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Greenwich, London

Planning appeals in Greenwich

Planning appeals in Greenwich start with the refusal notice. Royal Greenwich granted 77.1 per cent of its householder applications, so a refusal here is not unusual and is not the end of the road. A householder appeal must be lodged within 12 weeks of the decision notice. We study the refusal, advise on appeal or redesign, and prepare the case.

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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 planning appeals

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

    Planning appeals in Greenwich: a firmer record on householder cases

    Of 624 householder decisions, 77.1 per cent were granted, and 94.2 per cent were decided in time. Minor applications fared better, at 79.3 per cent granted across 396 decisions. So roughly one householder application in four or five meets a refusal, and an owner who gets one is in sizeable company.

    That tells you two things. The council applies its design policies firmly, which makes a refusal worth taking seriously. It also means the refusal reason will usually be a considered one, so the appeal has to meet it head on with evidence rather than general objection.

    Rear view of brick terraced houses in London with slate roofs and chimney stacks along the shared roofline

    Local figures for Greenwich

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    Householder decisions624 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications granted77.1 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications decided in time94.2 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor applications granted79.3 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Conservation areas23 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Listed building entries540 list entries (Historic England, within the LPA boundary)—planning.data.gov.uk
    Scheduled monuments13 scheduled monuments intersecting the LPA boundary (Historic England)—planning.data.gov.uk
    worldHeritageSites1 World Heritage Sites intersecting the LPA boundary—planning.data.gov.uk
    Households living in a house48.4 % of households living in a house or bungalow (detached, semi-detached or terraced)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Annex B, householder appeals (written representations), decisions in June 2026; 351 decisions11.6 weeks—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 Greenwich
    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

    Heritage that shapes decisions in Greenwich

    The borough contains 1 World Heritage Site, 23 conservation areas, 540 list entries and 13 scheduled monuments. It also has 4 registered parks and gardens and 22 entries on the Heritage at Risk Register.

    Where your house is in or near the setting of any of these, the council will look at the proposal through the lens of the Royal Greenwich Local Plan: Core Strategy with Detailed Policies. An inspector is required to do the same. We therefore start by plotting the site against the heritage maps and checking whether the officer treated the right designation. A mistaken reference, such as citing a conservation area that does not cover the property, is a clean ground of appeal.

    Who appeals in Greenwich

    Less than half of Greenwich households (48.4 per cent) live in a house, and 41.1 per cent own their home, so many applicants are leaseholders or own a converted flat. Gardens cover 23.2 per cent of the borough's land, which gives plenty of rear-extension and outbuilding schemes on terraces and semis.

    Because the borough has an Article 4 direction for houses in multiple occupation, some refusals concern shared-house conversions, and the right response there is different: the argument turns on use and amenity rather than on design. In that case we gather evidence on room sizes, refuse storage and cycle parking, because an inspector weighs how the shared house would work for its occupants and its neighbours.

    Deciding between appeal, revision and certificate

    With a firm council, a redesign can be quicker than an appeal, but only if the refusal reason is one you can fix without ruining the scheme. A written-representations householder appeal ran to a national median of 11.6 weeks, and the Inspectorate allowed 29 per cent of written-representation appeals in the latest quarter.

    We also test whether the work needs permission. Greenwich dealt with 437 lawful development certificate applications in the latest return. A Lawful Development Certificate works for proposals within permitted development limits, and our prior approval drawings cover deeper rear extensions.

    Our approach to a Greenwich appeal

    We write a statement that takes each refusal reason in order, prepare a coordinated drawing set, and add section and street-view sheets where the issue is bulk or character. A reviewer outside the drafting team reads the bundle against the notice. The fee is fixed after the free constraints check, with no hourly billing.

    Start with the overview of planning appeals or the list of architectural drawings in Greenwich. If you tell us the date on your notice, we will confirm how many days remain.

    Making the most of a first look

    Send the notice, the officer's report and the drawings you submitted. Within a short time we can tell you which reason carries the refusal, whether the officer relied on a measurement the plans do not support, and whether similar schemes have been approved nearby. Planning history on the same street often gives the strongest single argument in a refusal that rests on character, because an inspector must be consistent with what the council itself has accepted.

    If the reason cannot be answered, we say so, and we can discuss a scaled-back design. Saving a client the cost of a weak appeal is a result we are glad to deliver.

    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
    The street around you
    Move across the plinth — the blocks rise around the pointer.

    Other services in Greenwich

    Planning appeals nearby

    Questions

    Are refusals common in Greenwich?

    It granted 77.1 per cent of householder applications, so refusals are common. The reasons usually relate to design, heritage or neighbour amenity, which the refusal notice sets out.

    Does the World Heritage Site affect my appeal?

    Only if your site is within it or its setting. The borough has 1 World Heritage Site, and we check your address against the mapped boundary.

    How long do I have to appeal?

    12 weeks from the decision notice for a householder application.

    Can I amend the scheme and reapply instead?

    Often yes. We compare the cost and timing of both routes in writing after the free constraints check.

    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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