City of London Planning Consultant
Planning in the Square Mile
The City of London Corporation is the planning authority for the Square Mile, an area where office growth, protected views of St Paul's and the setting of the Tower of London all compete for the same skyline. Cedar Planning helps owners, occupiers and investors make applications that answer the Corporation's priorities from the first draft.
We are a Chartered planning consultancy led by Dan Malloy MRTPI. Cedar works across England, including central London, and deals with the Corporation and the Planning Inspectorate directly, with site visits arranged as needed.
- RTPI Chartered
- Fixed-fee quotations
- Direct advice from a Chartered Planner
From the 2015 Local Plan to City Plan 2040
The adopted development plan for the Square Mile is the City of London Local Plan, adopted in January 2015, read alongside the London Plan 2021. It is due to be replaced by City Plan 2040, which sets development priorities for the City up to 2040 and has been through several rounds of consultation since 2016.
City Plan 2040 was examined in public, with hearing sessions completed in 2025. Progress then paused while a ministerial direction concerning the Tower of London World Heritage Site was in place. On 24 September 2026 the Corporation announced that the Housing Minister had withdrawn that direction, accepting the inspectors' view of the plan's heritage approach. The final inspectors' report is expected shortly and adoption is anticipated by the end of 2026.
The emerging plan aims for a minimum of 1.2 million square metres of net additional office floorspace by 2040 and at least 1,998 net additional homes between 2023/24 and 2039/40. As submitted, it identifies the City Cluster and the Fleet Street and Ludgate area as places for tall buildings, with policy codes such as S4 for offices, S12 for tall buildings and S21 for the City Cluster. Numbering can change through modifications, so we always check the final text.
For most applicants the practical point is weight. As the plan nears adoption, its policies increasingly shape officer advice and committee decisions, even where the 2015 plan remains the formal starting point.
Offices cannot be converted to homes under permitted development
A City-wide Article 4 Direction, in effect since 1 August 2022, removes the national right to change offices to residential use across the whole Square Mile. Any conversion needs full planning permission and must address the Corporation's strong protection for office floorspace.
What shapes planning decisions in the City
Office use is the City's core function. The emerging plan's policy OF2 resists loss of existing office space, so changes of use need evidence on viability, marketing and the building's continued suitability.
Protected views of St Paul's, London View Management Framework views and the setting of the Tower of London limit height across much of the City, well beyond the conservation areas.
There are 28 conservation areas, including Bank, Bow Lane, Charterhouse Square and the recently designated Creechurch, plus a dense concentration of listed buildings and archaeology.
New housing is steered to identified residential areas such as the Barbican and Golden Lane, so that it does not constrain commercial activity. Location is often the first test.
How Cedar supports City of London schemes
Projects in the Square Mile range from shopfronts and fit-outs to changes of use and heritage works. Our services are shaped around what the Corporation needs to see.
Planning Statements
Statements that set a City proposal against the 2015 Local Plan, the emerging City Plan 2040 and the London Plan CAZ policies, explaining the weight each should carry.
View serviceHeritage Statements
Heritage work for listed buildings and the City's 28 conservation areas, including the effect of proposals on protected views and the settings of St Paul's and the Tower of London.
View servicePlanning Applications
Applications for alterations, extensions, changes of use and new floorspace, coordinated with the technical reports the Corporation expects for central London schemes.
View serviceFeasibility Studies
Early appraisals of what a City building or site could achieve, testing office protection, height limits and heritage constraints before design fees are committed.
View serviceLawful Development Certificates
Certificates confirming existing lawful uses or that proposed works fall outside the need for permission, useful when leasing or selling premises in the City.
View servicePlanning Appeals
Appeals against Corporation refusals, conditions or non-determination, with the case built on the policies the decision relied on and the latest status of City Plan 2040.
View serviceLondon Plan policy in a Central Activities Zone authority
The whole of the City lies within the Central Activities Zone, so London Plan Policies SD4 and SD5 apply throughout. They give priority to offices and other strategic functions and make clear that new housing should not compromise them. Policy D9 on tall buildings, Policy HC1 on heritage and Policy HC4 on the London View Management Framework carry particular weight here.
Development in the City also attracts the Mayoral and City Community Infrastructure Levy, with Section 106 obligations negotiated for larger schemes. Because City Plan 2040 introduces new expectations on matters such as culture, public realm and affordable housing, the likely obligations should be tested early.
Key policy areas we navigate
Policy S4 and OF1 to OF3 in City Plan 2040, the Article 4 Direction and London Plan Policy SD5.
Strategic Policy S12, the City Cluster and London Plan Policy D9.
Strategic Policy S13, St Paul's views and the London View Management Framework.
Strategic Policy S11, Policy HE1 and the conservation area character summaries.
A Consultancy That Works With You, For You
In the City, a small change can engage several policy regimes at once. A roof plant enclosure may touch a protected view, and a ground floor change of use can raise office protection and active frontage questions together. Identifying those issues before submission avoids delay.
Advice is particularly useful during the transition to City Plan 2040, when applicants need to know which policies officers will rely on and how much weight each carries.
RTPI Chartered
Led by a Chartered member of the Royal Town Planning Institute with more than ten years of public and private-sector planning experience.
Honest Prospects
A realistic view of the planning risks and options before you commit time or money.
Fixed, Transparent Fees
Fixed-fee quotations agreed before work starts, so you know the cost from the outset.
Direct Access
You deal with the Chartered Planner doing the work, not an account manager.
Planning Consultants Across London
We cover every council area in London. See our main London planning consultants page.
City of London Planning FAQs
Has City Plan 2040 been adopted yet?
Not yet. Hearings finished in 2025, and on 24 September 2026 the Corporation reported that the ministerial direction linked to the Tower of London had been withdrawn. The final inspectors' report is expected in the coming weeks, with adoption anticipated by the end of 2026. Until then the 2015 Local Plan remains the adopted plan.
Can I turn a City office floor into flats?
Not through prior approval, because the Article 4 Direction covers the whole City. A full application would need to justify the loss of office space and show the location suits housing. Our Class MA guide explains how the national right works elsewhere.
Where does the City allow tall buildings?
The emerging plan, as submitted, supports tall buildings in the City Cluster and the Fleet Street and Ludgate area, subject to heritage and views tests. Much of the rest of the City is constrained by St Paul's views and the setting of the Tower of London, so height needs careful testing.
How many conservation areas are there in the Square Mile?
The Corporation lists 28, from Bank and Bishopsgate to Charterhouse Square and Creechurch. Works in them, and to the City's many listed buildings, usually need a heritage statement that addresses significance and setting.
Can Cedar work on City projects from Norfolk?
Yes. Most planning work in the City is documentary: policy analysis, statements and correspondence with officers. We visit sites whenever a project needs it and deal with the Corporation directly throughout. Our London planning consultants page describes the wider service.
Get a Free Quote
Tell us what you are trying to achieve and where the property or site is. We will give you an initial view and a fixed-fee quote.
Or email us at info@cedarplanning.co.uk with the relevant information.
To discuss a Square Mile scheme, book a free 15-minute consultation or see our planning statements and London design and access statements.