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Lewisham, London

New build drawings in Lewisham

Lewisham has a Small Sites SPD for the kind of plot most people ask us about: one or two homes on a gap, a garage court or a long garden. We are MCIAT chartered architectural technologists, and our new build drawings in Lewisham start at £1,450 including VAT.

From £1,450 (VAT included)

  • MCIAT chartered
  • £2m PI insured
  • LABC Partnered
  • Fixed fees, VAT included

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We use it to check conservation areas and constraints.
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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 new build 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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    Rear view of brick terraced houses in London with slate roofs and chimney stacks along the shared roofline

    The Small Sites SPD and the new Local Plan

    Lewisham reads small residential schemes through its Small Sites SPD, which sits under the Lewisham Local Plan 2020-2040. We cite the policies that apply on the first sheet.

    A small-sites document changes the conversation. Instead of treating a one-house application as an anomaly, the council sets out what it wants from sites of this kind. We build the drawing set around those expectations, so the officer finds each answer in the place the SPD leads them to look.

    Where the new house adjoins an existing home that is being altered at the same time, the council's Alterations and Extensions SPD is read alongside it. Between the two documents, the height, depth and window positions we draw are tested against both new-build and alteration expectations.

    We also read the planning history of the plot and the surrounding streets. Earlier refusals on a gap site, appeal decisions and conditions attached to neighbouring permissions tell us which arguments the council has already weighed, and that shapes what we draw first. Reading it first often saves a redraw.

    Red-brick mansion blocks and shopfronts on a street corner

    Local figures for Lewisham

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    Supplementary planning documentSmall Sites SPD2021lewisham.gov.uk
    Supplementary planning documentAlterations and Extensions SPD2019lewisham.gov.uk
    Domestic gardens share of land (GLUD 2005)31.1 % of land that is domestic garden (GLUD 2005)2005data.london.gov.uk
    Conservation areas30 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Article 4 directions57 Article 4 directions published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    worldHeritageSites1 World Heritage Sites intersecting the LPA boundary—planning.data.gov.uk
    Minor application decisions534 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor applications granted83.7 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor applications decided in time94.8 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Borough CIL residential rate£154.44/m² (Zone 1, Use Class C3); £108.1/m² (Zone 2, Use Class C3)indexed rate 1 Jan to 31 Dec 2026lewisham.gov.uk
    Mayoral CIL charging band2 MCIL2 charging band (1-3)—london.gov.uk
    Mayoral CIL rate (indexed)72.73 £/m² (indexed, permissions granted in 2026)—london.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 Lewisham
    Building regulations, layer by layerPart A: structure: Approved Document A: Structure, 2004 edition incorporating 2004, 2010 and 2013 amendments. Part B: fire safety: All dwellings: fire detection and alarm system minimum Grade D2 Category LD3 (BS 5839-6), mains-operated smoke alarms to BS EN 14604. Part L: insulation: New elements in existing dwellings, limiting U-values W/(m²·K): roof 0.15, wall 0.18, floor 0.18, windows 1.4 (or WER Band B), doors 1.4. Part K: stairs: 2.0 m clear headroom over stairs. Full plans application: Building control body must decide a full plans application within 5 weeks, or longer if agreed in writingPart A: structurePart B: fire safetyPart L: insulationPart K: stairsFull plans applicationABCDE

    Building regulations, layer by layer

    The Approved Documents that shape most house projects, from structure to the application itself.

    A · Part A: structure
    Approved Document A: Structure, 2004 edition incorporating 2004, 2010 and 2013 amendments
    B · Part B: fire safety
    All dwellings: fire detection and alarm system minimum Grade D2 Category LD3 (BS 5839-6), mains-operated smoke alarms to BS EN 14604
    C · Part L: insulation
    New elements in existing dwellings, limiting U-values W/(m²·K): roof 0.15, wall 0.18, floor 0.18, windows 1.4 (or WER Band B), doors 1.4
    D · Part K: stairs
    2.0 m clear headroom over stairs
    E · Full plans application
    Building control body must decide a full plans application within 5 weeks, or longer if agreed in writing

    Gardens, heritage and a World Heritage Site

    Domestic garden covers 31.1 per cent of the borough's land, so a house in the end or side of a garden is a common proposal. Each garden plot raises the same three questions: what happens to the garden, to trees, and to the neighbours' outlook.

    The borough has 30 conservation areas, 57 Article 4 directions, 367 listed building entries and 1 World Heritage Site. If the plot sits near any of them, the new house must show how it respects the setting, often by a view or section on the drawings.

    We plot trees and levels from a survey. Our measured building survey page and our topographical survey page describe how, and why a surveyed base matters for a plot that slopes or has a wall on its boundary.

    Boundaries matter on garden plots. A side access, a shared wall or a shed that straddles a line can turn up late and move the footprint, so we confirm the legal boundary with you and, where a wall is shared, point you to our party wall notices page for what the Act requires.

    How Lewisham decides minor housing applications

    A one-house or small-terrace scheme is a minor application. Lewisham decided 534 in the latest return, granted 83.7 per cent, and decided 94.8 per cent in time.

    Both figures are healthy, and they sit alongside a householder grant rate of 89.4 per cent. Even so, a new building is tested more closely than an extension.

    Our planning drawings page covers extensions and alterations, and our lawful development certificate page covers the confirmation of rights you already hold.

    Timing is part of the plan. The statutory period for a non-major scheme is 8 weeks, and our submissions arrive complete so that the clock starts on day one rather than after a validation query.

    Lewisham's two CIL zones and the Mayoral charge

    The borough charges in two zones: £154.44/m² (Zone 1, Use Class C3); £108.1/m² (Zone 2, Use Class C3). The Mayor's band 2 adds £72.73 per square metre for permissions granted this year.

    Floor area drives both, so we calculate gross internal area on the drawings the same way the levy regulations do. A detached house here averages £1,116,536, a terraced one £602,116, so you can compare build cost, levy and value on one page before committing.

    Self-build can open an exemption: Self-build housing built or commissioned by and occupied by P as main residence can claim exemption. Tell us if that is your plan and we keep the evidence in order.

    What our new build drawings in Lewisham include

    A fixed fee from £1,450 including VAT covers the surveyed site plan, plans, elevations, sections, roof plan and street scene, with a second chartered technologist checking every sheet. Redraws asked for by the council are free.

    After permission, our construction drawings and building regulations drawings pages explain what comes next, all drawn from the same 3D model.

    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.
    Pencil resting on a dimensioned technical drawing beside a scale rule
    Points, not guesses
    Paint across the grid with the pointer.

    Other services in Lewisham

    New build drawings nearby

    Questions

    Does Lewisham have guidance for small housing sites?

    Yes. The council publishes a Small Sites SPD, and we organise the drawings around it so each requirement can be found in the set.

    How likely is a minor housing scheme to be granted in Lewisham?

    83.7 per cent of 534 minor decisions were granted in the latest return. No result can be promised, so we draw to the SPD.

    What are Lewisham's CIL rates?

    £154.44/m² (Zone 1, Use Class C3); £108.1/m² (Zone 2, Use Class C3), plus the Mayoral charge of £72.73 per square metre in band 2.

    Is Lewisham the right place to build in a garden?

    Gardens are 31.1 per cent of the borough's land, so it is a common route. Each plot must still meet privacy, tree and character tests.

    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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