Planning
LiveFree planning permission check - an answer for any English property in about 90 seconds
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Free Newham planning permission check

Check whether your Newham project needs planning permission in 90 seconds. Free, no signup, verified against the London Borough of Newham's 9 designated conservation areas, over 100 listed buildings and the council's published Article 4 directions. Extensions, loft conversions, basements, new builds, change of use, outbuildings and prior approvals all covered.

WarningThis tool gives general guidance based on public planning data. It is not legal advice. Always verify with your local planning authority before starting work.

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9
Conservation areas
over 100
Listed buildings
81%
Overall approval rate
9 wks
Typical decision time

Approval rate is the overall planning approval rate for all applications decided by the council, YE Dec 2025, per MHCLG Live Table P124.

Planning in Newham

Newham is a London planning authority handling the full range of residential projects: rear and side extensions, loft conversions, basement extensions, outbuildings, prior approval applications, new build infill and change of use. Newham has 9 designated conservation areas and over 100 listed buildings, plus multiple Article 4 directions in force that remove permitted development rights in specific streets. Newham has the lowest conservation area count of any inner-east London borough, which makes it one of the more permissive boroughs for well-designed PD extensions on Victorian terraces in Forest Gate, Stratford and West Ham. The council's overall planning approval rate was 81% for year ending December 2025 per MHCLG Live Table P124, reported by the London Borough of Newham. If your property sits inside a conservation area, behind an Article 4 direction or on a listed building, assume you will need full planning permission rather than permitted development.

Why Newham refuses planning applications

The commonest reasons London Borough of Newham officers give when refusing householder planning applications - across extensions, loft conversions, basements, outbuildings and other residential projects - based on published committee reports:

  1. Harm to the character or appearance of a conservation area
  2. Overlooking and loss of privacy to neighbouring windows
  3. Bulk, scale or massing out of character with the terrace
  4. Loss of private amenity space below the 50% retention threshold
  5. Conflict with the council's adopted design or heritage policy

Newham council resources

Authoritative Newham planning sources you can cross-check:

Last reviewed by Jonathan Blewitt (founder, Mayfair Studio) on 11 April 2026. Approval rate sourced from MHCLG quarterly live tables (YE Dec 2025). Conservation area, Article 4 and listed building counts cross-referenced against planning.data.gov.uk. This page is reviewed quarterly.