Loft conversion drawings in Greenwich

Conservation areas, listed buildings and permitted development

Greenwich has 23 conservation areas, and the national permitted development right for roof enlargements does not apply inside one. Historic England also lists 540 entries in the borough, and a listed house needs listed building consent for most roof work in addition to any planning permission.

Outside those areas many houses can still use permitted development if they stay within the volume limit, keep clear of the front slope facing the highway and add no balcony. A Lawful Development Certificate in Greenwich turns that opinion into written confirmation. Otherwise the route is householder planning, drawn as in our planning drawings in Greenwich.

Heritage at Risk is a further sign of how sensitive some streets are: Historic England has 22 entries here on its register.

Surveying roofs from many eras

48.4 per cent of Greenwich households live in a house, and no two roofs can be assumed to match. Flats and maisonettes make up much of the rest, and there the roof is usually shared or owned by someone else.

We survey the roof as it is, recording ridge height, pitch, rafters, party walls and the position of the existing stair, and set it on the same datum as the floors below. The survey tells us how much floor space a dormer or hip-to-gable change could add and where the new stair can rise.

The structural engineer works from the same dimensions, so the later building regulations drawings in Greenwich match the planning set.

In a borough with this much history, we also look for what is already on the roof: old chimney stacks that must stay, lead flashings, original slate and any earlier alteration that someone else has already got consent for. Neighbouring approvals are public, and a precedent two doors down is useful evidence when it is relevant to your roof.

How Greenwich decides householder applications

Greenwich decided 624 householder applications in its latest published year and granted 77.1 per cent. 94.2 per cent were decided within eight weeks or an agreed extension.

A grant rate that is not at the top of the range is a reason to put care into the application: a full drawing set, a clear explanation of the roof form and an honest view of the setting. The figures describe the whole borough and every type of household project, not your house.

What the loft drawings include and what they cost

A Greenwich loft set shows the existing and proposed floor plans, the new stair, the roof in section, all four elevations and the location and block plans. Loft conversion drawings start at £695 including VAT, agreed before you commit, and are normally ready about a week after the survey.

A second chartered technologist checks every sheet before submission, and if the council asks for changes we redraw at no extra charge until the application is decided. If a listed building or a heritage setting is involved, we also tell you in the quote what extra heritage information the council is likely to ask for.

Other drawings and neighbouring boroughs

For the roof form in detail, see dormer loft conversion drawings in Greenwich. If a rooflight-only scheme would suit a sensitive street better, Velux loft conversion drawings in Greenwich cover it. The whole range is at architectural drawings in Greenwich. Nearby, compare Lewisham and Bexley.