Check planning policy in your area

We welcome planning applications that follow Hackney’s planning policy.

Planning policy helps protect Hackney’s historic, beautiful and useful places, and encourages more to be developed. Your planning application stands a better chance of being granted permission if it’s designed with these policies in mind.

 

Check local planning information

Use this tool to find local planning information relevant to a place or property:

• Recent planning applications (undecided or under appeal)
• Article 4 directions
• Conservation areas
• Listed buildings
• Tree preservation orders

If you need comprehensive information covering all Hackney planning policies, you can visit the planning policy page or the the dynamic policy map.

Check local planning information

Our local plan

The local plan is a collection of policies that sets out the vision for Hackney’s development. It is particularly important for larger developments that will have an impact on an area’s character.

See the local plan 2033.

Further guidance

All decisions on planning applications are made using this statutory guidance. This includes:

• supplementary planning documents and other planning guidance

Conservation

Conservation protects places of special architectural and historic interest. Planning controls are tighter in conservation areas and for listed buildings. The special interest of all heritage assets and their settings is taken into account when determining planning applications. You may also require other types of consent such as listed building consent or scheduled monument consent.

It is important to check if your property is a heritage asset, or if there are any heritage assets nearby that may be affected by your proposals.

Check if your property is in a conservation area.

Article 4 directions

In some areas, an Article 4 direction is put in place to increase planning controls and help protect the character and appearance of the area.

If your type of project does not normally need planning permission because it’s classed as permitted development, it may need it if an Article 4 direction is in place.

Find out about more about the Article 4 Direction areas in Hackney.

Biodiversity

Biodiversity is an important part of the planning process.

Biodiversity net gain

Biodiversity net gain (BNG) is a way of creating and improving habitats by requiring development to have a positive impact (‘net gain’) on biodiversity.

It makes sure that habitats for wildlife are left in a measurably better state than they were before development.

It’s mandatory for all new planning applications in England. Check what to submit within a planning application to meet BNG requirements on GOV.UK.

Some developments are exempt. Check if your development is exempt from BNG requirements on GOV.UK.

In Hackney, we encourage achieving biodiversity net gain on-site wherever possible. This helps benefit local residents and wildlife.

This approach follows the mitigation hierarchy, which means you should:

• avoid harm to biodiversity wherever possible
• reduce impacts to biodiversity if harm cannot be avoided
• compensate for impacts (on or off site) only after all options to avoid or reduce harm to biodiversity have been explored

Find out more about biodiversity net gain on GOV.UK.

Monitoring biodiversity

Where biodiversity net gain applies and planning permission is granted, we charge a a monitoring fee.

This fee covers our costs for reviewing monitoring reports, carrying out site visits and working with site owners on remedial measures to put biodiversity gains in place and keep them working. These remedial measures relate to:

• significant on-site gains
• off-site gains
• non-significant on-site gains where they contribute to locally important species or ecological networks

We do not charge a monitoring fee for private gardens.

Works to trees

If your work will affect any trees, you must check if they have a tree preservation order (TPO) on them. Works to trees in conservation areas also require notification to the council.

Further information on works to trees and TPOs.