Tower Hamlets

Local plan

The Tower Hamlets Local Plan 2031 was adopted on 15 January 2020, replacing the Core Strategy 2010 and Managing Development Document 2013. [1][2][3]

Relevant policy starting points are S.DH1 for design, S.DH3 for heritage, D.DH8 for amenity, D.H3 for housing quality, and D.ES4–D.ES5 for flood risk and drainage; read their complete wording and the applicable map before drawing project-specific conclusions. [3]

The former London Legacy Development Corporation (LLDC) area retains its Local Plan 2020–2036 and supplementary guidance alongside the London Plan 2021; applicable neighbourhood plans, including Isle of Dogs and Roman Road Bow in their respective areas, also need checking. [4][5][7]

The replacement Local Plan 2023–2038, submitted on 16 February 2026, is not treated as adopted: the 15 September 2026 examination update confirms that postponed hearings cannot yet be rescheduled. [8][9][10]

Householder design guide

Use the relevant conservation-area management plan and the council’s adopted mansard guidance rather than assuming one extension design is acceptable throughout Tower Hamlets. [15][16]

The mansard guidance covers eligible buildings in Clinton Road, Driffield Road, Medway, Ropery Street and Tredegar Square, but excludes listed and locally listed buildings and unsuitable roof forms; the council also requires façade improvements and a streetscape contribution. [16]

Clinton Road’s management plan expressly limits its mansard-guidance reference to properties on Clinton Road, not every property inside the conservation-area boundary. [17]

For rear extensions, Driffield Road section 3.4.2 supports considering side-return infill and, in suitable circumstances, wraparounds, but requires a subordinate design, protection of neighbours and attention to garden size and public visibility—not automatic approval. [18]

Validation list

Start with the council's validation index and checklist for the application type: the linked householder PDF is V5, September 2020, so confirm any subsequent requirements before submission. [22][23]

It requests existing/proposed drawings and the council's CIL information form, with heritage, tree, ecological, daylight and flood reports where the stated triggers apply. [23]

The current BNG webpage requires a Statement of Exemption where exemption is claimed; genuine householder applications remain exempt from mandatory BNG under national guidance. [26][27]

Agree current submission requirements before commissioning reports, particularly for fire safety and non-householder applications, because some linked material retains old policy references. [22][25]

Article 4 directions

The confirmed C3-to-C4 HMO Article 4 direction took effect on 1 January 2021 across its mapped area, excluding the former LLDC land. [29][30]

A separate Class MA commercial-to-residential direction applies to specified mapped commercial areas rather than the whole borough; the council and ministerial record give 18 August 2022 as its original commencement, although the published making instrument contains a conflicting date. [29][31][32][33]

A 14 June 2023 ministerial modification removed parts of that coverage, and its annex map distinguishes retained from removed land. [33]

Obtain confirmation of the current boundary and applicable instrument for the property, resolving differences between the council's separately linked map and the modification map. [33][34]

Conservation areas

The council identifies 58 conservation areas and provides individual appraisals and an interactive map; check the site boundary and the relevant area document before designing alterations. [15]

The currently linked Clinton Road, Driffield Road, Medway, Ropery Street and Tredegar Square management plans contain separate roof, rear-extension and architectural-detail guidance, with boundary maps rather than a borough-wide permission allowance. [17][18][19][20][21]

Listed status and the mansard guidance’s eligibility restrictions need their own checks, even where a property lies inside one of those five areas. [16][17][21]

The householder checklist also calls for a Heritage Impact Statement where the specified heritage or archaeological interests are affected, including the setting of a conservation area. [23]

Basement policy

Check basement proposals against relevant flood, structural and heritage requirements: the council's validation guidance requires a Flood Risk Assessment for basement proposals in Flood Zones 2 or 3. [23][24][28]

The 2017 Strategic Flood Risk Assessment, paragraphs 6.2.23–6.2.26, printed page 58, recommends basement impact assessments addressing stability, flooding and local groundwater conditions, and identifies basement dwellings in Flood Zone 3 as unsuitable. [28]

Read that evidence alongside the complete adopted policy and current site-specific flood evidence. [28]

Check the operative Tower Hamlets and retained LLDC provisions before deciding depth or garden coverage; the absence of a quoted dimension is not evidence that basement restrictions are absent. [1][4]

CIL rates

For permissions covered by Tower Hamlets’ current CIL2 schedule, its published 2026 indexed residential rates are £335.33/m² in Zone 1, £179.64/m² in Zone 2 and £59.88/m² in Zone 3; use the charging-schedule map to establish the zone. [36][37]

The former LLDC area has a separate 2026 residential CIL2 rate of £88.50/m², rather than those three borough rates. [35][36] Mayoral CIL is additional: the ordinary 2026 MCIL2 Band 2 rate is £72.73/m², while different Mayoral rates apply to specified office, retail and hotel development in the mapped Central London/Isle of Dogs areas. [38]

The final liability depends on the correct schedule, use, floorspace, relevant reliefs and application history, so these published rates are not an all-in quote. [35][36][37]

Pre-application advice

The council’s tariff from April 2026, including VAT, lists £119 for an ordinary Scale A planning-advice letter and £130 where the property is in a conservation area or the works affect a listed building. [40]

A householder meeting costs £360 without written advice, and an optional officer site visit is £240 extra; confirm the required combination before booking because the tariff’s example bundle mislabels the site-visit code. [40]

For one to nine new homes, Scale B instead lists £2,200 for the initial meeting and written advice. [40]

Contact pre.applications@towerhamlets.gov.uk or 020 7364 5009 to confirm the service and fee; advice is not a planning permission or a guarantee of the eventual decision. [39][40]

Building control

Contact Tower Hamlets Building Control at buildingcontrol@towerhamlets.gov.uk, 020 7364 5000, or Town Hall, 160 Whitechapel Road, London E1 1BJ; the listed office hours are 9 am–5 pm, Monday–Friday, except public holidays. [41]

Charges are standard or individually assessed, and the council invites written quotations: obtain the applicable 2026/27 charge rather than relying on HTML tables that do not state an effective year. [41][42][43]

The Building Safety Levy started on 1 October 2026 for relevant new building-control applications and initial notices, subject to charging conditions and exemptions. [44][45]

Ordinary extensions or improvements that create no new dwelling or student bedspace do not need levy information under the national guidance. [45]