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Islington, London

New build drawings in Islington

Only 16.3 per cent of Islington households live in a house, so a new dwelling here is nearly always an infill, a mews or a backland plot squeezed between existing buildings. We are MCIAT chartered architectural technologists, and our new build drawings in Islington start at £1,450 including VAT.

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

    The Urban Design Guide and the Local Plan in Islington

    Islington's officers read a new building against the Islington Urban Design Guide SPD, which sits under Islington Local Plan: Strategic and Development Management Policies, Site Allocations, and Bunhill and Clerkenwell Area Action Plan. We cite the policies that apply on the first sheet.

    Because most plots are small, the guide's tests are about relationships: how the building meets the pavement, how tall it stands against the buildings beside it, and whether the windows look into someone else's home. Every one of those is a dimension on a drawing, so we draw a street elevation with both neighbours, a section through the plot showing their windows, and the daylight lines that the officer will otherwise draw themselves.

    A new building on a Victorian terrace street also has to answer the brick, the cornice and the window pattern. We record the originals with photographs and a measured elevation, then show where the new building follows them and where it deliberately differs. That reasoning goes on the drawing so the officer does not need to ask for it.

    Rear view of brick terraced houses in London with slate roofs and chimney stacks along the shared roofline

    Local figures for Islington

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    Households living in a house16.3 % of households living in a house or bungalow (detached, semi-detached or terraced)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Supplementary planning documentIslington Urban Design Guide SPD2017islington.gov.uk
    Supplementary planning documentBasement Development SPD2016islington.gov.uk
    Green Belt share of the council area0 % of council area covered by green-belt polygons—planning.data.gov.uk
    Conservation areas41 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Listed building entries1,050 list entries (Historic England, within the LPA boundary)—planning.data.gov.uk
    Heritage at Risk entries33 Heritage at Risk Register entries within the LPA boundary (Historic England)—planning.data.gov.uk
    Minor application decisions675 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor applications granted86.5 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor applications decided in time96.7 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Borough CIL residential rate£300/m² (Zone A); £250/m² (Zone B) — residential dwellings, Use Classes C3 and C4schedule rate (approved 26 June 2014, effective 1 September 2014)islington.gov.uk
    Mayoral CIL charging band1 MCIL2 charging band (1-3)—london.gov.uk
    Mayoral CIL rate (indexed)96.97 £/m² (indexed, permissions granted in 2026)—london.gov.uk
    Average price, terraced1,151,398 GBP2026-07publicdata.landregistry.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 Islington
    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

    A borough with no Green Belt and a lot of heritage

    Green Belt share is 0 per cent, so the national Green Belt tests never apply here. What does apply is heritage: 41 conservation areas, 1,050 listed building entries, of which 12 are Grade I, and 33 entries on the Heritage at Risk Register.

    Those numbers translate into a practical rule for the plot. The closer it is to a listed building or inside a conservation area, the more a new house must justify its height, its materials and its roofline. We find the designations in the first check and tell you before any fee beyond the free review.

    Where a basement is part of the idea, the council's Basement Development SPD sets its own tests. That belongs to a separate piece of work, and we say so on the quote rather than folding it into the drawings.

    Trees and neighbours count here too. Even a small garden plot has a boundary wall, a party wall and a tree somewhere close, and we survey all three. Where a party wall is involved, our party wall notices page explains what the Act requires before building starts.

    Minor housing decisions in Islington

    A single new home is a minor application, and Islington decides plenty of them: 675 in the latest return. It granted 86.5 per cent and decided 96.7 per cent inside the timetable, so most decisions arrive on time and most schemes are granted.

    That does not make a casual submission safe, because the borough's grant rate for householder work is 92.6 per cent, and a new building is a much bigger step than an extension. Our planning drawings page explains the smaller route.

    For flats carved out of an existing building rather than built new, see our flat conversion drawings page.

    Levies on a new Islington home

    Two levies follow a new home here. The borough CIL is £300/m² (Zone A); £250/m² (Zone B) — residential dwellings, Use Classes C3 and C4, and the Mayor adds band 1 at £96.97 per square metre this year.

    Because both are charged on floor area, an extra bedroom has a measurable cost beyond the build. We tabulate the gross internal area per floor on the drawings and give you a levy estimate alongside the set, so the design decision is informed.

    Values matter as well as levies. The average terraced house here sells for £1,151,398, and flats average £560,124, which is why plots that look impossible to a visitor are viable to a developer.

    What our new build drawings in Islington include

    The fixed fee from £1,450 including VAT covers a measured site plan, plans, elevations, sections, a roof plan and a street scene, checked by a second chartered technologist before issue. Redraws requested by the council are included. A location and block plan comes with the set.

    After permission, our building regulations drawings and structural calculations pages cover the next stage.

    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.
    Red-brick mansion blocks and shopfronts on a street corner
    Points, not guesses
    Paint across the grid with the pointer.

    Other services in Islington

    New build drawings nearby

    Questions

    Can I build a new house on a small infill plot in Islington?

    Often yes, but the plot is tested against the Urban Design Guide for height, overlooking and daylight. We draw those tests onto the application so the officer can check them without further requests.

    What is the community infrastructure levy for a new home in Islington?

    The borough rate is £300/m² (Zone A); £250/m² (Zone B) — residential dwellings, Use Classes C3 and C4, and the Mayoral charge is £96.97 per square metre in band 1. Both are charged on new floor area.

    Does Islington have Green Belt restrictions?

    No. Green Belt covers 0 per cent of the borough. Heritage is the bigger constraint, with 41 conservation areas to check.

    Do I need a basement assessment for a new Islington house?

    Only if a basement is part of the scheme. The council's Basement Development SPD then applies, and the assessment is separate from the drawings.

    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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