials

    Local figures for City of London

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    London Plan Policy SI 5C(1): development proposals should, through planning conditions, limit mains water use to the Building Regulations optional requirement, 105 litres or less per head per day for residential development, excluding an allowance of up to 5 litres for external use. Applies in every London borough.105 l/p/d (+ up to 5 l external)—london.gov.uk, The London Plan 2021 (GLA, March 2021), p.356, Policy SI 5 part C(1)
    London Plan Policy SI 4B: major development must show through an energy strategy how internal overheating and reliance on air conditioning are reduced, following the six-step cooling hierarchy (reduce heat entering; minimise internal heat generation; manage heat with thermal mass; passive ventilation; mechanical ventilation; active cooling). Para 9.4.1 says the principles can also be applied to minor development.cooling hierarchy, 6 steps—london.gov.uk, The London Plan 2021 (GLA, March 2021), p.354, Policy SI 4 part B and para 9.4.1
    Major applications may need an Energy Statement showing predicted energy demand, CO2 savings and the degree to which energy-efficiency and emissions targets are met, following the GLA guidance on preparing energy assessments.major applications; GLA energy assessment guidance—cityoflondon.gov.uk, City of London: Planning application requirements, Major applications (page updated 9 June 2025), web page, 'Energy Statement' item
    Major applications may need a Sustainability Statement covering sustainable design and construction for demolition, construction and long-term management, including a BREEAM or Code for Sustainable Homes pre-assessment (the Code is withdrawn nationally).BREEAM pre-assessment; major applications—cityoflondon.gov.uk, City of London: Planning application requirements, Major applications (page updated 9 June 2025), web page, 'Sustainability Statement' item
    Listed building entries637 list entries (Historic England, within the LPA boundary)—planning.data.gov.uk
    Grade I listed entries86 list entries—planning.data.gov.uk
    Conservation areas28 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Households4,914Census 2021 (21 March 2021)nomisweb.co.uk
    Planning decisions, all types (PS2)460 decisions2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    AD F Vol 1 (2021), Table 1.1 intermittent extract, PDF p.16; 2026 edition Table 1.115 l/s—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
    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

    Flats in historic buildings and what that does to services

    The City has 4,914 households in total, and 2 per cent of them live in a house. Almost every residential project is therefore a flat, often on an upper floor, and often in a building with shared risers, a managing agent and a head lease. Services cannot simply be routed through a wall: we need to know who owns what.

    The Corporation lists 637 listed building entries, including 86 at Grade I, and 28 conservation areas, so many conversions touch historic fabric. In a listed building we show every penetration on the drawing: each core, each chase, each fixing to a historic wall. A listed building consent officer reads the M&E sheet as closely as the architectural one.

    Ventilation is where flats suffer. A kitchen with no outside wall cannot vent a hood outside, so the rate falls to 60 l/s for a kitchen with no hood or a recirculating one, against 30 l/s for one venting outside. A bathroom needs 15 l/s whichever way it is done, and we route the duct to an existing riser where we can.

    What the planning record tells us, and what it does not

    The City decided 460 planning applications in its latest published return. Householder decisions are so few that a grant rate would mean little, so we do not quote one. That is a reason to ask the planning team early about a residential project, because there is little precedent to point to.

    The same scarcity explains why many residential projects here go through listed building consent, a certificate of lawfulness or a Building Regulations notice, not a householder application. Our architectural drawings in the City of London page sets out the design side.

    Electrical work in a dwelling is still notifiable where it involves new circuit; consumer unit replacement; additions or alterations to circuits in a special location, and the certificate follows within 30 days. We prepare the circuit layout and the electrician does the rest.

    What we issue for a City flat

    The set includes a power and lighting plan, a ventilation plan with each duty marked, a short schematic of the new distribution and an alarm layout, including a carbon monoxide alarm where a new fuel-burning appliance is fitted. We also include a notes sheet listing items the managing agent or freeholder must approve.

    Access is its own constraint in the Square Mile. Deliveries can be restricted, lifts are often shared and noisy work may be limited to set hours, so we write the installation sequence into the notes, marking which items need the lift, which need a structural opening and which can be fitted in an evening. Contractors price a job more accurately when the logistics are on the drawing.

    The set sits beside our building regulations drawings for building control. For the design thinking behind heating, hot water and cooling, our MEP design in the City of London page goes further.

    Send us the flat's plans and the lease clauses on alterations. We run a free constraints check and give a fixed quote.

    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.
    Brick house being extended, with a wide new opening supported over the ground floor
    Every layer specified
    Move across to open the layers; move down to pick one.

    Other services in City of London

    M&E drawings nearby

    Questions

    Do I need planning permission for services work in a City flat?

    Usually not for internal work, but a listed building needs consent for anything that affects historic fabric. We check the building's status first.

    Why do City M&E drawings mention the freeholder?

    Shared risers, party walls and head leases mean most changes need someone else's approval, so we list them on the notes sheet.

    What does it cost?

    Fixed quote after a free constraints check, based on the rooms and systems.

    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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