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Southwark, London

Garden room drawings in Southwark

Garden room drawings in Southwark start at £495 including VAT. Southwark's Householder SPD sets out a garden room it expects to grant when permission is needed, and with 480 Article 4 directions in the borough, the drawings also have to show whether the garden is covered by one.

From £495 (VAT included)

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  • Fixed fees, VAT included

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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 garden room drawings

    Nine 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.

    8. Building regulations

      Technical drawings are coordinated with the structural engineer's calculations, the drainage and the planning conditions.

    9. Approval and hand-over

      Building control approval, then a next-steps pack covering the commencement notice, party wall timing and CIL.

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

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    Two-storey rear extension under construction on a semi-detached house

    Southwark's guide to garden rooms

    The borough's Householder development SPD is unusually specific. A garden room needing permission should keep to 3 x 5 m; 4 m high; 2 m from boundaries, read as depth by width, then overall height, then the gap to neighbouring boundaries. Eaves are held to 2.5 m, the room should cover no more than half the rear garden, and it must stay ancillary to the house.

    That reads as a template for a design the council is comfortable with, and we draw to it from the start. A room that is shallower than it is wide, with the roof stepping down at the neighbour's side, sits easily inside the figures and reads as subordinate.

    The same figures work as a checklist for a design meant to be permitted development, because staying inside them keeps both routes open. If an owner later wants a little more depth, we can show the application route and what it would cost before anything is built.

    Set-in matters in Southwark's tight rows. Two metres from a neighbouring boundary leaves a corridor of garden that the officer can see on the site plan, and we dimension it so there is no argument about where the wall actually stands. Where boundaries are disputed or unclear, a measured survey is worth adding first.

    House extension under construction with scaffolding, new glazed doors and building materials

    Local figures for Southwark

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    Garden rooms needing permission should be at most 3m deep, 5m wide, 4m high and 2.5m at the eaves, set 2m in from neighbouring boundaries, cover no more than 50% of the rear garden and stay ancillary.3 x 5 m; 4 m high; 2 m from boundaries—southwark.gov.uk, Householder SPD 2025, p.81, section 3.7
    Article 4 directions480 Article 4 directions published by the council—planning.data.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
    Tree preservation zones724 tree preservation zone polygons published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Domestic gardens share of land (GLUD 2005)17.6 % of land that is domestic garden (GLUD 2005)2005data.london.gov.uk
    Householder applications granted94.8 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications decided in time95.3 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Class E, para E.1(f)2.5 m—legislation.gov.uk
    GPDO Sch 2 Pt 1 Class E, para E.1(e)Max 2.5 m if within 2 m of a boundary; otherwise 4 m dual-pitched roof or 3 m any other roof—legislation.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
    Single-storey rear extension: the permitted development limitsDepth beyond the original rear wall: 3 m (attached) / 4 m (detached) beyond the original rear wall, single storey. Maximum height: 4 m. Within the zone near the boundary: Eaves no higher than 3 m where within 2 m of the curtilage boundary. Larger extension under prior approval: 6 m (attached) / 8 m (detached), single storey, height max 4 m; not on article 2(3) land or an SSSIABCD

    Single-storey rear extension: the permitted development limits

    The house in section with a rear extension; the dashed lines mark the zone near the boundary.

    A · Depth beyond the original rear wall
    3 m (attached) / 4 m (detached) beyond the original rear wall, single storey
    B · Maximum height
    4 m
    C · Within the zone near the boundary
    Eaves no higher than 3 m where within 2 m of the curtilage boundary
    D · Larger extension under prior approval
    6 m (attached) / 8 m (detached), single storey, height max 4 m; not on article 2(3) land or an SSSI

    Article 4 directions and conservation areas in Southwark

    Southwark has made 480 Article 4 directions, covering 480 mapped areas, and it names 53 conservation areas. One restricts conversions to houses in multiple occupation, and many may not touch a back-garden room, but each must be read for your address.

    In a conservation area the side-of-house rule applies: On article 2(3) land, no outbuilding between a side wall and the boundary. Where the house is one of the 919 listed building entries, Garden buildings within the curtilage of a listed building are not permitted development.

    Trees are also mapped, with 724 tree preservation zones, so a protected canopy beside your plot is possible. We plot canopies on the survey and move the room if roots are a problem.

    Garden room planning permission in Southwark

    Southwark's terraced and flatted streets give gardens that are small, and domestic gardens make up only 17.6 per cent of the land. Houses are 21.8 per cent of households, which means many garden rooms are behind flats, where permitted development does not apply and an application is the route.

    For houses, the order limit is Max 2.5 m if within 2 m of a boundary; otherwise 4 m dual-pitched roof or 3 m any other roof. Compliance can be recorded in a lawful development certificate in Southwark.

    When an application is needed, Southwark decided 558 householder applications, granting 94.8 per cent and deciding 95.3 per cent in time. Our planning drawings in Southwark match the Householder SPD's figures.

    A practical note on flats: where the garden belongs to a ground floor flat, the lease may restrict what can be built. Our lease plans page explains how the plan and the lease interact, and we draw to the demise shown on it.

    Building Regulations, price and next step

    Small detached garden offices are normally exempt: Detached building up to 15 m² with no sleeping accommodation is exempt. If you add a bed the exemption goes, and our building regulations drawings in Southwark take over.

    The fixed fee is £495, VAT included. The set holds a site plan, plans, elevations, section and a 3D view. The council fee, if due, is separate.

    See the wider service on the architectural drawings in Southwark page and the national rules on the garden room drawings page. We redraw free until approval if the council asks for changes, and we promise no outcome.

    Send the address, the intended use and a rough size. We check the Article 4 map, tell you whether the route is permitted development, a certificate or an application, and give a fixed quote.

    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.
    Brick house being extended, with a wide new opening supported over the ground floor
    Every side considered
    Flick across the turntable to spin it.

    Other services in Southwark

    Garden room drawings nearby

    Questions

    How big can a garden room be in Southwark?

    The Householder SPD gives 3 x 5 m; 4 m high; 2 m from boundaries for rooms needing permission, with the usual limit on garden cover. Permitted development uses the national limits instead.

    Can I build a garden room behind a Southwark flat?

    Permitted development for outbuildings covers houses, not flats, so a flat needs an application and the freeholder's consent.

    Do Southwark's Article 4 directions affect garden rooms?

    Only if one covers your address and removes the relevant right. We read each direction that touches the road before quoting.

    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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