PLANNING CONSULTANTS · HACKNEY
Planning consultants in Hackney
We prepare and coordinate the planning case and specialist reports for sites in Hackney covering Stoke Newington, Dalston, De Beauvoir, Clapton, Homerton and Hackney Wick. This page sets out what London Borough of Hackney asks for when you apply, with links to the council's own documents.
THE COUNCIL'S DOCUMENTS
What Hackney
judges you against.
Validation list. Planning Application Validation Checklist (Hackney Planning Service). An application missing a required document can be made invalid, which delays the decision.
Development plan. Hackney Local Plan 2033 (LP33) (adopted, 2020); New Hackney Local Plan (emerging, Earl).
National policy. The National Planning Policy Framework and, for every London council, the London Plan 2021 sit alongside the local plan.
LOCAL PLANNING POINTS
Things that shape applications in Hackney.
Checked against the council's published policy and guidance. Each point links to its source.
- A new Residential Extensions and Alterations SPD was adopted in December 2025 and came into effect in January 2026, replacing the 2009 guidance. Source
- The consultation draft of that SPD (September 2025) proposed limiting single-storey rear extensions to 3m deep on terraced houses, 3.5m on semi-detached and 4m on detached houses, and rear dormers to at least 0.5m below the ridge and 1m above the eaves. Check the adopted version for the final wording. Source
- The same draft said roof extensions along an unaltered roofline in a conservation area will generally not be acceptable, and that on Victorian butterfly roofs a mansard is usually the most appropriate form of roof extension. Source
- There are 35 conservation areas across the borough. Source
- Hackney's Local Plan (LP33) was adopted on 22 July 2020. Work has started on a new local plan, which the council expects to start using in 2029. Source
- Selective licensing covers privately rented homes in 17 wards, including Stoke Newington, Dalston, Clissold and Hackney Central, from 1 May 2026 to 30 April 2031. Source
REPORTS HACKNEY ASKS FOR
Hackney's validation list, report by report.
Which of these your application needs depends on the project and the site. In Hackney, extra reports are triggered most often by a conservation area, flood zones 2 and 3, flood3, critical drainage areas, scheduled monuments, tall buildings. Enter the address in our application checker to see the list for your site.
| Report | Level | When it is needed | Policy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Draft Biodiversity Gain Plan | Required | Required unless exempt; householder applications, small self-build and de minimis habitat cases are exempt.Applies to: one new home, 2 to 9 homes, major schemes, commercial, changes of use, basements | Biodiversity Gain Requirements (Exemptions) Regulations 2024; NERC Act s41 |
| Energy Strategy Statement | Required | Required for all majors, any scheme with one or more new homes, and non-residential schemes adding floorspace.Applies to: one new home, 2 to 9 homes, major schemes, commercial | LP33 |
| Sustainable Drainage Strategy incl. SuDS proforma | Required | Required for all major applications.Applies to: major schemes | LP33 |
| Sustainability Impact Assessment | Required | Required for buildings of 1,000 m2+ GIA, any scheme with one or more new homes, residential sites of 0.5 ha+, and any site of 1 ha+.Applies to: one new home, 2 to 9 homes, major schemes, commercial | LP33 |
| Affordable Workspace Statement | Where relevant | Required for major commercial schemes anywhere in the borough and major mixed-use schemes in designated employment areas.Applies to: major schemes | LP33 |
| Air Quality Assessment | Where relevant | Required for all majors, new buildings in areas of poor air quality, schemes near or creating sensitive uses, and those with significant demolition or construction.Applies to: major schemes, one new home, 2 to 9 homes, commercial, changes of use | LP33 |
| Tree Survey / Arboricultural Implications | Where relevant | Required for works affecting trees on or off site, whether or not they are protected by a TPO or conservation area.Applies to: all applications | LP33 |
| Child Friendly Impact Assessment | Where relevant | Required where the scheme's estimated child yield is 10 or more.Applies to: major schemes, 2 to 9 homes | LP33 LP50, LP14; Child Friendly SPD |
| Contaminated Land Assessment | Where relevant | Required for development on contaminated or potentially contaminated land.Applies to: all applications | LP33 |
| Daylight/Sunlight Assessment incl. Climate Based Light and Overheating Assessment | Where relevant | Required for all majors and wherever daylight or sunlight to the site or to neighbours could be harmed.Applies to: all applications | LP33 |
| Design and Access Statement (householder) | Where relevant | For householder applications, required only when the property is in a conservation area.Applies to: house extensions | National requirement |
| Biodiversity Survey and Report | Where relevant | Required for all majors and for schemes likely to affect wildlife, or on or next to SINCs, watercourses, wetlands, Walthamstow Reservoirs SPA or SSSIs.Applies to: all applications | LP33 |
| Affordable Housing Statement and Affordable Housing Viability Report | Where relevant | Required for 10+ homes or sites over 1,000 m2 / 0.1 ha unless policy-compliant, and for 1-9 home schemes not paying the required contribution; full and redacted versions by an RICS surveyor.Applies to: major schemes, 2 to 9 homes, changes of use | LP33; S106 SPD |
| Fire Safety Reasonable Exception Statement | Where relevant | Required for any application where the applicant considers a full Fire Statement unnecessary.Applies to: all applications | LP33 |
| Flood Risk Assessment | Where relevant | Required in Flood Zones 2-3, on sites over 1 ha in Zone 1, for changes to more vulnerable uses, and for all development in Critical Drainage Areas (majors and basements in high surface or groundwater risk areas).Applies to: all applications | LP33 |
