Planning
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Free Tower Hamlets planning permission check

Check whether your Tower Hamlets project needs planning permission in 90 seconds. Free, no signup, verified against the London Borough of Tower Hamlets's 58 designated conservation areas, around 2,000 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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58
Conservation areas
around 2,000
Listed buildings
81%
Overall approval rate
10 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 Tower Hamlets

Tower Hamlets 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. Tower Hamlets has 58 designated conservation areas and around 2,000 listed buildings, plus multiple Article 4 directions in force that remove permitted development rights in specific streets. Tower Hamlets has 58 designated conservation areas spanning the Georgian terraces of Spitalfields and Whitechapel, the Bow and Bromley-by-Bow industrial heritage, and the densely-built Canary Wharf and Isle of Dogs. 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 Tower Hamlets. 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 Tower Hamlets refuses planning applications

The commonest reasons London Borough of Tower Hamlets 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

Tower Hamlets council resources

Authoritative Tower Hamlets planning sources you can cross-check:

Further reading
Read the full Tower Hamlets extension guide →

Cost benchmarks, planning timelines and design recommendations specific to Tower Hamlets homeowners.

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.