DISTRICT

EC4V · Blackfriars & Queenhithe

Borough coverage

EC4V runs from Blackfriars along Queen Victoria Street to Queenhithe and the old wharf frontages rebuilt as offices. Commercial use dominates and the district has no settled residential quarter: any home here is a flat — an upper-floor survival or a unit in a later block — so permitted development does not apply, and glazing, balconies, terraces and rooftop plant all need permission. Conservation-area coverage is near-total and listed buildings are dense, so detailing is scrutinised closely; internal work in a listed building needs consent too.

Boroughs
City of London, Islington
Wards spanned
6
Centre
51.5125, -0.1000
City of London conservation areas
28

Location data: postcodes.io · Constraints: planning.data.gov.uk (borough-level) · Open Government Licence

Constraint context · City of London

Real · planning.data.gov.uk

City of London has 28 designated conservation areas and 0 Article 4 areas. A district is too coarse to say which apply to your house — postcode districts span many streets and EC4V crosses 2 boroughs. Enter a full postcode below for the point-level check, or read the full borough picture on the City of London planning guide.

CONSERVATION

Is EC4V in a conservation area?

Partly — and which part matters. A postcode district is never uniformly designated: EC4V contains 31 conservation areas within 1km of its centre, and whether your own property sits inside one decides whether permitted development survives. The centre point of EC4V itself does not fall inside one — but many of its streets will.

BankNearby
Barbican and Golden LaneNearby
Bear GardensNearby
BloomsburyNearby
Borough High StreetNearby
Bow LaneNearby
Chancery LaneNearby
Charterhouse SquareNearby
COA00000580Nearby
COA00000632Nearby
COA00000781Nearby
Finsbury CircusNearby
Fleet StreetNearby
Foster LaneNearby
GuildhallNearby
Hatton GardenNearby
Laurence Poutney HillNearby
Newgate StreetNearby
Old Barge House AlleyNearby
Postman's ParkNearby
Queen StreetNearby
Roupell StreetNearby
SmithfieldNearby
South BankNearby
St Paul's CathedralNearby
StrandNearby
TemplesNearby
Thrale StreetNearby
Union StreetNearby
WaterlooNearby
WhitefriarsNearby

Conservation areas whose official geometry lies within 1km of the centre of EC4V. Source: planning.data.gov.uk · Open Government Licence. Proximity to the district centre is not a statement about your own address — run the address check for that.

ARTICLE 4

Does an Article 4 direction apply in EC4V?

Yes — EC4V has 32 Article 4 directions mapped within 1km of its centre. An Article 4 direction withdraws specific permitted-development rights on the streets it covers, which is the most common reason a project that looks like permitted development turns out to need a full application. The centre point of EC4V does not fall inside one, but coverage is street-level — verify your own address.

Article 4 Basement Development Permitted Rights RemovedNearby
Article 4 Direction Class E To C3 In Central Activities ZoneNearby
Bankside and Borough District Town CentreNearby
BasementsNearby
Central Activities ZoneNearby
CHARLES DICKENSNearby
Commercial, Business, and Service (Use Class E) to residential (Use Class C3) (in CAZ)Nearby
DOGGETTS COAT & BADGENearby
FOUNDERS ARMSNearby
Modified Direction 1 - CAZNearby
OLD THAMESIDE INNNearby
PRINCE WILLIAM HENRYNearby
Protected shopping frontage SF6: Hopton StreetNearby
Protected shopping frontage SF8: Borough High StreetNearby
Railway ArchesNearby
ROSE & CROWN P HNearby
Site allocation NSP02: Site Bordering Great Suffolk Street and Ewer StreetNearby
Site allocation NSP03: 62-67 Park StreetNearby
Site allocation NSP04: 185 Park StreetNearby
Site allocation NSP06: 1 Southwark Bridge Road and Red Lion CourtNearby
Site allocation NSP16: Conoco House, Quadrant House, Edward Edwards House and Suthring HouseNearby
Site allocation NSP18: Land enclosed by Colombo Street, Meymott Street and Blackfriars RoadNearby
Site allocation NSP19: Ludgate House & Sampson House, 64 Hopton StreetNearby
Site allocation NSP20: Southwark Station and 1 Joan StreetNearby
Site allocation NSP22: Land between Paris Gardens, Colombo Street, Blackfriars Road and Stamford StrNearby
Site allocation NSP22: Land between Paris Gardens, Colombo Street, Blackfriars Road and Stamford Street Site allocation NSPNearby
Site allocation NSP23: 1-5 Paris Garden and 16-19 HatfieldsNearby
THE ANCHOR BANKSIDENearby
The GarrisonNearby
The Mad Hatter HotelNearby
THE MARKET PORTERNearby
WHITE HARTNearby

Article 4 directions whose official geometry lies within 1km of the centre of EC4V. Source: planning.data.gov.uk · Open Government Licence. The national dataset omits some property-specific directions — the council register is always definitive.

Every designation in the borough: City of London planning guide →

ROUTE

Do you need planning permission in EC4V?

Three routes exist, and which one you are on is decided by your address, not your postcode district:

Permitted development — no application. The work stays inside the GPDO limits and no designation removes them. A Lawful Development Certificate is cheap proof for a future buyer.No permission
Prior approval — the larger single-storey rear extension route, with neighbour consultation. Not available on designated land.42 days
Full householder application — required once a designation removes your permitted-development right, or the scheme exceeds the limits.8 weeks

EC4V contains mapped conservation-area or Article 4 geometry, so a meaningful share of its streets will have lost some permitted-development rights — which pushes those properties onto the full-application route. Whether yours is one of them is an address-level question, not a district-level one.

FEES

What does planning permission cost in EC4V?

Householder planning application£548 (from 1 April 2026)
Lawful Development Certificate — proposed works£274 (half the application fee)
Lawful Development Certificate — existing works£548 (the full application fee)
Listed building consentNo fee
Resubmission after a refusalFree once, within 12 months of the decision

National statutory figures for England — councils do not set them, so they are the same in every borough. Planning fees re-index every 1 April; confirm the current amount on the Planning Portal fee calculator before you apply. These are the council's fees only — drawings, surveys and any specialist reports are separate.

TIME

How long does it take?

Householder application — statutory target8 weeks
Householder application — in practice8–12 weeks
Prior approval (larger home extension)42 days
Lawful Development Certificate8 weeks
Householder appeal — deadline to lodge12 weeks from the decision date
Householder appeal — typical decisionAround 18 weeks
REFUSED

What if it's refused?

A refusal is a decision notice with reasons attached, and those reasons are a roadmap. Most homeowners in City of London — as anywhere in England — are better served by amending the scheme and using the free resubmission than by appealing: you get one further application on the same site within 12 months without paying again.

Who can appealThe applicant only — not neighbours
Fee to appealNone — you bear your own costs
ProcedureWritten representations for most householder appeals
Success rateRoughly a third — about 36% of householder appeals allowed in 2025/26

Appeals go to the Planning Inspectorate, an independent national body. How to read a refusal and choose your route →

PROJECTS

Planning permission by project in City of London

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Planning Permission Checker provides planning and cost intelligence for early feasibility only. It is not legal, planning, valuation, architectural, structural, or surveying advice. All estimates are indicative and must be verified by qualified professionals before purchase, design, planning submission, or construction.

Cost estimates are indicative only — not a quotation. Final price depends on survey, specification, structure, access, party wall matters, VAT, professional fees, and contractor availability.

Planning outcomes are not guaranteed. Local planning authorities make final decisions.

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