Tower Hamlets has one of London's highest conservation area coverages at 43%, which affects many front garden paving proposals. Householder approvals in Tower Hamlets run at around 72% with an average decision time of 11 weeks.
In Tower Hamlets, whether a front garden paving needs planning permission depends on specific constraints — conservation area, Article 4, listed status or flood risk. Check your address to see which apply.
Paving the front garden is permitted development provided the hardstanding uses permeable materials, OR if the non-permeable area is under 5m².
Read the full front garden paving planning guide for the national rules and application process.
The CanUBuild checker surfaces real recent applications close to your address — approvals and refusals — so you can see what the planning officers at Tower Hamlets Council have approved for comparable schemes. Nearby precedent is one of the strongest signals for your own chances.
In Tower Hamlets, the answer depends on whether your property sits in a conservation area (43% of the borough), is listed, or falls within an Article 4 direction. Most front garden paving proposals are permitted development for houses when they stay within GPDO limits and no local constraint applies. Check your exact address with the CanUBuild checker before spending on drawings.
Conservation areas in Tower Hamlets typically remove several permitted development freedoms. For a front garden paving, the Larger Home Extension route and some external alterations do not apply, so a full householder application is usually required. Planning officers at Tower Hamlets Council assess conservation area proposals against the specific character appraisal for the street.
Tower Hamlets Council currently averages around 11 weeks for householder applications. Complex front garden paving proposals — particularly those in conservation areas or on listed buildings — can take longer. Prior approval decisions for Larger Home Extensions are typically issued in 42 days.
Address-level constraints and recent decisions around the corner. No drawings needed.