Which EC4M postcodes does this drawing package service cover?
Every EC4M postcode district we draw in, the stock that dominates
it and the authority that validates a drawing package there. EC4M fees below are the
statutory England rates for 2026, not drawing package estimates.
| Postcode | Area | Dominant stock | What it means for a drawing package |
|---|
| EC4M | St Paul's | Mostly commercial, listed residential | St Paul's sits wholly inside EC4M, so City of London Corporation validates every drawing package submitted from an EC4M address. |
| EC1A | Smithfield | Mostly commercial, residential lofts | Adjoining district to EC4M, also inside City of London for drawing package purposes. |
| EC2Y | Barbican | Listed Brutalist apartments (Barbican Estate) | Adjoining district to EC4M, also inside City of London for drawing package purposes. |
| EC3N | Tower Hill / Aldgate | mixed stock | Adjoining district to EC4M, also inside City of London for drawing package purposes. |
How does a drawing package differ street by street across EC4M?
Roof pitch, wall build-up and plot depth change every few EC4M
streets, and each one changes what a drawing package can achieve at that address.
- Inside EC4M: St Paul's (EC4M) — Listed heritage commercial core defines St Paul's, where mostly commercial, listed residential set what a drawing package can do. Any St Paul's drawing package is validated by City of London Corporation, with St Paul's Cathedral the usual St Paul's reference point on the site plan.
- Bordering EC4M: Barbican (EC2Y) — drawing package work in Barbican means listed brutalist apartments (barbican estate). Barbican is Brutalist listed estate. City of London Corporation decides the Barbican application, and Barbican Centre anchors the Barbican location plan.
- Bordering EC4M: Smithfield (EC1A) — a drawing package in Smithfield starts from mostly commercial, residential lofts, and Smithfield reads as Georgian and Victorian commercial. in EC1A. City of London Corporation assesses Smithfield architectural drawings against its own Smithfield character guidance, and the location plan we draw for Smithfield references Smithfield Market.
- Bordering EC4M: Fleet Street (EC4) — a drawing package in Fleet Street starts from mostly commercial, residential conversions, and Fleet Street reads as Georgian and Victorian commercial. in EC4. City of London Corporation assesses Fleet Street architectural drawings against its own Fleet Street character guidance, and the location plan we draw for Fleet Street references Royal Courts of Justice.
Does EC4M planning policy restrict a drawing package?
How designation changes a EC4M (St Paul's) drawing package: City of London Corporation maintains 27 conservation areas, including Barbican, Smithfield, Fleet Street. Inside any of them a EC4M (St Paul's) drawing package cannot rely on permitted development, and the route becomes a £548 householder application determined in 8 weeks rather than a £249 prior approval in 6 weeks. Smithfield sets the tone for EC4M (St Paul's) casework.
EC4M (St Paul's) and Article 4: Multiple Article 4 Directions around office-to-residential, demolition, and shopfront changes. A drawing package planned at a EC4M address is checked against that direction first; City of London Corporation publishes the EC4M (St Paul's) extent, and the EC4M line rarely follows the EC4M (St Paul's) boundary you would expect.
The building fabric around EC4M (St Paul's): 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 EC4M (St Paul's) 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.
Who decides a drawing package on the edge of EC4M?
- Hackney — the Hackney boundary runs against City of London, so a drawing package a street from EC4M (St Paul's) is decided by Hackney Council instead. Hackney runs 29 conservation areas across E2 and its neighbours, which is why architectural drawings priced for EC4M (St Paul's) are re-checked against Hackney policy whenever the EC4M (St Paul's) address sits on that edge.
- Tower Hamlets — the Tower Hamlets boundary runs against City of London, so a drawing package a street from EC4M (St Paul's) is decided by Tower Hamlets Council instead. Tower Hamlets runs 58 conservation areas across E1 and its neighbours, which is why architectural drawings priced for EC4M (St Paul's) are re-checked against Tower Hamlets policy whenever the EC4M (St Paul's) address sits on that edge.
- Southwark — adjoining EC4M (St Paul's), with 43 conservation areas centred on SE1. A drawing package on the far side of the EC4M (St Paul's) line is determined by Southwark Council, so the EC4M (St Paul's) quote for architectural drawings is checked against Southwark guidance before it is issued.
- Westminster — the Westminster boundary runs against City of London, so a drawing package a street from EC4M (St Paul's) is decided by Westminster City Council instead. Westminster runs 56 conservation areas across SW1 and its neighbours, which is why architectural drawings priced for EC4M (St Paul's) are re-checked against Westminster policy whenever the EC4M (St Paul's) address sits on that edge.
Sources for this EC4M 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.
