Georgian terrace of brown brick houses facing a leafy green on Paradise Row in Bethnal Green, a path curving through the park

Bow · E3 · Tower Hamlets

Planning permission in Bow, E3

Planning permission for a home in Bow E3 is decided by Tower Hamlets Council, which granted 93% of its householder decisions in the four quarters to 2026 Q2. A daylight assessment is not part of a standard householder application. We draw the plans from £745.

Fixed fee from £545 drawings + £200 survey (£745 total) · all prices

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Who decides, and how Tower Hamlets has been deciding

Bow sits in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets, so the figures below are the council's, not Bow's alone.

Tower Hamlets made 191 householder decisions in the four quarters to 2026 Q2, including prior approvals (our analysis of MHCLG planning application statistics, table PS2).

Of those householder decisions, 93% were grants (our analysis of MHCLG planning application statistics, table PS2), and 93% of the householder decisions that were not prior approvals were made within 8 weeks (our analysis of MHCLG planning application statistics, table PS2). The 8 weeks is the statutory period under article 34(2)(b) of the DMPO 2015.

Daylight, and streets around Tredegar

A householder application normally goes in with scaled plans and elevations, not with a daylight report. A council can ask for more if a proposal sits close to a neighbour's windows, and its local validation list says when. Read it before you submit.

If your street is near Tredegar Square or Tredegar Road, check the council's conservation area map first, because designation changes what you can build and what the officer will look for.

Daylight to a neighbour is a planning matter. A neighbour's separate legal right to light is not decided by the council. We draw the scheme; if a specialist daylight or rights-of-light study looks necessary, tell us when you enquire and we will say so in the quote.

Victorian terrace with bay windows and cars parked along the street

Edwardian gabled houses on a residential street with spring blossom

The council's householder fee is £548 from 1 April 2026 (SI 2012/2920, Schedule 1 Part 2, category 6(1), as annually indexed).

Our analysis of MHCLG Planning Data Platform article-4-direction-area dataset (entity API, retrieved 15 Oct 2026). www.planning.data.gov.uk

Conservation areas and Article 4 directions in and around E3

Tower Hamlets appears 61 times on the national conservation-area register (our analysis of the MHCLG Planning Data Platform conservation-area dataset, snapshot of 14 Aug 2026).

Around the centre of the E3 postcode district we found 9 live Article 4 direction area entries (our analysis of the MHCLG Planning Data Platform article 4 direction area dataset, retrieved 15 Oct 2026). The register is incomplete, so treat that as a minimum. Our Article 4 direction glossary entry and the London Article 4 guide explain what such a direction takes away.

Appeals

Of 66 householder appeals decided on Tower Hamlets decisions between 2021 and 2026, 24% were allowed (our analysis of the Planning Inspectorate Casework Database, release 2609). The borough-wide picture is on our Tower Hamlets planning permission page.

DrawingsDirect sample sheet: existing and proposed side elevations at 1:100 for a two-storey side extension to an invented house — Sample drawing

Cost

The council's householder fee is £548 from 1 April 2026 (SI 2012/2920, Schedule 1 Part 2, category 6(1), as annually indexed). We charge from £745 for the planning drawings, and our pricing page shows the rest.

Data

Sources

Every figure on this page, where it comes from and a link to the original.

Figure	Source	Link
191	Our analysis of MHCLG planning application statistics, table PS2 (district open data table) (released 24 Sep 2026, quarters to 2026 Q2)	www.gov.uk
93%	Our analysis of MHCLG planning application statistics, table PS2 (district open data table) (released 24 Sep 2026, quarters to 2026 Q2)	www.gov.uk
93%	Our analysis of MHCLG planning application statistics, table PS2 (district open data table) (released 24 Sep 2026, quarters to 2026 Q2)	www.gov.uk
66	Our analysis of Planning Inspectorate Casework Database (released 1 Oct 2026 (Casework Database 2609))	www.gov.uk
24%	Our analysis of Planning Inspectorate Casework Database (released 1 Oct 2026 (Casework Database 2609))	www.gov.uk
61	Our analysis of MHCLG Planning Data Platform conservation-area and article-4-direction datasets (bulk snapshot retrieved 14 Aug 2026)	www.planning.data.gov.uk
9	Our analysis of MHCLG Planning Data Platform article-4-direction-area dataset (entity API, retrieved 15 Oct 2026)	www.planning.data.gov.uk
8 weeks	DMPO 2015 art 34(2)(b): decision period for an application that is not major development (source wording: 8 weeks beginning with the day immediately following receipt)	www.legislation.gov.uk
£548	Statutory fee from 1 April 2026, SI 2012/2920 Sch 1 Pt 2 category 6(1): householder application for alterations or extensions to a single dwellinghouse	assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
£745	DrawingsDirect starting fixed fee for planning drawings, from the published price list	drawingsdirect.co.uk

FAQ

Questions people ask

Do I need a daylight assessment for a Bow extension?

Not as a rule for a householder application. The council can request one when a scheme is close to a neighbour's windows, so check Tower Hamlets' validation list.

Which council handles planning for E3?

Tower Hamlets. Postcode districts can straddle boundaries, so confirm your exact address on the council's own site.

Is my Bow street in a conservation area?

Tower Hamlets' own map answers it. The national register shows 61 conservation-area entries for the borough, so it is worth checking before you design.

Photographs: Christopher Hilton (CC BY-SA 2.0).