London
Building Compliance in City of London
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City of London validation: match the report to the proposal
The Corporation’s validation checklist page, updated 9 June 2025, links to the Full Validation Checklist dated February 2016. Its separate major-applications guidance explains that substantial refurbishments, extensions and changes of use can fall within major applications. Agree the submission scope against the actual works rather than treating an office refurbishment as automatically minor.
The major-applications guidance says supporting documents depend on the development and should be discussed with the Environment Department. For a City office scheme, assemble a report schedule before commissioning individual assessments: the energy model, sustainability narrative and plant proposals need to describe the same design. The entries below distinguish the published checklist from that additional guidance.
| City requirement | Published scope | Practical assessment brief |
|---|---|---|
| Sustainable development and climate change report | The February 2016 checklist lists new buildings, major extensions and removal or variation of a condition, including minor material alterations. | Use a sustainability statement to explain the proposed sustainability standard and carbon reduction measures. Identify retained structure and changed services so the evidence reflects the actual works. |
| Energy statement | The major-applications guidance asks for predicted demand, carbon savings and performance against energy efficiency standards and reduction targets. | Commission an energy statement with a clear baseline and proposed specification. For non-domestic modelling, agree where SBEM calculations support the submission rather than assuming a building regulations calculation alone answers planning. |
| Sustainability statement and pre-assessment | The major-applications guidance includes sustainable design and construction through demolition, construction and long-term management, with a BREEAM or housing pre-assessment. | For a commercial City scheme, coordinate the BREEAM pre-assessment with the sustainability statement. Establish who supplies each item of evidence, and do not describe a supporting statement as a BREEAM certificate. |
| Noise and pollution report | The major-applications guidance calls for effects on surrounding occupiers, pollution arising from the development and proposed responses. | Scope commercial and industrial noise surveys around the proposed equipment and affected neighbours. Resolve mitigation before plant locations and enclosures are fixed. |
The Square Mile alongside the London Plan 2021
The City’s Local Plan 2015 policy DM15.1 expressly links major-development energy statements to London Plan requirements. Read that local requirement alongside London Plan 2021, policy SI2, which calls for a detailed energy strategy for major development following the energy hierarchy, including monitoring and reporting. A City submission therefore needs a planning energy narrative, not just an end-of-design compliance result.
For City office proposals, London Plan 2021 policy SI2 starts with reducing demand before efficient supply and on-site renewables. Use London Plan energy assessments to organise the design evidence in that sequence. Keep assumptions about occupancy, servicing and the landlord’s systems consistent across the energy strategy and the commercial model, and identify which measures remain within the applicant’s control.
Services in City of London
New homes and conversions
- Air tightness testing in City of London
On-site testing that measures how much air leaks through a building's envelope, with a certificate for Building Control.
- Sound insulation testing in City of London
Pre-completion testing of separating walls and floors between homes, reported in the form Building Control expects.
- Ventilation testing in City of London
Airflow measurement of extract fans and ventilation systems, recorded for the Building Control completion file.
- MVHR commissioning in City of London
Setting up and measuring a mechanical ventilation with heat recovery system, with commissioning records for handover.
- SAP calculations in City of London
The energy calculation for new homes and conversions, from design stage figures to the as-built result.
- Home energy model in City of London
Assessment under the Home Energy Model, the government's planned replacement for SAP.
- U-value calculations in City of London
Calculated U-values for walls, floors and roofs, set out in a document Building Control can check against the limits.
- Thermal bridging calculations in City of London
Calculated psi-values for junctions, replacing default values in SAP and SBEM with measured detail.
- Condensation risk analysis in City of London
Analysis of how moisture moves through a wall, roof or floor build-up, showing whether condensation risk is acceptable.
- Water calculations in City of London
The water efficiency calculation for new homes, showing estimated daily use per person against the target.
- Background ventilation calculations in City of London
Calculations that size trickle vents and background ventilation for each room, ready for Building Control.
- Overheating assessments in City of London
Overheating assessment for new homes, using the simplified method where it applies.
- CIBSE TM59 and TM52 assessments in City of London
Dynamic thermal modelling of overheating risk, assessed against CIBSE TM59 for homes and TM52 for other buildings.
- Party wall and ceiling design in City of London
Design review of separating wall constructions between homes, so they are built to pass sound testing.
- Party floor design in City of London
Design review of separating floor constructions between flats, so they are built to pass sound testing.
- Regulation 25A reports in City of London
The report on high-efficiency alternative energy systems required for new buildings under Regulation 25A.
Commercial and public buildings
- SBEM calculations in City of London
The energy calculation for new and altered non-domestic buildings, with the BRUKL output Building Control asks for.
