Convert a house into flats in London
Do you need planning permission for a conversion into flats in London? Here is what the permitted development rules say, how City of London Corporation’s designations change them, and what decides an application, grounded in the official guidance and quoted verbatim.
Do you need planning permission for a conversion into flats in London?
Subdividing one dwelling into two or more is a material change of use: there are no householder permitted development rights for it, so every conversion is a full planning application. Whether a conversion into flats needs permission in London still depends on your exact address and the designations on it.
The starting point
Subdividing one dwelling into two or more is a material change of use: there are no householder permitted development rights for it, so every conversion is a full planning application.
How London’s designations apply
| Designation in London | Published |
|---|---|
| Conservation areas | 28 |
| Article 4 directions (PD removed) | 0 |
| Listed building outlines | 636 |
Quality decides it: room sizes against space standards, layouts, light and outlook, and amenity space. The principle of conversion is usually supported; poor internal quality is where schemes fail. Counts are read live from planning.data.gov.uk; your report checks them against your exact address.
What London weighs
Quality decides it: room sizes against space standards, layouts, light and outlook, and amenity space. The principle of conversion is usually supported; poor internal quality is where schemes fail.
As a London borough, City of London Corporation also decides against the London Plan 2021 (the strategic policy layer for all 33 boroughs), alongside national policy and its own Local Plan.
See a conversion into flats in a real report
A change of use inside the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site: housing policy and heritage weighed together, 78% of 267 nearby decisions approved.
Get a planning report for your London address
A Planning Policy report reads the designations on your exact London address, quotes the City of London Corporation and national policies that apply to a conversion into flats, and (on Pro) shows decided applications nearby with outcomes.