9 Swedenborg Gardens, London, E1 8HP
Refused on 30 October 2026
Council decision: RefuseDelegated (officer decision)2 reasons for refusal
Boundary © HM Land Registry, © Ordnance Survey · details
This information is subject to Crown copyright and database rights 2026 and is reproduced with the permission of HM Land Registry. The polygons (including the associated geometry, namely x, y co-ordinates) are subject to Crown copyright and database rights 2026 Ordnance Survey AC0000851063. Conditions of use.
Proposal
Change of use from C3 dwelling to children?s home (C2) serving as a permanent home for three Tower Hamlets children and young people aged between 8 and 17 years.
- Received
- 27 July 2026
- Decision level
- Delegated (officer decision)
- Public comments
- 0 · last counted 31 October 2026
- Ward
- Whitechapel
- ReceivedReceived27 Jul
- ValidatedValidated27 Jul
- Consult.Consultation27 Aug
- TargetTarget Date21 Sep
- DecidedDecided30 Oct
Decided in 95 days (council typically 56)
About this application
This is a full planning application for a change of use at 9 Swedenborg Gardens, London, E1 8HP. Tower Hamlets has handled 1,261 applications of this type. This one was decided in 95 days, 6 weeks longer than Tower Hamlets's typical decision time. There has been 1 other application at this address. In the past year there have been 134 applications across Whitechapel. We hold 2,489 applications in total for the E1 postcode area.
83% of full applications at London Borough of Tower Hamlets were approved. Across all application types, the council typically decides in about 8 weeks (median).
Based on decided applications received in the last 3 years.See what's approved near your address
Why it was refused
- - The proposed change of use from a self-contained family dwellinghouse (Use Class C3) to a Children's Home (Use Class C2) would result in the loss of a family-sized residential unit and would thereby undermine the supply of family housing within the borough. Whilst the proposal would provide accommodation for children with care needs, the benefits of the development are not considered to outweigh the harm arising from the loss of much-needed family housing stock. Furthermore, the site is not considered to be suitably located in close proximity to local shops and services to meet the locational requirements for supported accommodation. The proposal is therefore contrary to Policies S.H1 and D.H4 of the Tower Hamlets Local Plan (2020) and Policy H1 of the London Plan (2021).
- - The proposed Children's Home would provide accommodation that fails to meet minimum internal space standards. Two of the proposed bedrooms would measure approximately 5.18sqm and 5.98sqm respectively, falling below the minimum 7.5sqm requirement for single occupancy bedrooms set out in London Plan Policy D6. As a result, the development would provide a poor standard of accommodation that would not be functional, fit for purpose or capable of ensuring an adequate quality of living environment for future occupants. The proposal is therefore contrary to Policy D6 of the London Plan (2021) and Policies D.H3 and D.H4 of the Tower Hamlets Local Plan (2020).
From the council's decision notice.
Application details
- Postcode
- E1 8HP
- Application type
- Full Planning Permission
- Scale / size
- Small
Planning application dates
- Date validated
- 27 July 2026
- Consultation expiry
- 27 August 2026
- Consultation end
- 27 August 2026
- Neighbour consultation start
- 6 August 2026
- Target decision date
- 21 September 2026
Applicant and agent
- Agent
- Cityscape PTA
- Agent address
- 6 Spencer Way, London, E1 2PN
Pinbrooks LTD
Company number 16300508
- Status
- Active
- Type
- Private limited company
- Incorporated
- 7 Mar 2025 (1 year old)
- Nature of business
- Other residential care activities; Other social work activities without accommodation; Residents property management
- Registered office
- London
1 other planning application by this company in Tower Hamlets.
- PA/25/02162/NC · Tower Hamlets · 9 Swedenborg Gardens, London, E1 8HP
Company information from Companies House.
Planning decision
- Case officer
- Shahara Ali-Hempstead
- Statutory period
- 56 days
Additional information
- Documents
- 8
Site constraints
Designations that overlap or adjoin the site outline.
- Flood zone 1: Low probability (rivers and sea)
Also checked, none recorded (24)
flood storage areas, conservation areas, listed buildings, Article 4 directions, tree preservation orders, green belt, scheduled monuments, World Heritage Sites, World Heritage Site buffer zones, registered parks and gardens, registered battlefields, Heritage at Risk entries, nutrient neutrality catchments, national parks, National Landscapes, SSSIs, Special Areas of Conservation, Special Protection Areas, Ramsar sites, ancient woodland, national nature reserves, local nature reserves, heritage coasts and brownfield registers.
A guide only, from official open data; it is not a planning search. Flood zones cover rivers and sea, not surface water.
Data © Crown copyright and others · sources and licences
Contains public sector information from planning.data.gov.uk (MHCLG and local planning authorities), licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. © Crown copyright and database right 2026.
© Historic England 2026. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. The Historic England GIS Data contained in this material was obtained on 2026-11-03. The most publicly available up to date Historic England GIS Data can be obtained from HistoricEngland.org.uk.
© Natural England copyright. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.
© Environment Agency copyright and/or database right 2026. All rights reserved. Flood Map for Planning, Open Government Licence v3.0.
Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.
Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.
Planning history at this site
1 other application at this property, newest first.
Source: Tower Hamlets
Contains public sector information from the Planning London Datahub, licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
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Around this site
Nearby applications
- 9 Swedenborg Gardens, London, E1 8HPPA/25/02162/NC · OutlineRefused0.0 mi
- 13 & 14 Swedenborg Gardens, London, E1 8HPPA/24/02174/NC · FullRefused0.0 mi
- 13 Swedenborg Gardens, London, E1 8HPPA/25/00438/NC · OutlineApproved0.0 mi
- Garamond Building, 2 Crowder Street, London E1PA/25/02208/NC · OutlineApproved0.0 mi
- Caxton Apartments, 172 Cable Street, London E1 0EYPA/25/02207/NC · OutlineApproved0.1 mi
For applicants and trades
Contractors near this project
Find contractors for change of use near this site- Orient Construction Consultancy LimitedVerifiedLondon2.5 mi
- Avent Roofing ServicesVerifiedWestminsterRoofing3.4 mi
- Atlas South Technical Service LimitedVerifiedLondonProperty MaintenanceHandyman3.5 mi
- S & M Solutions Ltd | Design and Build ContractorVerifiedLondonExtensionsLoft Conversions4.4 mi
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