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Tower Hamlets, London

New build drawings in Tower Hamlets

New build drawings in Tower Hamlets give the council a proposed home in plan, elevation and section, with the privacy distances and outdoor space its policies ask for already measured. We prepare them from £1,450 including VAT. Few households here live in a house, so a new one is a rare, closely watched application, and the drawings must show how it sits among tall neighbours.

From £1,450 (VAT included)

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

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We use it to check conservation areas and constraints.
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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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    Rear view of brick terraced houses in London with slate roofs and chimney stacks along the shared roofline

    Tower Hamlets' outdoor space and privacy rules for new dwellings

    Two local rules shape almost every new-build layout in the borough. The first is private outdoor space: new dwellings need 5 sq m (+1 sq m per extra occupant); 1500 mm min width/depth, which is the base area for one or two people plus an extra amount per further occupant, and balconies must hold that minimum width and depth to count under the local plan's housing design policy. A narrow ledge that technically adds up to the right area will not be counted.

    The second is privacy. The council applies a distance of 18 m between the windows of habitable rooms as a guideline, depending on design and layout under its design quality policy. We draw that distance as a dimensioned overlay on the site plan, so the case officer can see at a glance where the guideline is met and where an angled window or screen is doing the work. The wider framework is the Tower Hamlets Local Plan 2031: Managing Growth and Sharing the Benefits, adopted in 2,020, with the High Density Living SPD for dense schemes.

    Red-brick mansion blocks and shopfronts on a street corner

    Local figures for Tower Hamlets

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    Minor application decisions427 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor applications granted84.3 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor applications decided in time92.3 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Households living in a house12 % of households living in a house or bungalow (detached, semi-detached or terraced)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Conservation areas59 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    worldHeritageSites2 World Heritage Sites intersecting the LPA boundary—planning.data.gov.uk
    Tree preservation orders72 tree preservation orders published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Mayoral CIL rate (indexed)72.73 £/m² (indexed, permissions granted in 2026)—london.gov.uk
    Borough CIL residential rate£335.33/m² (Zone 1); £179.64/m² (Zone 2); £59.88/m² (Zone 3)rate for planning permissions granted 1 January to 31 December 2026 (schedule rates £280 / £150 / £50)towerhamlets.gov.uk
    New dwellings need a minimum of 5 sq m private outdoor space for 1-2 person dwellings plus 1 sq m per extra occupant, with balconies at least 1500 mm wide and deep (Policy D.H3 part 5).5 sq m (+1 sq m per extra occupant); 1500 mm min width/depth—towerhamlets.gov.uk, Tower Hamlets Local Plan 2031, p.84, Policy D.H3 part 5
    A distance of approximately 18 metres between windows of habitable rooms is applied as a privacy guideline, depending on design and layout (Policy D.DH8).18 m—towerhamlets.gov.uk, Tower Hamlets Local Plan 2031, p.67, para 8.86
    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 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

    What the borough's figures say about building a house here

    Only 12 per cent of households live in a house or bungalow, and 23.1 per cent own their home, so a freestanding or terraced new house is unusual. In its latest twelve months of published figures the council decided 427 minor applications and granted 84.3 per cent of them, with 92.3 per cent decided in time or within an agreed extension.

    Householder applications were granted at 92.7 per cent, a little higher again. These statistics describe the past and do not predict a decision on your site. A flat averages £430,120 against £690,210 for a terrace, which is why many small schemes here start by comparing houses with flats on the same land.

    Heritage and tree constraints on a Tower Hamlets plot

    The borough is small, old and heavily mapped. It holds 59 conservation areas, 916 listed building entries and 10 scheduled monuments, and 2 World Heritage Sites intersect its boundary. The register lists 39 Heritage at Risk entries, and the council publishes 64 Article 4 directions and 72 tree preservation orders.

    A new house beside any of these needs a heritage view in the application, and a protected street tree can fix the position of the front door. Our architectural drawings hub for Tower Hamlets explains how the same layers affect extensions and conversions. Garden land is scarce, at 7.4 per cent of the borough in the national land-use database, so amenity space is often the rule that decides a layout.

    Levies, fees and timing for a new home in Tower Hamlets

    The borough levy is £335.33/m² (Zone 1); £179.64/m² (Zone 2); £59.88/m² (Zone 3), set under the Tower Hamlets CIL2 Charging Schedule 2020. The Mayor's levy adds £72.73 per square metre in band 2. Because the borough zones differ so widely, we identify the zone for your address before the first drawing.

    The council's application fee is £610 per dwelling for up to nine homes. The statutory period is 8 weeks for a non-major scheme and 13 weeks for a major one, where major means Major development: 10 or more dwellings, or a site of 0.5 ha or more where the number is unknown. Our planning drawings in Tower Hamlets page covers the route for smaller alterations.

    How we work on a Tower Hamlets new build

    We start with a free constraints check, then survey the site and build it as a 3D model that includes the neighbouring facades. That model lets us test window distances and daylight before they appear in a refusal reason. The full planning set follows, and a second chartered technologist checks it. If the council requests amendments, we redraw them without a further fee.

    A granted scheme moves on to building regulations drawings built on the same model. For a neighbouring borough with a different levy pattern, compare new build drawings in Southwark.

    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.
    Pencil resting on a dimensioned technical drawing beside a scale rule
    Points, not guesses
    Paint across the grid with the pointer.

    Other services in Tower Hamlets

    New build drawings nearby

    Questions

    How much private outdoor space does a new home in Tower Hamlets need?

    The council asks for 5 sq m (+1 sq m per extra occupant); 1500 mm min width/depth, with the second figure added for each further occupant beyond two. Balconies must meet the stated minimum width and depth.

    What window distance does Tower Hamlets apply?

    It applies 18 m between habitable room windows as a privacy guideline, depending on design and layout.

    What is the Community Infrastructure Levy in Tower Hamlets?

    The borough rates are £335.33/m² (Zone 1); £179.64/m² (Zone 2); £59.88/m² (Zone 3). The Mayoral levy is charged on top, and Any new dwelling is liable to CIL regardless of size (unless relief applies).

    How many minor applications does the council grant?

    It granted 84.3 per cent of 427 minor decisions in its latest twelve months of published figures. This is a record, not a promise.

    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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