- Display energy certificates in City of London
Display Energy Certificates showing the actual energy use of public buildings, with the advisory report.
- Smoke shaft and AOV testing in City of London
Testing of smoke shafts and automatic opening vents to confirm they operate as designed.
- Fire risk assessments in City of London
A written assessment of fire risk in a building's common or work areas, with the actions needed to reduce it.
- Legionella risk assessments in City of London
An assessment of a building's water systems that identifies legionella risk and the controls needed.
- Commercial and industrial noise surveys in City of London
Assessment of sound from commercial and industrial sources under BS 4142.
- Entertainment and night club noise surveys in City of London
Noise assessment for bars, clubs and venues, and for homes planned near them.
Existing buildings and refurbishment
- Asbestos surveys in City of London
Surveys that find and record asbestos-containing materials, and explain which survey type a building needs.
- Management asbestos survey in City of London
A survey of the accessible parts of an occupied building so the dutyholder can manage asbestos during normal use.
- Refurbishment and demolition survey in City of London
An intrusive survey of the areas affected by planned refurbishment or demolition, carried out before work starts.
- Pre-purchase asbestos survey in City of London
An asbestos survey arranged before buying a property, so the buyer knows what is present and where.
- Retrofit assessments in City of London
A whole-house assessment of a home's condition and energy use, used to plan retrofit measures.
- Borescope inspections in City of London
Camera inspection of cavities and voids through small holes, without opening up the structure.
- EPC in City of London
Energy Performance Certificates for homes and commercial buildings that are built, sold or let.
Planning applications
- Energy statements in City of London
Energy statements written for planning applications, setting out how a scheme meets the council's energy policy.
- London plan energy assessments in City of London
Energy assessments for London schemes, following the Mayor's energy hierarchy and carbon reporting requirements.
- Sustainability statements in City of London
Sustainability statements for planning applications, covering the topics the council's policies ask for.
- Acoustic design in City of London
Acoustic design advice from the early stages of a project, so construction details meet sound requirements.
- Noise surveys in City of London
Noise impact assessment for planning applications, and the starting point for the specific noise surveys below.
- Environmental noise survey in City of London
Measurement of existing noise levels at a site, used to inform design and planning submissions.
- Residential noise surveys in City of London
Noise assessment for new homes, showing that internal and external noise levels will be acceptable.
- Road and rail noise surveys in City of London
Assessment of road and railway noise affecting a proposed development.
City Local Plan: BREEAM, heat resilience and neighbours
The City of London Local Plan, adopted 15 January 2015, policy CS15, says major development should aim for BREEAM Excellent or Outstanding and favours reuse of buildings or their main structures. DM15.1 requires sustainability statements with all planning applications and specifies pre-assessment, energy and climate-resilience evidence for major development, including refurbishment. For an office upgrade, record the retained fabric and proposed improvements rather than presenting the scheme as an entirely new building.
Policy DM15.5 in the 2015 Local Plan requires major development to demonstrate resilience to predicted lifetime climate conditions and seeks to minimise heat retention and waste heat discharge. This makes the cooling approach part of the sustainability case. Use overheating assessments to test relevant spaces and design options, with occupancy and equipment gains that reflect the proposed office use rather than a convenient default.
Under Local Plan policy DM15.7, development must consider its noise effects and provide an assessment where appropriate, including protection for noise-sensitive neighbours. For a City plant replacement, combine acoustic evidence with the cooling design: a quieter enclosure that changes airflow must not be assessed independently of the mechanical specification. Acoustic design can turn survey findings into coordinated mitigation.
The Corporation’s sustainability guidance, updated 19 December 2025, identifies the Planning for Sustainability SPD adopted 19 February 2025. It covers retrofit and reuse, energy, circular economy, climate resilience and urban greening. It also describes City Plan 2040 as emerging. Structure the project’s sustainability statement around the relevant topics, while keeping adopted policy, supplementary guidance and emerging policy clearly labelled.
Building compliance questions in City of London
Does a City of London office refurbishment need sustainability evidence?
Local Plan policy DM15.1 includes refurbishment within its major-development requirements. Confirm whether the works are major, then align the sustainability statement, pre-assessment and energy evidence with that scope.
Which authority deals with City of London building control?
The City of London Corporation’s service provides statutory building control within the City, including advice and inspections. Confirm the applicable approval route for the particular building before commissioning the technical package.
Is City Plan 2040 treated here as adopted policy?
No. The Corporation’s sustainability requirements page calls it emerging and says it should be considered in proposals. This page distinguishes it from the Local Plan 2015 and the adopted February 2025 sustainability SPD.
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