Renovating in London, area by area

Where you live in London changes what you can build, how long consent takes and what it costs, more than almost anything about the house itself. Two houses of the same age a mile apart can sit under completely different rules. One inside a conservation area with an Article 4 direction that removes the right to change a window, the other with permitted development rights intact. Borough council tax bands, parking and skip permits, and the dominant housing stock all move with the postcode too. These guides set out the position for twenty London neighbourhoods.

Each guide covers transport, schools, crime, green space, council tax and the planning position, with every figure dated and sourced. Find your area below, then read the planning section before you commission any drawings.

North London

• 11 things to know before moving to Hampstead. Camden adopted new Article 4 directions across the Hampstead conservation areas on 9 June 2026, so historic doors, windows, boundary walls, railings, chimneys and roof changes need a planning application.
• What it's like to live in Muswell Hill. Most of N10 sits inside a conservation area, but Rookfield Estate is the only one in Muswell Hill carrying an Article 4 direction, so a good deal of permitted development survives elsewhere.

East London

• Is Bethnal Green a good place to live? Ten of Tower Hamlets' conservation areas fall in or touch E2, so windows, front doors, roof materials and rear extensions are all in play, though the borough's two Article 4 directions do not touch householder rights.
• The ultimate Clapton area guide. Hackney lists three Clapton conservation areas, Clapton Square, Clapton Common and Clapton Pond, but has not made a residential Article 4 direction over any of them.
• Thinking about moving to Dalston or London Fields? An Article 4 direction covers named addresses in part of the Shacklewell Green conservation area, where even window and front door changes need an application, while permitted development survives across the rest of E8.
• Leyton area guide: what it's really like to live there. Leyton Town Centre is a designated conservation area with no Article 4 direction attached to it, and a very large share of the area's Victorian terraces have been split into upper and lower flats.

South East London

• 12 things to know before moving to Bromley. Sixteen Article 4 directions taking effect on 15 March 2022 removed upward extension rights, so an upward extension in an Area of Special Residential Character is now a planning application rather than a notification.
• 8 reasons families love East Dulwich (and 3 they don't). There is no conservation area called East Dulwich, but the Dulwich Estate holds a scheme of management over just over 4,000 properties and its written consent is needed for external alterations, separately from and in addition to Southwark's planning permission.
• 7 reasons to live in Forest Hill. Both the Forest Hill conservation area and Perry Vale and the Christmas Estate carry Article 4 directions, which is why you may not be able to swap sash windows for uPVC, add a porch or repaint the front elevation without permission.
• 6 reasons people are moving to New Cross and Deptford. Telegraph Hill, Deptford High Street and St Paul's Church, Brookmill Road, Hatcham and Brockley conservation areas all carry Article 4 directions covering windows, doors, chimneys, roof alterations, porches, hard surfacing and exterior paint.
• Living in Southwark: the complete area guide. Almost everything here is a flat, and work in a leasehold flat needs freeholder consent before it starts.

South West London

• Should you move to Fulham? A borough-wide Article 4 direction in force since 26 April 2018 means a new basement or lightwell needs full planning permission and a basement impact assessment.
• 9 things to know before moving to Kingston upon Thames. Kingston has 26 conservation areas covering around 10,000 postal addresses, but only three Article 4 directions in force, none of which removes householder extension or alteration rights.
• The complete guide to living in Richmond. Richmond upon Thames has 85 conservation areas, the highest count of any London borough, and two Article 4 directions in force from 1 April 2018 mean digging out a basement needs planning permission anywhere in the borough.
• Is Streatham a good place to live? An honest look. Lambeth's Streatham Common appraisal records that many of the larger suburban properties were divided into flats in the post-war period, which is why so many purchases here are leasehold rather than freehold.
• Why more Londoners are moving to Wandsworth. Wandsworth has 46 conservation areas and eight of them also carry Article 4 directions, including Wandsworth Common, Heaver Estate and Totterdown Fields Estate.
• Is Wimbledon a good place to live? Conservation area coverage in SW19 is dense, with seven areas carrying the Wimbledon name alone, and the John Innes areas at Merton Park and Wilton Crescent also carry Article 4 directions.

West London

• Pros and cons of living in Chiswick. Only two of Hounslow's 29 conservation areas carry Article 4 directions and both are in Chiswick, Bedford Park and part of Gunnersbury, where windows, doors, roofing and boundary treatments on street-facing elevations need a planning application.
• The complete guide to living in Ealing. Six of Ealing's conservation areas carry Article 4 directions, including Bedford Park, Brentham Garden Estate and both Hanger Hill estates, where the council requires planning permission for all residential extensions and minor alterations.
• Pros and cons of living in Hammersmith. Large parts of Hammersmith sit within conservation areas where the usual permitted development rights are curtailed and even window replacement can need consent, so check the designation on the specific address with the council.

Start with the constraints, not the drawings

Establish the planning position first, because it sets both the budget and the programme before anyone draws anything. An Article 4 direction can turn a window replacement into a planning application, and a conservation area designation can remove rights you assumed you had, which changes the scope and adds months. What makes renovating in London different covers the borough level differences in more detail.

If you are not sure what the national rules give you before any local restriction is applied, read our guide to permitted development rights alongside the guide for your area.