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A row of Victorian brick terraced houses with chimney stacks and pitched roofs

Loft conversion drawings in Tower Hamlets from £625

Bethnal Green, Bow, Stepney, Poplar and Limehouse: houses in conservation areas, and flats, need an application, so we confirm your route before drawing.

£625 £475 drawings + £150 survey (£625 total), no VAT to add

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In a sentence or two: your plans, and any feedback from the council so far.

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The short answer

Tower Hamlets has no Article 4 direction on house roofs: its two directions cover changes of use. A loft still needs planning permission, rather than permitted development, if the property is a flat or maisonette, a listed building, or in a conservation area. Its householder checklist asks for a roof plan wherever a roof is altered and a linear scale bar on each drawing. Our fee is £475 drawings + £150 survey (£625 total), no VAT to add; the council’s fee is separate.

Loft conversion drawings

from £625

Drawings
£475
Measured survey
£150
Total you pay
£625
VAT
None to add
  • A measured survey of the roof, the stair and the landing below
  • A check of whether your property is a house, a flat, listed or in a conservation area, which decides the route
  • Existing and proposed floor plans, a roof plan, elevations and sections at 1:50 or 1:100, each with a linear scale bar
  • A heritage impact statement where a conservation area or listed building is involved, and the CIL form
  • Submission to Tower Hamlets, an independent check of every sheet and free redraws until approval

£475 drawings + £150 survey (£625 total). A starting fee: we confirm one fixed figure after checking your address. The council’s own fee, where there is one, is paid to the council.

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How a Tower Hamlets loft job runs

  1. Address check

    We establish whether the building is a house or a flat, whether it is listed and whether it sits in a conservation area.

  2. Survey

    We measure the roof, stair and floors below, and photograph the roof, the street and the neighbouring windows.

  3. Draw to the checklist

    Plans, a roof plan showing the roofing material, elevations and sections, with a linear scale bar on every drawing.

  4. Submit and follow

    We submit with the CIL form and follow the case. If information is missing, Tower Hamlets makes the application invalid until it arrives.

Flats, listed buildings and conservation areas

The council’s permitted development page says planning permission will be required in most cases if the property is a flat or maisonette, a listed building, in a conservation area, or has an Article 4 direction in place. Its planning datasets page lists two Article 4 directions in the borough, one for residential to small house in multiple occupation and one for Class E to residential.

For example, a terraced house in Bow outside any conservation area may be able to use permitted development for a rear dormer, while a flat above a shop, or a house inside a conservation area, cannot. We settle that at the start, in writing, so the drawings match the route.

Mansard loft drawings

What Tower Hamlets’ householder checklist asks for

The checklist, version 5 of September 2020, asks for a roof plan on “all applications where alterations to an existing roof are proposed”, at 1:50, 1:100 or 1:200, showing the shape of the roof and roofing material, with a linear scale bar on each drawing. Site sections with finished floor and site levels are asked for on all applications except window and door replacements.

A heritage impact statement is required where a development is in, or affects the setting of, a conservation area, or affects a listed building. A biodiversity survey and report is asked for if the proposal is likely to affect wildlife, and a CIL additional information form for every application.

Timing and CIL in Tower Hamlets

Tower Hamlets decided 101 of 109 householder applications inside eight weeks in the year to June 2026 once prior approvals are left out, which makes a valid first submission the thing that matters.

Tower Hamlets’ CIL2 schedule took effect on 17 January 2020 and has three residential zones, from £280 per square metre in Zone 1 down to £50 in Zone 3 when set, which are £335.33, £179.64 and £59.88 for permissions granted in 2026. Mayoral CIL is in band 2. CIL generally applies from 100 square metres of new floor area, so a loft inside the existing roof is normally outside it.

Loft conversions in Tower Hamlets in numbers

Questions about loft conversions in Tower Hamlets

Can I use permitted development for a loft in Tower Hamlets?

If you own a house outside a conservation area that is not listed, often yes. Flats, listed buildings and conservation area houses generally need planning permission.

Does Tower Hamlets have a roof Article 4 direction?

Its planning datasets page lists two directions, and both concern changes of use.

Do I need a roof plan?

Yes, where any alteration to an existing roof is proposed. A loft always is.

Do I pay CIL on a loft in Tower Hamlets?

Normally not, since CIL generally starts at 100 square metres of new floor area.

Find out what your Tower Hamlets loft needs

Send the address and a photo of the back of the house. We reply with the route and a fixed fee, from £475 drawings + £150 survey (£625 total).

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