Planning permission in Newham
Constraints: planning.data.gov.uk (ingested 2026-06-15) · Prices: HM Land Registry UK House Price Index, October 2025 · 135 sales in October 2025 · Open Government Licence
Planning in Newham — the detail
Newham is a dense, fast-changing east-London borough, from Stratford and the Olympic legacy at its north to the long Victorian terraces of Forest Gate, Manor Park, East Ham and Plaistow and the Royal Docks regeneration to the south. Its nine conservation areas include the Woodgrange Estate at Forest Gate, the Durham Road and Romford Road areas at Manor Park, Stratford St John's, and the industrial heritage of Three Mills and Sugar House Lane.
Newham has operated a borough-wide HMO Article 4 direction since 31 July 2013, removing the permitted development right to convert a house (use class C3) to a small HMO (C4) across the whole borough except the area within the London Legacy Development Corporation (the Olympic Park), so an HMO conversion needs planning permission. Separate Article 4 directions apply in the Durham Road, Romford Road and Woodgrange Road conservation areas, where external alterations need consent.
Much of Newham's stock is terraced or flatted; flats have no permitted development rights, and terraced houses outside the conservation areas can often extend under permitted development. The address-level check separates a permitted-development project from a full application, and confirms that the borough-wide HMO direction applies to any HMO plan.
Policy detail lives in the Newham local plan and applications are submitted via the Newham planning portal.
Conservation areas in Newham
Real · planning.data.gov.ukEvery designated conservation area in Newham from the official dataset — inside one, permitted development narrows and design scrutiny rises.
- Durham Road, Manor Park
- East Ham Town Centre
- Forest Gate Town Centre
- Romford Road
- Stratford, St John's
- Sugar House Lane
- Three Mills
- University Area
- Woodgrange Estate, Forest Gate
Source: planning.data.gov.uk · Open Government Licence. Boundaries are checked at address level by the area report.
Article 4 directions in Newham
Real · planning.data.gov.ukNo Article 4 geometry for Newham appears in the national planning.data.gov.uk dataset, but the borough has operated a borough-wide HMO Article 4 direction since 31 July 2013 (removing the right to convert a house to a small HMO across the borough except the London Legacy Development Corporation area), plus directions in the Durham Road, Romford Road and Woodgrange Road conservation areas. Check the council's Article 4 pages for the position at a specific address.
Source: planning.data.gov.uk · Open Government Licence. Checked at address level by the area report.
What gets built in Newham
Forest Gate, East Ham and Plaistow terraces extend under PD outside the conservation areas; the Woodgrange Estate and town-centre areas need a full application.
Costs & planning route →Deep precedent on the Forest Gate, East Ham and Plaistow terraces; the Woodgrange Estate Article 4 area needs a full application.
Costs & planning route →Common on the Forest Gate and East Ham terraces; the Woodgrange Estate Article 4 area decides dormer form via a full application.
Costs & planning route →Uncommon on the borough's dense terrace and flat stock; a full application with structural and ground-condition evidence is expected.
Costs & planning route →Workable on the deeper terrace plots under PD; the Woodgrange Estate and conservation areas can remove outbuilding rights — check the address.
Costs & planning route →Newham postcode by postcode
E15 is Stratford — the Olympic legacy, the Stratford St John's conservation area and the industrial heritage of Three Mills and Su…
Area report →E7 is Forest Gate — the Woodgrange Estate conservation area, which carries an Article 4 direction, and the Forest Gate town-centre…
Area report →E6 is East Ham — the East Ham Town Centre conservation area and the long Victorian terraces around Central Park. Much of the terra…
Area report →E13 is Plaistow — dense Victorian terraces and the West Ham streets nearby. Conservation coverage is light, so much of the stock k…
Area report →E16 covers Canning Town and the Royal Docks — overwhelmingly flatted regeneration stock, where flats have no permitted development…
Area report →Newham planning, asked straight
Do I need planning permission to create an HMO in Newham?
Is my Newham home in a conservation area?
Can I extend my flat or terraced house in Newham?
Which Newham conservation areas have Article 4 directions?
How do I check constraints for a Newham address?
Related reading
Designated land edits the rulebook — here's the exact redline.
Read the guide →The designation nobody's heard of until it refuses their extension.
Read the guide →Real ranges from real projects — not brochure numbers.
Read the guide →What applies at your address?
Borough-level rules only narrow it down. Enter a Newham postcode for the live constraint check — conservation area, Article 4 and sold-price comparables, cited to source.
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