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Southwark, London

Change of use drawings in Southwark

In Southwark's Central Activities Zone, converting an office, a shop or a leisure unit to a home needs planning permission, and the same page warns that demolishing a commercial building to build homes does too. Our change of use drawings in Southwark start from £879, and we separate the zone from the rest of the borough first.

From £679 drawings + £200 survey (£879 total), no VAT to add

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  • £2m PI insured
  • LABC Partnered
  • Fixed fees, no VAT to add

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We use it to check conservation areas and constraints.
Pick the council that decides your application.
A few lines: what you want to build, and anything the council has already said.
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    Architectural model of a four-storey London stucco townhouse in its terrace, with a portico, area railings, sash windows, a cornice and chimney stacks
    The house as it stands: four storeys over a lower ground floor.Existing Proposed worksAn illustrative model, built for this page.

    How we work on change of use drawings

    Seven steps from first call to approval.

    The same model cut through the middle: every floor, the stair, the chimney breasts, the new mansard, rear extension and basement in section
    Section through the model: every floor on one datum.

    1. Enquiry and constraints check

      We check the property against conservation areas, listed status, Article 4 directions, tree preservation orders, flood zone and planning history. We choose the right route and send a fixed quote.

    2. Measured survey

      We survey the house on one datum: rooms, levels, boundaries, drains, trees and the neighbours' windows that the 45° and 25° tests depend on.

    3. Design options

      We model the house in Revit and show you options in 3D and plan, with the planning strategy and the precedents in your street.

    4. Design frozen

      You choose an option in writing. Nothing changes after this without your say.

    5. Independent check

      A second chartered technologist checks every sheet against the council's validation checklist and the policy. A senior review signs it off before anything is submitted.

    6. Submission

      We prepare the forms, certificates, fee and documents and submit through the Planning Portal.

    7. Officer liaison

      We answer the planning officer and make any amendments within five working days, at no charge until approval.

    Free redraws until approval. Every drawing set is checked independently, and the checker is never the person who drew it.

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    What the council says about the zone

    The council's Article 4 page for the Central Activities Zone sets out the rule in a list. Its record reads: permission needed in the CAZ for offices and other commercial uses.

    For an investor buying commercial space there, the realistic route is a full application, with arguments about the loss of employment space and the quality of the new homes.

    Outside the zone the answer depends on the site and on any other direction that covers it, so we check the council's maps. The national summary is: Class E to C3 by prior approval after 2 years' continuous Class E use.

    Brick cottage with a tiled roof, chimneys and a front dormer window

    Local figures for Southwark

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    In the Central Activities Zone you must apply for planning permission to convert an office to a home, to convert other commercial and leisure businesses to a home, or to build a single house or block of flats after demolishing a commercial or residential building (page last updated 28 May 2025).permission needed in the CAZ for offices and other commercial uses—southwark.gov.uk, Council page: Central activities zone (CAZ) Article 4, opening list
    New HMOs must not create an overconcentration, must meet the council's HMO standards, and provide communal space, refuse storage and one cycle space per occupant.1 cycle space per occupant—services.southwark.gov.uk, Southwark Plan 2022, Policy P9, p.122, P9
    Sch 2 Pt 3 Class MA, para MA.1(1)(b)Class E to C3 by prior approval after 2 years' continuous Class E use—legislation.gov.uk
    GPDO 2015 art 3(9A)Homes created under PD must meet the nationally described space standard—legislation.gov.uk
    Approved Document E 2003 incl. 2015, Table 0.1aSeparating walls 43 dB DnT,w+Ctr (min); floors and stairs 43 dB airborne (min), 64 dB L'nT,w impact (max) for dwellings formed by material change of use—gov.uk
    TCPA 1990 s55(3)(a)Using a single dwellinghouse as two or more dwellinghouses is a material change of use—legislation.gov.uk
    Change of use of a building to one or more separate dwellinghouses, not more than 10: per dwellinghouse, from 1 Apr 2026610 GBP per dwelling—ribblevalley.gov.uk
    Households living in a house21.8 % of households living in a house or bungalow (detached, semi-detached or terraced)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Minor application decisions560 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor applications granted90.2 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor applications decided in time91.4 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Conservation areas53 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Listed building entries919 list entries (Historic England, within the LPA boundary)—planning.data.gov.uk

    A blank value means the figure has not been published, not that there are none. Check your own address with the council.

    Councils bordering Southwark
    Which application your project needsLawful Development Certificate decision: 8 weeks. Prior approval decision: 42 days. Householder decision: 8 weeksYour projectWithin permitted development?Lawful Development CertificatePrior approvalHouseholder applicationYesLarger rear extensionNoABC

    Which application your project needs

    The usual route for a house; flats and listed buildings follow other rules.

    A · Lawful Development Certificate decision
    8 weeks
    B · Prior approval decision
    42 days
    C · Householder decision
    8 weeks

    Houses and shared houses

    Southwark has 21.8 per cent of households in houses, and many are terraces south of the river. For small HMOs the council's planning guidance asks that a new HMO does not create overconcentration and provides communal space, refuse storage and cycle storage: 1 cycle space per occupant. See HMO conversion drawings in Southwark.

    Splitting a house into flats is its own route: Using a single dwellinghouse as two or more dwellinghouses is a material change of use. See flat conversion drawings in Southwark.

    What a conversion must meet

    New homes must meet the space standard: Homes created under PD must meet the nationally described space standard. Between floors, Separating walls 43 dB DnT,w+Ctr (min); floors and stairs 43 dB airborne (min), 64 dB L'nT,w impact (max) for dwellings formed by material change of use.

    Railway arches, warehouses and old workshops are typical Southwark candidates, and for them the sound and structure checks are the first, not the last, thing we do.

    The council's record and fees

    Southwark decided 560 minor applications in the latest published year, granted 90.2 per cent and decided 91.4 per cent in time. It has 53 conservation areas and 919 list entries.

    The fee to change a building to separate dwellings is £610 each in a scheme of not more than ten, paid to the council.

    Next steps

    For the borough overview see architectural drawings in Southwark. A lawful development certificate can settle an unclear existing use.

    What you receive

    Planning drawing sheet for a rear extension with plans, elevations and sections
    Sample drawing. Planning drawings for a rear extension: plans, elevations and sections on one sheet set.
    Rear view of brick terraced houses in London with slate roofs and chimney stacks along the shared roofline
    The street around you
    Move across the plinth — the blocks rise around the pointer.

    Other services in Southwark

    Change of use drawings nearby

    Questions

    Do I need planning permission to convert an office to a home in Southwark?

    In the Central Activities Zone, yes: the council records permission needed in the CAZ for offices and other commercial uses.

    What about outside the zone?

    Outside the zone it depends on the site; where no direction applies, Class E to C3 by prior approval after 2 years' continuous Class E use.

    What does the council charge for homes created by change of use?

    £610 for each dwelling in a scheme of not more than ten.

    Sources and dates

    City of London skyline glowing at dusk across the Thames under a dramatic orange sky

    Tell us about your property.

    We check the constraints, then send a fixed fee. Messages before 3pm get a reply the same working day.

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