Building work in Hackney: area guide
Kitchens, bathrooms, structural work and extensions across Hackney, led by a founder with 30+ years' hands-on experience.
Hackney Council is the planning and building control authority for Hackney, which covers E8, E2, E5, E9, N1 and N16 and takes in Shoreditch, Dalston, Stoke Newington and Hoxton. This is our area guide to building work in the borough; for whole-house refurbishment go to Home renovation in Hackney.
Of the 120,710 homes the valuation list records in Hackney, 35% were built before 1919, 8% between the wars and 56% since 1945; 83% are flats and 17% are houses. VOA Council Tax stock of properties, March 2025, for all 30 statistical areas in Hackney. Counts rounded by the VOA.
Planning and building control in Hackney
What Hackney Council publishes about building work in the borough, with each point linked to the council page it comes from:
- Hackney Council's conservation areas map page says there are now 35 conservation areas across the borough. hackney.gov.uk
- The De Beauvoir conservation area Article 4 Direction, made on 7 July 2008 and approved by the Secretary of State on 27 November 2008, requires planning permission for alterations to windows, front doors, railings and additions to the roof of a dwelling house. hackney.gov.uk
- The St Mark's conservation area Article 4 Direction was made on 7 July 2008 and approved on 27 November 2008, and not all properties in the conservation area are affected by it. hackney.gov.uk
- Hackney Council says there are around 1,300 listed buildings in Hackney, on a list compiled and maintained by Historic England. hackney.gov.uk
- Hackney Council's residential extensions and alterations SPD was adopted in December 2025 and came into effect in January 2026, with guidance covering extensions, roof alterations and basements. hackney.gov.uk
- Hackney Council runs its own building control service and offers 3 main application types: full plans, building notice and regularisation. hackney.gov.uk
- A building notice cannot be used with Hackney Building Control where the proposal is within 3 metres of or over a public sewer, and a full plans application is required instead. hackney.gov.uk
- Hackney Building Control charges an administrative fee of £145 plus VAT for any application that is cancelled or withdrawn. hackney.gov.uk
- Hackney Council's draft residential extensions and alterations SPD says new basements should only be of a single storey and less than 1.5 times the footprint of the host building in area. consultation.hackney.gov.uk
With 83% of Hackney's homes flats, the lease comes first on many jobs. Flats have no householder permitted development, so an extension or most external changes to a flat need planning permission from Hackney Council as well as the freeholder's consent. The 17% that are houses keep the householder rights within the size limits, and in a conservation area a single-storey rear extension survives unless an Article 4 direction removes it. Taking out a wall or a chimney breast is building regulations work, not planning, unless the building is listed.
Reviewed jobs in Hackney
Our MyBuilder profile holds 1 verified review from jobs in Hackney. The job titles are the customers' own, as published:
- Install new dishwasher, Stoke Newington, 24 May 2021 (5 out of 5)
Read every review, including the ones from elsewhere, on our reviews page.
Most of Hackney is flats, on VOA figures, so across E2, E5, E8, E9, N1 and N16 the first question is what the lease and freeholder allow. The houses that exist are Victorian terraces around London Fields, Victoria Park and Stoke Newington, bay-fronted with a two-storey rear addition. Most of the flats are in post-war estates and newer blocks, while around Shoreditch and Hoxton old industrial buildings are now warehouse and workshop conversions. The older houses and conversions both predate modern insulation, wiring and drainage standards.
What Hackney terraces actually need, wall by wall
A typical terrace in Dalston or Stoke Newington has solid nine-inch external walls, a single-skin rear addition that runs cold, suspended timber ground floors and a wiring loom added to repeatedly. A Part P rewire, new heating and hot water and rear addition insulation touch every room: home renovation territory. Moving the kitchen to the back is a kitchen renovation job once the wall is settled. In a flat or warehouse conversion, freeholder consent comes first.
Removing the wall between front and back receptions, or the whole rear wall for bifolds, transfers load onto a steel beam: load-bearing wall removal with RSJ installation. A structural engineer designs it, we build to their drawing, and padstones at the bearings are sized in that design. Chimney breast removal in a shared stack brings party wall duties.
Our Services
Every Service We Offer in Hackney
Starting figures are indicative London ranges from published 2026 cost guides, not a quotation. Each service page itemises the figures and names the sources.
Local Areas
Neighbourhoods We Cover in Hackney
About 11,700 homes: 94% flats, 24% built before 1919 and 72% since 1945 (VOA, March 2025).
The South Shoreditch and Shoreditch High Street Conservation Areas were both first designated in 1991 and were merged in 2009. Council source
About 7,500 homes: 79% flats, 49% built before 1919 and 49% since 1945 (VOA, March 2025).
Dalston conservation area was officially designated on 20 July 2016 and is centred on Kingsland High Street, the line of the Roman Ermine Street. Council source
About 12,540 homes: 74% flats, 68% built before 1919 and 31% since 1945 (VOA, March 2025).
Stoke Newington conservation area was designated in 1983 and runs from the Clissold Park conservation area along Church Street to include substantial parts of the High Street. Council source
About 9,920 homes: 98% flats, 8% built before 1919 and 81% since 1945 (VOA, March 2025).
Hoxton Street Conservation Area was first designated in 1983 and is described by Hackney Council as a historic thoroughfare and marketplace with a cohesive and intimate character. Council source
Nearby
Area Guides for Neighbouring Boroughs
FAQ
Building work in Hackney: common questions
How do you deal with parking and skips on narrow streets?
We arrange permits before the work starts, because most streets in the borough sit within a controlled parking zone. Where a skip cannot be placed, we use bagged waste with scheduled collections and time deliveries for quieter parts of the day. Keeping the pavement clear and passable matters as much as keeping the site tidy.
Do you work across the whole borough of Hackney?
Yes. Shoreditch, Dalston, Stoke Newington, Hoxton and the streets around Victoria Park and Broadway Market, covering E2, E5, E8, E9, N1 and N16. Building control is handled as part of the job, we hold a 4.9 rating from 31 reviews on MyBuilder, and quotations follow a proper look at the property.
Saaid is the best craftsman I have worked with. He knows what he is doing from the very beginning. He has a great knowledge of construction, fittings, appliances, installations. We are tenants and the landlord initially thought that to fit…
George always kept to commitments and arrived on time. He offered helpful suggestions during his initial visit and promptly provided a reasonably priced quote. The work started on time and George worked really hard every day. There were…
We loved working with George and Ibrahim and would highly recommend them. They have done splendid job on our new kitchen refurb which including new flooring, moving the services, installing RSJ and preparing space for new back doors…
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