Map the actual Stratford unit within the older Broadway frontage
The Stratford St John's appraisal describes a townscape focused on the church and civic landmarks, including the old Town Hall and former magistrates' court at 63 Broadway, with continuous frontages shaped by older plots. These are public context examples, not HCS appointments or a description of every local commercial building. For a dilapidations instruction, map the actual lease extent, entrances and retained external fabric. Confirm present occupation and shared routes directly. A continuous street elevation cannot establish one demise, one construction type or responsibility for all components adjoining the tenant's shop or business accommodation.
Examine the lease, supplemental documents, alteration licences and any incorporated condition record. For each allegation, identify the covenant, observed condition and remedy, keeping repair, decoration and reinstatement distinct. A retained upper element and a tenant installation may require different documentary and technical evidence. State inaccessible areas and reliance on information supplied by others. If the current arrangement differs from an old plan or a concealed junction affects the proposed work, identify the further evidence needed. The schedule should not convert a frontage description into a whole-building obligation or a contractor's refurbishment quote into proof of the actual breach.
Local evidence: Newham: Stratford St John’s appraisal, townscape and buildings.
Treat the Old Dispensary's materials as a specific inspection prompt
Newham describes the Old Dispensary on the south side of Romford Road as weatherboarded with a clay-tiled roof. This illustrates why material-specific assessment should precede a repair allowance; it does not establish defects or show that another premises has the same fabric. For the actual commercial unit, inspect relevant boards, masonry, finishes and roof junctions and identify the appropriate proposed intervention. Distinguish retention, repair and replacement, with any specialist investigation or sample requirement stated. A specification taken from surrounding masonry buildings cannot automatically determine the treatment of different construction or the financial extent of the tenant's alleged obligation.
Use the RICS professional standard for the agreed purpose, whether interim advice, termination or checking completed repairs. Keep stable references and dated photographs so opening-up findings, quotations and responses concern the same component. Examine licence terms and relevant notices before alleging reinstatement of tenant alterations. If closer inspection changes the remedy, identify the finding and affected cost rather than revise a general allowance without explanation. A visual visit should not imply structural or services testing beyond its scope, and a contractor's preferred renewal should remain distinguishable from the work supported by the covenant, actual condition and appropriate technical advice.
Local evidence: Newham: Stratford St John’s appraisal, townscape and buildings; RICS: Dilapidations in England and Wales.
Distinguish Stratford designation and future scheme evidence
Newham lists Stratford St John's, Sugar House Lane and University conservation areas separately. A document labelled only Stratford cannot establish which record applies to the premises. Check the precise address and current requirements for the actual proposal, preserving an older appraisal's proper status. Where a landlord intends work after the tenancy, obtain the scheme, decisions and timing rather than infer redevelopment from the area's changing planning context. Identify which retained or tenant-installed elements it would affect. A nearby project or an uncommitted design option cannot prove that each repair in this unit's schedule would become unnecessary.
Where repairing-covenant damages are claimed, consider section 18(1), including diminution and the specified demolition or structural-alteration circumstances, with appropriate legal and valuation advisers. Other obligations require separate consideration. A supersession contention should connect the landlord's evidenced intended work to the individual remedy said to be displaced. The Quantified Demand must explain likely loss rather than automatically adopt estimated refurbishment cost. Neither a conservation-area name nor a proposed change elsewhere establishes current demand, future occupation or a valuation result for the actual tenancy, and unsupported assumptions should not replace the property-specific evidence needed for the claim or response.
Local evidence: Newham: conservation-area appraisals and management documents; Landlord and Tenant Act 1927, section 18.
Trace Stratford's transferred planning records and termination evidence
Newham's transfer guidance states that its planning powers resumed from LLDC in December 2024. For a remedy or landlord scheme relying on earlier decisions, identify the original case references, approved drawings and conditions and check the current route for the actual proposal. An old authority name is not sufficient evidence of today's application process. Where records are incomplete, keep the gap visible and obtain the missing documents before representing a method or future scheme as confirmed. A planning transfer does not establish tenant liability, authorise access or show that a particular repair cost reflects the landlord's recoverable loss.
For commercial termination disputes within the Dilapidations Protocol, exchange a reasoned schedule, Quantified Demand and response supported by breaches, remedies, costs and likely loss. Include relevant landlord intentions and retain dated inspection, access and subsequent-work records. If a verified decision changes the proposed method or scope, identify the particular item and consequence rather than add a generic approval allowance. Separate contractual responsibility, condition, execution and financial issues so disclosure can target what remains uncertain. This supports proportionate discussions or other dispute resolution without confusing Stratford's authority history, an actual building proposal and the evidence required for the lease-end demand.
Local evidence: Newham: planning powers returned from LLDC on 1 December 2024; Civil Procedure Rules: Dilapidations Protocol.
Stratford lease-end questions
Does Broadway's continuous frontage define one repair responsibility?
No. Identify the actual executed demise, retained fabric and shared provisions, then inspect the component in question. The appraisal records townscape and civic examples rather than a commercial lease boundary. It cannot establish current occupation, common construction or the tenant's responsibility for every adjoining element.
Should weatherboard repairs use a surrounding masonry allowance?
No. The Old Dispensary example illustrates different materials, not a universal Stratford specification. Inspect the actual construction and condition and obtain suitable advice before selecting a remedy. Distinguish necessary repair from preferred replacement, with the covenant and any additional investigation requirement clearly identified.
Which Stratford conservation record supports the proposed remedy?
Use the record relevant to the exact address, with current designation evidence. Stratford St John's, Sugar House Lane and University areas are listed separately. A broad locality label cannot establish permission or landlord intentions, and it does not determine supersession or repairing-covenant loss for the actual premises.
Can an old LLDC reference establish today's planning route?
No. Newham records the return of its planning powers in December 2024. Trace the actual case history and current requirements, obtaining missing approvals or conditions. Keep that evidence separate from the tenancy obligation and explain any specific effect on the proposed remedy, future scheme or cost assessment.
Related guidance: London dilapidations advice; lease condition records; licence to alter.
Stratford Schedule of Dilapidations Enquiry (From £1,250 plus VAT)
Content updated: October 2026.