| Flood Risk Assessment (basements) | Where relevant | Basement development in Critical Drainage Areas or areas of high surface water or groundwater flood risk needs an FRA.Applies to: basements | LP33 |
| Health Impact Assessment | Where relevant | Required for 50+ homes, non-residential schemes of 10,000 m2+, and hot food takeaways, betting shops or payday loan shops.Applies to: major schemes, commercial, changes of use | LP33 |
| Heritage Statement (Archaeological Assessment) | Where relevant | Required for new buildings or ground disturbance on or next to an archaeological site.Applies to: all applications | LP33 |
| Heritage Statement / Heritage Impact Assessment | Where relevant | Required where works affect listed or locally listed buildings, scheduled monuments, registered parks, conservation areas, non-designated assets, or their settings; always needed for listed building consent.Applies to: all applications | LP33 |
| Management Plan | Where relevant | Required for large HMOs (7+ occupants), student housing, hostels, shared or supported housing, night-time economy uses, schools, community uses and other sui generis uses.Applies to: changes of use, commercial, major schemes | LP33 |
| Marketing Evidence | Where relevant | Required where office, industrial, retail, employment or community floorspace would be lost, or a designated heritage asset demolished.Applies to: changes of use, commercial, major schemes | LP33 |
| Noise Impact Assessment and Sound Insulation Details | Where relevant | Required where a scheme could cause noise disturbance or puts noise-sensitive uses near noise sources, including specified changes of use and new homes.Applies to: all applications | LP33 |
| Overheating Risk Assessment | Where relevant | Required for all majors and for minor schemes, for example where mechanical ventilation or air conditioning is proposed.Applies to: major schemes, one new home, 2 to 9 homes, commercial, changes of use | LP33 |
| Planning Statement | Where relevant | Required for all majors and wherever planning obligations are needed; recommended for minor schemes and changes of use.Applies to: major schemes, 2 to 9 homes, one new home, commercial, changes of use | LP33 |
| BREEAM Pre Assessment | Where relevant | Required for non-residential schemes creating new commercial units or extensions of 100 m2+.Applies to: commercial, major schemes | LP33 |
| Tall Buildings Assessment / Wind Impact Statement | Where relevant | Required for buildings 30 m+, 50% above prevailing height, notably taller than neighbours or changing the skyline; significant height also needs a wind statement.Applies to: major schemes, commercial, 2 to 9 homes | LP33 |
| Townscape Visual Impact Assessment | Where relevant | Required where a scheme significantly affects townscape or the strategic views to St Paul's from King Henry's Mound or Westminster Pier.Applies to: major schemes, commercial | LVMF |
| Transport Assessment / Transport Statement | Where relevant | Majors and schemes with significant transport impacts need a transport assessment; schemes of 9 or fewer homes or under 1,000 m2 with transport implications need a transport statement.Applies to: major schemes, 2 to 9 homes, one new home, commercial, changes of use | LP33 |
| Travel Plan | Where relevant | Required where significant transport effects are likely, such as majors or changes of use that raise trip generation.Applies to: major schemes, changes of use, commercial | LP33 |
| Urban Greening Factor and Whole Life Carbon / Circular Economy | Where relevant | All majors need a UGF calculation; Mayor-referable majors also need whole life carbon (recommended for all majors) and circular economy statements.Applies to: major schemes | LP33; London Plan |
OUR SERVICES IN HACKNEY
Every report, one coordinated team.
All 54 services are available for sites in Hackney. Prices are starting estimates; we confirm the fee in writing before appointment.
Planning & strategy
Heritage & townscape
Water & ground
Environment & amenity
Ecology & landscape
Energy & sustainability
Transport & viability
Structure, basements & ground
- Structural feasibility notes
- Structural planning statements
- Basement impact assessments
- Basement construction method statements
- Ground movement assessments
- Groundwater & hydrology screening
- Geotechnical desk studies
- Ground investigation reports
- Slope stability assessments
- Retaining wall assessments
- Demolition & construction method statements
- Construction management plans
- Structural reuse & retrofit appraisals
- Structural condition discharge statements
OUR WORK IN HACKNEY
Applications we have supported here.
Neighbouring councils
YOUR QUESTIONS ANSWERED
Planning in Hackney: FAQs
Still have a question?
Tell us about the site and we will confirm what Hackney will need and what it should cost.
Make an enquiryWhich reports does Hackney require for a house extension?
Hackney's list adds reports mainly when the site has constraints, such as a conservation area, flood zones 2 and 3, flood3, critical drainage areas, scheduled monuments, tall buildings. Drawings and the forms are always needed. Our application checker lists the reports for your address.
How up to date is Hackney's validation list?
The list we use is "Planning Application Validation Checklist (Hackney Planning Service)", which is undated. Councils revise their lists, so we confirm the current version before you commission reports.
Do you cover every part of Hackney?
Yes. We work across the whole of Hackney, including the postcode districts E2, E5, E8, E9, EC2A, N1, N4, N16 and areas such as Stoke Newington, Dalston, De Beauvoir, Clapton, Homerton and Hackney Wick.
Where are you based?
Our office is at Unit D New Wave House, 4 Humber Road, London NW2 6DW, and we work on sites across all 32 London boroughs, the City of London and OPDC.
YOUR NEXT STEP
Planning an application in Hackney?
Tell us about the site and what you want to build. We will tell you which reports Hackney is likely to need and what they should cost.
Call 020 8004 4464 or email info@greencodeconsultants.com.