Residential architecture & new build

Whether it is one house on a tight infill plot or eight flats above a parade of shops, residential development in London lives or dies on policy: density, unit mix, space standards, daylight, amenity and parking.

We test a site against those policies before you commit, then design the scheme that gets the most out of it.

What we work on

New build houses and infill plots

Backland and garden-land sites, end-of-terrace gaps, and plots created by demolition. We assess access, overlooking, daylight to neighbours and the character of the street before drawing anything.

Flat conversions

Splitting a house into self-contained flats, or converting upper floors above commercial units. Unit sizes, private amenity space, refuse and cycle storage and sound insulation between dwellings all need to meet standards to get through.

HMOs

Houses in multiple occupation, including the change of use from a family house to a small or large HMO. Licensing requirements and Article 4 directions restricting HMO conversions apply in many London boroughs.

Change of use to residential

Offices, shops and light industrial units converted to homes, either through full planning or the Class MA prior approval route. Daylight, noise, contamination and flood risk are the usual hurdles.

Small residential developments

Blocks of up to around 25 units, mews schemes and rooftop additions. These are major or minor applications depending on scale, and normally need a wider consultant team.

The standards your scheme has to meet

• Nationally Described Space Standard. Minimum gross internal areas by number of bedrooms and bedspaces — 37 sq m for a one-bed one-person flat, 50 sq m for a one-bed two-person flat, and up from there. Adopted by most London boroughs.
• The London Plan. Housing density, dual aspect, private outdoor space, play space, cycle parking and car-free development in well-connected locations.
• Part M4(2) accessibility. Most new dwellings must be accessible and adaptable, with a proportion built to wheelchair-user standard M4(3).
• Biodiversity net gain. A 10% net gain requirement applies to most developments, with limited exemptions for small householder work.
• Fire safety. A fire statement is required for relevant major developments and any building with residential units above 18m.

Feasibility first

For any site of real value, we recommend a feasibility study before you buy or commit. It sets out how many units the site can realistically carry, the constraints that will shape the scheme, the likely planning route and the consultants you will need. It is a small fraction of the cost of finding out the hard way.

The wider team

Residential schemes above a handful of units usually need a planning consultant, structural and civil engineer, arboriculturist, transport consultant, daylight and sunlight assessor, energy and sustainability consultant, and an ecologist. We assemble and coordinate that team so you have one point of contact.

Typical programme