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Service area · London Borough of Tower Hamlets

Architectural Designers in Tower Hamlets

Magna Studio prepares planning and Building Regulations drawings for homeowners, leaseholders and landlords across the London Borough of Tower Hamlets. Most of our work here is on Victorian terraces in Bow, Mile End, Stepney Green and Bethnal Green: rear and side-return extensions, mansard roofs and rear dormers, and flat conversions. Around Tredegar Square, Victoria Park, Driffield Road and Spitalfields the houses sit in conservation areas, often with Article 4 directions and listed buildings, and roughly four in five homes in the borough are flats with no householder permitted development rights, so we check the route before drawing.

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Planning authority
Tower Hamlets
Decision time
8 weeks statutory
Common work
Rear extension
Quote
Within 24 hours
01Local context

Typical homes we work on in Tower Hamlets

  • Victorian terraces in Bow, Mile End, Stepney Green, Bethnal Green and Globe Town
  • Georgian and early Victorian houses around Tredegar Square, Stepney Green and Spitalfields
  • Larger Victorian houses facing Victoria Park and along the streets off Roman Road
  • Warehouse conversions and dockside flats in Wapping, Limehouse, Shadwell and the Isle of Dogs
  • Post-war council estates across the borough, including much of Poplar, Stepney, Bethnal Green and Bow
  • New-build towers and mansion blocks on the Isle of Dogs, at Canary Wharf, Aldgate and Blackwall
02Constraints

Planning constraints in Tower Hamlets

What changes the planning route in this area. Always confirm on the council's constraints map before relying on permitted development.

Conservation areas

Tower Hamlets has more than 50 conservation areas, including Tredegar Square, Victoria Park, Driffield Road, Medway, Stepney Green, Fournier Street and Brick Lane, Wapping Pierhead and Narrow Street. Roof extensions are not permitted development inside them, and each area has a character appraisal that officers apply to rear extensions, mansards and dormers.

Source · Checked 16 Sept 2026

Article 4 directions

The council has Article 4 directions removing office-to-residential permitted development (Class MA) in the City Fringe, Canary Wharf and other employment areas, and directions in several conservation areas limiting front alterations and roof works. Check the council's constraints map before relying on permitted development or prior approval.

Source · Checked 16 Sept 2026

Flats have no permitted development rights

Around four in five homes in Tower Hamlets are flats or maisonettes, which have no householder permitted development rights. Any extension, rear infill or roof alteration to a flat needs planning permission, and usually the freeholder's consent under the lease as well.

Source · Checked 16 Sept 2026

Thames and Lea flood risk

Much of the borough south of Commercial Road and along the River Lea, including Wapping, Limehouse, the Isle of Dogs, Poplar and Blackwall, is Flood Zone 3, defended by the Thames Barrier and river walls. Ground-floor extensions and basements there may need a flood risk assessment and a safe refuge above the predicted flood level.

Source · Checked 16 Sept 2026

Listed buildings

Spitalfields, Stepney Green, Tredegar Square and the riverside at Wapping and Limehouse contain a high concentration of listed houses and warehouses. Listed building consent is needed for almost any alteration, internal or external.

Source · Checked 16 Sept 2026

What London Borough of Tower Hamlets planning officers look for

Tower Hamlets officers assess householder applications against Local Plan 2031 policies on design and amenity and the conservation area character appraisals. On the terraces of Bow and Bethnal Green they expect rear extensions to sit below the neighbour's first-floor sill and clear the 45-degree line, side-return infills with a lightweight glazed roof against the party wall, and mansards only where the terrace already has a mansard precedent, set back behind the front parapet with traditional dormers. Common refusal reasons are full-width box dormers, roof extensions that break an unbroken roofline in a conservation area, and rear extensions deeper than the established pattern. Most applications in the borough are for flats, where there is no permitted development fallback, so the planning case has to be complete first time. The council offers paid pre-application advice and we recommend it for conservation area roof work. Decisions often run past the statutory 8 weeks; allow 10–14 weeks.

Council links

Extensions and loft conversions in Tower Hamlets

Tower Hamlets is a borough of flats, but its house-owning streets follow the Victorian terrace pattern of Bow, Mile End, Stepney Green and Bethnal Green. On those terraces the typical project is a side-return infill or full-width rear extension to create a kitchen-diner, and a mansard roof or rear dormer to add a bedroom and bathroom in the roof. Where the house is outside a conservation area, much of this is permitted development (PD) and we secure a Lawful Development Certificate (LDC) as proof.

