Local plan
Hackney’s published adopted borough plan is Local Plan 2033 (LP33), adopted on 22 July 2020, read with the London Plan and the relevant retained site allocations identified by the council. [1][2]
Home-project policies include LP1 Design Quality and Local Character, LP2 Development and Amenity, LP3 Designated Heritage Assets, LP17 Housing Design, LP19 Residential Conversions and LP53 Water and Flooding; read the complete adopted policies and map on the council’s Local Plan page before applying them to the property. [5]
Planning powers returned to Hackney on 1 December 2024 for its former London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) area, but the LLDC Local Plan 2020–2036 and associated guidance continue to apply there rather than LP33 automatically replacing them. [2][3][4]
The replacement borough plan is programmed for 2029, while Stamford Hill’s examination closed with an Inspector’s report dated 27 July 2026 and Future Shoreditch is under examination; these milestones must not be mistaken for adoption of either area action plan. [27][28][29][32]
Council guidanceHouseholder design guide
Use the Residential Extensions and Alterations SPD adopted in December 2025 and effective from January 2026, which replaces the 2009 document. [6]
It covers extensions, roof alterations, basements, front gardens and walls, outbuildings, plant and equipment, and accessibility. [6]
The separate Stamford Hill Design Guide is still presented by the council as a draft, with finalisation following the area action plan examination, so its proposed roof-extension approach should not be described as an adopted borough-wide allowance. [30]
Use the new borough SPD's full text and diagrams when checking extension dimensions rather than carrying forward the superseded guide's limits. [6]
Council guidanceValidation list
Hackney's application-submission page links to its planning application checklist and supporting guidance. Obtain the complete current checklist for your application type before commissioning reports. [7]
Before submission, agree the drawings and any project-specific assessments with the council. [7][22]
The 17 August 2026 NPPF, policy DM2, says additional local information requirements should have a development-plan policy basis and be proportionate to the proposal’s scale and effects. [34][8]
For biodiversity net gain, householder applications remain exempt; from 6 August 2026, the exemption for sites of 0.2 hectares or less is subject to the priority-habitat exception, and the separate self-build exemption no longer applies to new applications made on or after that date. [9]
Council guidanceArticle 4 directions
Hackney has several area- and property-specific Article 4 directions, so check the relevant instrument and mapped boundary instead of assuming one restriction applies throughout the borough. [10]
The council records Class E-to-residential restrictions for mapped central activity zone, city-fringe and town-centre sites from 27 April 2023, and designated industrial sites from 5 October 2023. [10]
Its updated register records the Brownswood and Well Street heritage directions as effective from 9 May 2025, and Beck Road’s from 28 May 2025; their precise withdrawn rights and affected properties need checking in the individual schedules. [10]
The additional Ridley Road direction remains a proposal on the council's published register, with a final decision expected in early 2027 rather than an established commencement date. Check the current register and applicable instruments for HMO or other changes of use. [10][11][12]
Council guidanceConservation areas
Use Hackney’s conservation-area directory and maps to find the relevant area appraisal and management plan before designing external alterations. [13]
For St Mark’s and De Beauvoir, the council lists controls affecting matters such as windows, doors, roofs, boundary enclosures and external painting, but explicitly warns that not every property within either conservation area is covered by its Article 4 direction. [14][15]
The older Brownswood and Beck Road area pages still use proposal wording for their directions, whereas the current Article 4 register supplies the later effective dates, so a historic appraisal is not sufficient evidence of the present control. [16][17][10]
Confirm the property's conservation-area boundary, appraisal and management requirements with the planning team rather than relying on neighbourhood names alone. [13][14][15]
Council guidanceBasement policy
Basements are addressed by LP53 Water and Flooding and the replacement Residential Extensions and Alterations SPD; read the adopted policies and current SPD together before designing below-ground work. [5][6]
In LP33, LP53(E) requires new or extended basements to demonstrate that groundwater flooding will not be increased for the site or surrounding area, while LP53(C)(iv) identifies assessment requirements for basement development in specified surface-water or groundwater-risk areas. [5]
Read these policy passages alongside the current SPD and validation requirements before deciding the permitted storeys, garden coverage or Basement Impact Assessment scope. [6][7]
For a site in the former LLDC area, start with that area’s retained Local Plan and supplementary guidance rather than transferring LP33 requirements automatically. [3]
Council guidanceCIL rates
An applicable development can attract both local CIL and Mayoral CIL, and Hackney’s local schedule depends on development type and location. [18]
The GLA’s 2026 MCIL2 table gives Hackney and the former LLDC area the ordinary Band 2 rate of £72.73/m², indexed from the £60/m² schedule rate effective from 1 April 2019; this is the Mayoral component, not the combined bill, and separate central-London commercial rates can apply. [21]
Hackney now collects local CIL in its former LLDC area, but LLDC Charging Schedule 2 still applies there, including to new permissions granted by Hackney. [18]
The council-linked calculator excludes indexation. Request an address- and permission-specific calculation from cil.s106@hackney.gov.uk, using the applicable charging schedule and current indexed rates; neither the calculator output nor the 2014 zone plan is a final 2026 liability figure. [19][20]
Council guidancePre-application advice
Hackney provides paid advice on proposals and likely planning issues, with its published tariff effective from 1 April 2026. [22]
The listed VAT-inclusive prices are £310 for an ordinary householder written request, £430 for a listed-building householder request, £620 for small commercial development up to 100 m², and £750 for one new residential unit. [22]
The corresponding householder follow-up prices are £155 and £215, including VAT, while complex cases can require a bespoke fee. [22]
Submit through the council’s pre-application portal and confirm the scope before paying: this is not a design service, and the council currently warns of delays rather than guaranteeing its advertised response periods. [22]
Council guidanceBuilding control
Hackney Building Control can be contacted at buildingcontrol@hackney.gov.uk, 020 8356 8124, or Hackney Service Centre, 1 Hillman Street, E8 1DY. [23][24]
The service accepts online applications and provides full-plans, building-notice and regularisation routes, subject to the relevant eligibility requirements. [25][26]
Its service page lists inspections on Mondays, Tuesdays and Thursdays, and the owner or builder must contact the team at the appropriate stages, so arrange inspections before work is covered. [23][24]
For ordinary non-higher-risk work a registered building control approver is an alternative, but work within the higher-risk-building regime generally goes to the Building Safety Regulator, while regularisation is a council-only route. [26]
Council guidance