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Tower Hamlets, London

Prior approval drawings in Tower Hamlets

Prior approval drawings in Tower Hamlets begin with a check that most boroughs never need: does the address qualify at all? Only 12 per cent of households here live in a house, and 59 conservation areas close the larger home extension route on the land they cover. We draw the notification for the houses that do qualify. Fixed quote after a free constraints check.

Fixed quote after a free constraints check

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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 prior approval 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

    Prior approval in Tower Hamlets: what the borough figures show

    Government planning statistics for the latest four quarters record 3 larger home extension prior approvals granted in Tower Hamlets and 4 refused. The sample is small because the borough is dense: 12 per cent of households live in a house or bungalow, so few owners have a rear wall to extend. Refusals outnumbered grants, which makes this a route to prepare carefully, not a formality.

    The same statistics show 0 upward extension prior approvals granted here in that period. If you are thinking about adding storeys under Class AA, the borough's own record gives you no precedent to lean on, and the constraints check becomes the main event.

    Two layers decide whether either route is open. The council publishes 59 named conservation areas, and national rules exclude article 2(3) land, which includes conservation areas, from both larger extensions and additional storeys. It also publishes 64 Article 4 directions, mapped as 63 areas, which can withdraw permitted development rights street by street. We plot your address against both before anything is drawn.

    Rows of brick terraced houses and gardens on a residential street

    Local figures for Tower Hamlets

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    Conservation areas59 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Article 4 directions64 Article 4 directions published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Article 4 direction areas63 Article 4 direction area polygons published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Listed building entries916 list entries (Historic England, within the LPA boundary)—planning.data.gov.uk
    Households living in a house12 % of households living in a house or bungalow (detached, semi-detached or terraced)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Larger home extension prior approvals granted3 decisions2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Larger home extension prior approvals refused4 decisions2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications granted92.7 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder decisions191 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Class A, para A.4(10)(c): development may begin if the LPA has not notified a decision within 42 days of receiving the information42 days—legislation.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
    Which application your project needsLawful Development Certificate decision: 8 weeks. Prior approval decision: 42 days. Householder decision: 8 weeksYour projectWithin permitted development?Lawful Development CertificatePrior approvalHouseholder applicationYesLarger rear extensionNoABC

    Which application your project needs

    The usual route for a house; flats and listed buildings follow other rules.

    A · Lawful Development Certificate decision
    8 weeks
    B · Prior approval decision
    42 days
    C · Householder decision
    8 weeks

    Listed houses and the Local Plan context

    Historic England lists 916 entries inside the borough boundary. A listed house is a different animal: work to it needs listed building consent whatever the planning route, and prior approval does not stand in for that consent. If your house is listed or sits beside a listed neighbour, say so on the first call.

    Where a notification does go ahead, the officer assesses neighbour amenity against the Tower Hamlets Local Plan 2031: Managing Growth and Sharing the Benefits, adopted in 2,020. Its High Density Living SPD gives the officer a vocabulary for how closely overlooking and outlook between neighbouring homes are read. A deeper rear extension beside a neighbour's kitchen window is judged in that spirit, so our drawings show that window and its distance from your new wall.

    What the notification has to show

    The national limits for a larger home extension are 6 m (attached) / 8 m (detached), single storey, height max 4 m; not on article 2(3) land or an SSSI. The Order asks for: Written description (depth beyond rear wall, max height, eaves height), site plan, addresses of adjoining premises, developer contact address. In a borough of terraces and converted houses we add a measured survey of the original rear wall, because the allowance is counted from the house as first built, not from a later infill.

    Neighbours are notified and the council has 42 days before work may begin without a decision. We do not advise relying on silence; get the decision in writing. The council fee is £249, paid to the council.

    When a planning application is the better route

    If the extension needs more than the Order allows, or the house falls on excluded land, a householder application is the realistic path. In the latest year the council decided 191 householder applications and granted 92.7 per cent of them. That is a record of past decisions, not a forecast for your plans. Our planning drawings cover that route.

    For work you believe is already lawful, a Lawful Development Certificate gives written proof instead. The wider picture for the borough is on our Tower Hamlets architectural drawings page, and the national rules are set out on the prior approval drawings hub.

    How we prepare a Tower Hamlets notification

    We start with the constraints check, then survey the rear of the house and the windows next door. The drawings put each neighbouring habitable window on the plan so the officer sees the relationship straight away. A different chartered technologist from the drafter reads the set against the Order's list before it goes in.

    Tight sites call for tidy evidence. We put the eaves height, the maximum height and the depth beyond the original rear wall in one table on the first sheet, matching the written description the Order requires, so the figures the officer reads in the form and on the plans agree to the millimetre. A mismatch between form and drawings can prompt a query, and it is easy to avoid.

    If the council asks for changes we redraw them without a second charge. The quote is fixed after the constraints check, and we tell you in plain words if the address fails a test.

    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.
    Georgian brick terrace with sash windows, arched fanlight doorways, stone steps and iron railings in London
    The street around you
    Move across the plinth — the blocks rise around the pointer.

    Other services in Tower Hamlets

    Prior approval drawings nearby

    Questions

    Can I use prior approval for a rear extension in Tower Hamlets?

    Only if the house is not on article 2(3) land. The council publishes 59 conservation areas, so the address check comes first.

    How many larger extension prior approvals does the council grant?

    Government statistics show 3 granted and 4 refused in the latest four quarters. The numbers are small and describe the past, not your case.

    What if my house is listed?

    Listed building consent is needed for the works whichever planning route you take. The borough has 916 list entries, so it is worth checking early.

    Does an Article 4 direction affect prior approval?

    It can remove permitted development rights for a street or type of work. The council publishes 64 directions, and we check yours before drawing.

    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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