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City of London, London

New build drawings in the City of London

The City of London is a business district with a small residential population, so new homes are allowed only where the plan says they belong. New build drawings in the City of London from £1,450 including VAT start by testing the site against that rule, and MCIAT chartered architectural technologists draw and check the set.

From £1,450 (VAT included)

  • MCIAT chartered
  • £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 new build drawings

    Seven 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.

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

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    Pencil resting on a dimensioned technical drawing beside a scale rule

    Where the City of London allows new housing

    The City of London Local Plan 2015 says new housing should be located on suitable sites in or near the identified residential areas, and only where it would not give poor residential amenity. That is the plan's housing location policy. Most City homes are flats on four estates, the Barbican, Golden Lane, Middlesex Street and Mansell Street, and not in the commercial streets in between.

    So a new-build enquiry here begins with a map, not a sketch. We place the site against the residential areas, then against the noise, servicing and air-quality context of its neighbours, because the test is the amenity of the people who would live there. A site next to a late-night venue or a loading bay has a harder case, and we say so before you spend on a survey.

    The plan was adopted in 2,015. We check that the policy text we cite is the version in force on the date of your application.

    Servicing is the other early test. A residential entrance in a street built for deliveries needs somewhere for refuse and post to be collected without blocking the carriageway, and a flat above a licensed premises needs sound insulation drawn into the floor build-up. Those are details of the design, not afterthoughts, so we resolve them on the plans before the council asks.

    Georgian brick terrace with sash windows, arched fanlight doorways, stone steps and iron railings in London

    Local figures for City of London

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    Local planCity of London Local Plan 2015—cityoflondon.gov.uk
    Local plan adopted2,015—cityoflondon.gov.uk
    Conservation areas28 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Listed building entries637 list entries (Historic England, within the LPA boundary)—planning.data.gov.uk
    Population15,631mid-2025nomisweb.co.uk
    Households4,914Census 2021 (21 March 2021)nomisweb.co.uk
    Minor applications granted97.1 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor applications decided in time93.1 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Borough CIL residential rate£251.05/m² (Riverside); £159.00/m² (Rest of City) [schedule rates £150 and £95]Indexed rate for planning permissions granted in 2026 (Annual CIL Rate Summary 2026, effective 1 January to 31 December 2026)cityoflondon.gov.uk
    Mayoral CIL rate (indexed)96.97 £/m² (indexed, permissions granted in 2026)—london.gov.uk
    Erection of dwellinghouses, not more than 10: per dwellinghouse, from 1 Apr 2026610 GBP per dwelling—ribblevalley.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

    Heritage in the Square Mile

    The City has 28 conservation areas and 637 list entries in a very small area, and its residential estate guidance, the Barbican Estate Listed Building Management Guidelines: Volume I Introduction and Volume II Residential (SPD), shows how seriously it treats listed housing. The Barbican itself is listed, so a new dwelling beside it is assessed for its effect on the setting as well as its own design.

    The borough has 5 entries on the Heritage at Risk Register and 1 Article 4 direction. We check each against the address at the outset.

    A small population and a quick decision record

    The City has 15,631 residents in 4,914 households, and domestic gardens cover only 0.1 per cent of its land. A new home here is more likely to be a flat in a converted or rebuilt building than a house with a garden, and the drawings reflect that: floor plans, stair cores, lift access and servicing.

    The council decided 173 minor applications in its latest year, granted 97.1 per cent and decided 93.1 per cent in time. Those cover all minor development in the Square Mile, not only homes, so they say nothing certain about yours. The statutory period is 8 weeks unless you agree longer.

    Because the market is so small, comparable schemes are rare. We therefore lean on the council's own register, looking for any past permission within the residential areas and reading its officer's report for the reasoning, and we say when we find nothing relevant.

    Levies and prices in the City of London

    The borough's own levy has two rates, £251.05/m² (Riverside); £159.00/m² (Rest of City) [schedule rates £150 and £95]. The Mayor of London's charge is in band 1, at £96.97 per square metre for permissions granted this year. The application fee is £610 per dwelling for up to nine homes.

    The average house price is £710,652, a change of -17.4 per cent in twelve months, on very few sales. Treat it as an indication, not a valuation, because a small market moves sharply on a handful of transactions.

    Flats dominate, so the space standard is applied floor by floor. Each dwelling is drawn with its gross internal area, its storage and its private outdoor space or balcony, and the schedule shows the total used for the levy. Where a scheme turns a former office into homes, the floor-to-ceiling height and the depth of the floor plate decide how many rooms get daylight, and we draw those sections before the layout is fixed.

    Price and next steps for new builds in the City of London

    New build drawings in the City of London start at £1,450, VAT included, fixed after a free constraints check. We redraw at no charge if the council asks for changes, though we cannot promise a decision.

    The application is prepared as planning drawings in the City of London. After permission, construction drawings in the City of London and structural calculations in the City of London take it to site. The whole borough is covered at architectural drawings in the City of London, and over its boundary see new build drawings in Islington or in Tower Hamlets.

    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.
    Rear view of brick terraced houses in London with slate roofs and chimney stacks along the shared roofline
    Points, not guesses
    Paint across the grid with the pointer.

    Other services in City of London

    New build drawings nearby

    Questions

    Where can new homes be built in the City of London?

    The City of London Local Plan 2015 says in or near the identified residential areas, and only where amenity would not be poor.

    Are there many listed buildings in the City?

    637 list entries and 28 conservation areas. We check each address first.

    How much are new build drawings in the City of London?

    From £1,450 including VAT. The council's fee is £610 per dwelling and is separate.

    What levy applies to a new home in the City?

    The borough's residential rates are £251.05/m² (Riverside); £159.00/m² (Rest of City) [schedule rates £150 and £95], plus the Mayoral levy of £96.97 per square metre this year.

    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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