Building work in Newham: area guide
Kitchens, bathrooms, structural work and extensions across Newham, led by a founder with 30+ years' hands-on experience.
Newham Council is the planning and building control authority for Newham, which covers E15, E6, E7, E12, E13 and E16 and takes in Stratford, East Ham and Forest Gate. This is our area guide to building work in the borough; for whole-house refurbishment go to Home renovation in Newham.
The Council Tax list puts Newham at about 132,650 homes, 59% flats against 41% houses; 37% went up before 1919, 5% between the wars and 58% after 1945. VOA Council Tax stock of properties, March 2025, for all 40 statistical areas in Newham. Counts rounded by the VOA.
Planning and building control in Newham
What Newham Council publishes about building work in the borough, with each point linked to the council page it comes from:
- In a Newham conservation area you need planning permission to demolish a building. newham.gov.uk
- Newham's Article 4 Direction on change of use from Class C3 dwelling houses to Class C4 houses in multiple occupation was confirmed on 10 June 2013 and came into force on 31st July 2013. newham.gov.uk
- Newham states that Article 4 Directions currently apply in the Durham Road, Romford Road and Woodgrange Road conservation areas. newham.gov.uk
- Newham states that it has over 100 listed buildings, ranging from the Spotted Dog pub to Abbey Mills Pumping Station. newham.gov.uk
- Newham's Category A pre-application fee for residential extensions is £180 inclusive of VAT for written advice, excluding development already commenced. newham.gov.uk
- Newham Council runs its own building control service, Newham Building Control, which accepts four different types of application. newham.gov.uk
- A Newham full plans application must include scale plans in two copies, specifications such as building notes and structural calculations such as those for loading. newham.gov.uk
- Newham Building Control makes a decision on a full plans application within five weeks of receiving it, or within two months by agreement. newham.gov.uk
With 59% of Newham'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 Newham Council as well as the freeholder's consent. The 41% 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.
Newham holds housing markets that barely touch, each sending you to different jobs. East Ham, Forest Gate and Plaistow are long Victorian and Edwardian terraces across E6, E7, E12 and E13, where the work is solid brick and old drainage and a wall opening is a load-bearing wall removal question. Stratford and the Royal Docks in E15 and E16 are apartment buildings from the last twenty years, where the work is a controlled fit-out inside a managed block. And more than half the borough's homes are post-war, including the estates and blocks of Canning Town, Beckton and Plaistow, where work is leasehold and runs through the freeholder.
Stratford and Royal Docks apartments are fit-outs around fixed risers
Work in the newer blocks starts from a concrete frame, internal walls that are frequently partitions, services in risers and fixed drainage positions. A layout change is realistic within limits, and it is usually a kitchen renovation or bathroom renovation job planned around where the riser already is. Finishes and joinery give the biggest visible gains.
The controls are contractual as much as regulatory. The lease and the managing agent set working hours, lift booking, waste routes and often want the contractor's insurance before access, and we supply that paperwork up front. Notifiable work is registered with Newham Council building control or a registered building control approver, and we arrange the inspections and pass you the certification.
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Local Areas
Neighbourhoods We Cover in Newham
About 17,020 homes: 71% flats, 27% built before 1919 and 71% since 1945 (VOA, March 2025).
Newham lists Romford Road conservation area in Forest Gate, and Stratford St John's and Sugar House Lane conservation areas in Stratford E15. Council source
About 15,490 homes: 41% flats, 64% built before 1919 and 30% since 1945 (VOA, March 2025).
Newham has nine conservation areas, including Durham Road in Manor Park, East Ham conservation area in E6 and Forest Gate Town Centre conservation area in E7. Council source
About 11,180 homes: 51% flats, 67% built before 1919 and 31% since 1945 (VOA, March 2025).
The Woodgrange Estate Conservation Area in Forest Gate is subject to a comprehensive Article 4 Direction served in May 1977. Council source
Nearby
Area Guides for Neighbouring Boroughs
FAQ
Building work in Newham: common questions
Can I extend a terraced house in Newham without permission?
Frequently, within limits, as a house extension job. A single-storey rear extension of up to three metres is the common permitted development allowance on a terraced or semi-detached house, with more under prior approval. A conservation area rules out the prior approval route and any side or two-storey addition, an Article 4 direction can remove the basic allowance too, and Newham Council can confirm which designations affect your address.
Which work is possible in a new-build apartment?
Less than in a house, because of what you may touch. Structure, risers, communal services and anything affecting fire compartmentation are usually off limits without formal consent, and the building may still be within a warranty period worth protecting. Kitchens, bathrooms, flooring, joinery and finishes are where most of the value sits in these flats.
Do you cover Stratford and the Royal Docks?
Yes, along with East Ham, Forest Gate, Plaistow and the rest of E6, E7, E12, E13, E15 and E16. Building control notifications are handled as part of each job, and we hold a 4.9 rating from 31 reviews on MyBuilder. A site visit shows which job your property needs.
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