Which postcode districts around City of London do we cover for scheme inside an Article 4 area work?
Every City of London postcode district we draw in, the stock that dominates
it and the authority that validates a scheme inside an Article 4 area there. City of London fees below are the
statutory England rates for 2026, not scheme inside an Article 4 area estimates.
| Postcode | Area | Dominant stock | What it means for a scheme inside an Article 4 area |
|---|
| EC1A | Smithfield | Mostly commercial, residential lofts | A scheme inside an Article 4 area at an EC1A address in Smithfield is determined by City of London Corporation under its own Local Plan policies for Smithfield. |
| EC2Y | Barbican | Listed Brutalist apartments (Barbican Estate) | EC2Y covers Barbican only; City of London Corporation handles the scheme inside an Article 4 area. |
| EC3N | Tower Hill / Aldgate | Very limited residential — Barbican Estate (listed post-war) | EC3N covers Tower Hill / Aldgate only; City of London Corporation handles the scheme inside an Article 4 area. |
| EC4M | St Paul's | Mostly commercial, listed residential | EC4M covers St Paul's only; City of London Corporation handles the scheme inside an Article 4 area. |
| EC4V | Blackfriars | Very limited residential — Barbican Estate (listed post-war) | A scheme inside an Article 4 area at an EC4V address in Blackfriars is determined by City of London Corporation under its own Local Plan policies for Blackfriars. |
| EC4Y | Temple | Very limited residential — Barbican Estate (listed post-war) | EC4Y covers Temple only; City of London Corporation handles the scheme inside an Article 4 area. |
| EC2A | Shoreditch | Warehouse conversions, modern infill | EC2A straddles a boundary: Shoreditch addresses fall to Hackney Council or City of London Corporation, so confirm which authority validates the scheme inside an Article 4 area before submitting EC2A drawings. |
What changes about a scheme inside an Article 4 area in each part of City of London?
Roof pitch, wall build-up and plot depth change every few City of London
streets, and each one changes what a scheme inside an Article 4 area can achieve at that address.
- Barbican (EC2Y) — Brutalist listed estate defines Barbican, where listed brutalist apartments (barbican estate) set what a scheme inside an Article 4 area can do. Post-war stock here frequently sits inside an estate layout across EC2Y. Any Barbican scheme inside an Article 4 area is validated by City of London Corporation, with Barbican Centre the usual Barbican reference point on the site plan.
- Smithfield (EC1A) — Georgian and Victorian commercial defines Smithfield, where mostly commercial, residential lofts set what a scheme inside an Article 4 area can do. Most applications on these Victorian streets are householder applications validated on existing and proposed plans across EC1A. Any Smithfield scheme inside an Article 4 area is validated by City of London Corporation, with Smithfield Market the usual Smithfield reference point on the site plan.
- Fleet Street (EC4) — a scheme inside an Article 4 area in Fleet Street starts from mostly commercial, residential conversions, and Fleet Street reads as Georgian and Victorian commercial. Most applications on these Victorian streets are householder applications validated on existing and proposed plans in EC4. City of London Corporation assesses Fleet Street scheme inside an Article 4 areas against its own Fleet Street character guidance, and the location plan we draw for Fleet Street references Royal Courts of Justice.
- St Paul's (EC4M) — Listed heritage commercial core defines St Paul's, where mostly commercial, listed residential set what a scheme inside an Article 4 area can do. Most applications on these Victorian streets are householder applications validated on existing and proposed plans across EC4M. Any St Paul's scheme inside an Article 4 area is validated by City of London Corporation, with St Paul's Cathedral the usual St Paul's reference point on the site plan.
How do conservation areas and Article 4 affect a scheme inside an Article 4 area in City of London?
City of London conservation designations: there are 27 across City of London Corporation, St Paul's, Barbican, Smithfield among them. Designation costs a City of London owner the permitted-development route: a scheme inside an Article 4 area 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 City of London designation that most often changes a scheme inside an Article 4 area design.
City of London and Article 4: Multiple Article 4 Directions around office-to-residential, demolition, and shopfront changes. A scheme inside an Article 4 area planned at a EC1A address is checked against that direction first; City of London Corporation publishes the City of London extent, and the EC1A line rarely follows the City of London boundary you would expect.
What City of London is built from: 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. That mix decides the scheme inside an Article 4 area route in City of London more than the postcode does.
Who decides a scheme inside an Article 4 area on the edge of City of London?
- Tower Hamlets — the Tower Hamlets boundary runs against City of London, so a scheme inside an Article 4 area a street from City of London is decided by Tower Hamlets Council instead. Tower Hamlets runs 58 conservation areas across E1 and its neighbours, which is why scheme inside an Article 4 areas priced for City of London are re-checked against Tower Hamlets policy whenever the City of London address sits on that edge.
- Southwark — cross the City of London boundary and Southwark Council takes the scheme inside an Article 4 area instead, applying 43 conservation areas of its own around SE1. We re-price scheme inside an Article 4 areas at the City of London edge because Southwark policy and City of London policy rarely align on scheme inside an Article 4 area depth.
- Westminster — cross the City of London boundary and Westminster City Council takes the scheme inside an Article 4 area instead, applying 56 conservation areas of its own around SW1. We re-price scheme inside an Article 4 areas at the City of London edge because Westminster policy and City of London policy rarely align on scheme inside an Article 4 area depth.
- Camden — the Camden boundary runs against City of London, so a scheme inside an Article 4 area a street from City of London is decided by Camden Council instead. Camden runs 40 conservation areas across NW1 and its neighbours, which is why scheme inside an Article 4 areas priced for City of London are re-checked against Camden policy whenever the City of London address sits on that edge.
Sources for this City of London scheme inside an Article 4 area 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.
