Which postcode districts around EC1A do we cover for drawing package work?
Every EC1A postcode district we draw in, the stock that dominates
it and the authority that validates a drawing package there. EC1A fees below are the
statutory England rates for 2026, not drawing package estimates.
| Postcode | Area | Dominant stock | What it means for a drawing package |
|---|
| EC1A | Smithfield | Mostly commercial, residential lofts | EC1A covers Smithfield only; City of London Corporation handles the drawing package. |
| EC2Y | Barbican | Listed Brutalist apartments (Barbican Estate) | Adjoining district to EC1A, also inside City of London for drawing package purposes. |
| EC3N | Tower Hill / Aldgate | mixed stock | Adjoining district to EC1A, also inside City of London for drawing package purposes. |
| EC4M | St Paul's | Mostly commercial, listed residential | Adjoining district to EC1A, also inside City of London for drawing package purposes. |
Which EC1A neighbourhoods suit a drawing package best?
Roof pitch, wall build-up and plot depth change every few EC1A
streets, and each one changes what a drawing package can achieve at that address.
- Inside EC1A: Smithfield (EC1A) — drawing package work in Smithfield means mostly commercial, residential lofts. Smithfield is Georgian and Victorian commercial. City of London Corporation decides the Smithfield application, and Smithfield Market anchors the Smithfield location plan.
- Bordering EC1A: Barbican (EC2Y) — a drawing package in Barbican starts from listed brutalist apartments (barbican estate), and Barbican reads as Brutalist listed estate. in EC2Y. City of London Corporation assesses Barbican architectural drawings against its own Barbican character guidance, and the location plan we draw for Barbican references Barbican Centre.
- Bordering EC1A: Fleet Street (EC4) — drawing package work in Fleet Street means mostly commercial, residential conversions. Fleet Street is Georgian and Victorian commercial. City of London Corporation decides the Fleet Street application, and Royal Courts of Justice anchors the Fleet Street location plan.
- Bordering EC1A: St Paul's (EC4M) — a drawing package in St Paul's starts from mostly commercial, listed residential, and St Paul's reads as Listed heritage commercial core. in EC4M. City of London Corporation assesses St Paul's architectural drawings against its own St Paul's character guidance, and the location plan we draw for St Paul's references St Paul's Cathedral.
How do conservation areas and Article 4 affect a drawing package in EC1A?
EC1A (Smithfield) conservation designations: there are 27 across City of London Corporation, Whitefriars, St Paul's, Barbican among them. Designation costs a EC1A (Smithfield) owner the permitted-development route: a drawing package then needs a £548 householder application over 8 weeks, in place of the £249 prior approval route that takes 6 weeks. Fleet Street is the EC1A (Smithfield) designation that most often changes a drawing package design.
EC1A (Smithfield) and Article 4: Multiple Article 4 Directions around office-to-residential, demolition, and shopfront changes. A drawing package planned at a EC1A address is checked against that direction first; City of London Corporation publishes the EC1A (Smithfield) extent, and the EC1A line rarely follows the EC1A (Smithfield) boundary you would expect.
The building fabric around EC1A (Smithfield): Very limited residential — Barbican Estate (listed post-war), Golden Lane Estate, modern luxury flats; overwhelmingly commercial. Overwhelmingly commercial; residential planning extremely constrained; one of the two highest listed-building densities in London. A drawing package in EC1A (Smithfield) is scoped against that stock first, because it decides whether the scheme runs as permitted development, a £274 Lawful Development Certificate, or a full £548 application to City of London Corporation.
Which neighbouring authorities border EC1A?
- Tower Hamlets — cross the EC1A (Smithfield) boundary and Tower Hamlets Council takes the drawing package instead, applying 58 conservation areas of its own around E1. We re-price architectural drawings at the EC1A (Smithfield) edge because Tower Hamlets policy and City of London policy rarely align on drawing package depth.
- Southwark — cross the EC1A (Smithfield) boundary and Southwark Council takes the drawing package instead, applying 43 conservation areas of its own around SE1. We re-price architectural drawings at the EC1A (Smithfield) edge because Southwark policy and City of London policy rarely align on drawing package depth.
- Westminster — cross the EC1A (Smithfield) boundary and Westminster City Council takes the drawing package instead, applying 56 conservation areas of its own around SW1. We re-price architectural drawings at the EC1A (Smithfield) edge because Westminster policy and City of London policy rarely align on drawing package depth.
- Camden — adjoining EC1A (Smithfield), with 40 conservation areas centred on NW1. A drawing package on the far side of the EC1A (Smithfield) line is determined by Camden Council, so the EC1A (Smithfield) quote for architectural drawings is checked against Camden guidance before it is issued.
Sources for this EC1A drawing package page: borough policies maps and
conservation-area registers (2025–26), Royal Mail postcode district boundaries,
the Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications) (England) Regulations, the Town
and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 as amended,
and the Party Wall etc. Act 1996.