The catch is that roughly four in five homes here are flats, in converted houses, mansion blocks, warehouses and estates, and flats have no householder PD rights. Around Tredegar Square, Victoria Park, Driffield Road, Medway and Spitalfields the houses are in conservation areas, sometimes listed, and a planning application designed to the local appraisal is the norm. For leaseholders we prepare the planning case and the drawings your freeholder will want to see at the same time.

Planning constraints in Tower Hamlets

  • More than 50 conservation areas, including Tredegar Square, Victoria Park, Driffield Road, Medway and Fournier Street, where roof extensions lose PD rights.
  • Article 4 directions removing Class MA office-to-residential rights in the City Fringe, Canary Wharf and other employment areas, and limiting some works in conservation areas.
  • Flats have no PD rights, and most homes in the borough are flats.
  • Thames and Lea flood risk across Wapping, Limehouse, the Isle of Dogs and Poplar.
  • Listed buildings in Spitalfields, Stepney Green, Tredegar Square and along the river.

What Tower Hamlets planning officers look for

Officers assess householder applications against the Tower Hamlets Local Plan 2031 and the relevant conservation area appraisal. They look for rear extensions that respect the pattern of the terrace, sit below the neighbour’s first-floor sill and keep clear of the 45-degree line; mansards set back behind the parapet with traditional dormers where the terrace has a precedent; and rear dormers that are subordinate, set back from the eaves and clad in matching slate. Full-width box dormers and roof extensions on unbroken rooflines in conservation areas are the standard refusals. Tower Hamlets offers paid pre-application advice. Council fees from April 2025 are £528 for a householder application and £264 for a proposed-use LDC; verify before applying.

Our services in Tower Hamlets

Example projects nearby

Guides

Read Conservation areas: extensions and lofts and Class MA office-to-residential in London.

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03Examples

Example projects in and around Tower Hamlets

Proposed loft floor plan for an L-shaped rear dormer loft conversion on a Victorian terrace in HackneyExample project
Loft conversionStoke Newington, Hackney

Loft Conversion in Stoke Newington, Hackney

L-shaped rear dormer loft conversion to a two-storey Victorian terrace, adding a double bedroom and en-suite within the 40 m³ permitted development allowance.

Typical route: Permitted development, proved with a Lawful Development Certificate

04Questions

Planning questions we hear in Tower Hamlets

Do I need planning permission for a rear extension in Tower Hamlets?

If you own a house outside a conservation area, a single-storey rear extension up to 3 m is usually permitted development, or up to 6 m via prior approval (42 days). Most homes in Tower Hamlets are flats, which have no PD rights, and in Tredegar Square, Victoria Park, Driffield Road and the other conservation areas a planning application is normally the safer route even for a house.

Can I add a mansard roof to my terrace in Bow or Bethnal Green?

Often, where the terrace already has mansards or the conservation area appraisal supports them. Officers expect the mansard set back behind the front parapet, a 70-degree front slope, traditional dormers and slate or lead finishes. On an unbroken roofline in a conservation area the answer is usually no. Pre-application advice is worth the fee for roof work here.

I own a flat in Tower Hamlets. Can I extend it?

Only with planning permission. Flats and maisonettes have no householder permitted development rights, so a ground-floor rear extension, a roof terrace or a loft to a top-floor flat all need a full application. You will also usually need the freeholder's consent under your lease. We prepare the planning drawings and the design case together.

Can I convert an office to flats under Class MA in Tower Hamlets?

Outside the Article 4 areas, yes, via prior approval (56 days). Tower Hamlets has removed the Class MA right across the City Fringe, Canary Wharf and other employment areas, so the first step is checking the constraints map for the building. Where the right applies, the council still assesses natural light, space standards, noise, flooding, contamination and transport.

How long does Tower Hamlets council take to decide a householder application?

The statutory period is 8 weeks from validation, and 8 weeks for a Lawful Development Certificate. Tower Hamlets frequently agrees an extension of time, so we advise allowing 10–14 weeks and using pre-application advice for conservation area work.

05Coverage

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