Planning appeals in Lewisham

Prior approval for large extensions in Lewisham

The sharpest feature of Lewisham's record is prior approval for large rear extensions: the council granted 2 and refused 46 in its latest return. Hardly anyone gets through, so if you were refused you are in the great majority.

An appeal on prior approval is possible, but the grounds are narrow, centred on neighbour impact. We look at what the neighbour wrote and whether a modest reduction in depth would answer it. In most cases a shallower, lower extension on a householder application is a quicker road than an inspector's decision.

Our planning drawings in Lewisham page describes that alternative.

Alterations and Extensions SPD, small sites and character

Officers rely on the Alterations and Extensions SPD for rear additions, roof forms and side extensions, and on the Small Sites SPD when a plot is being subdivided or infilled. Both documents contain measurable tests, so an appeal can be built around dimensioned comparison sheets.

Small-site refusals often turn on separation from the boundary, garden depth and the outlook from the neighbour's windows. A scaled site plan with those distances drawn on it carries more weight than a paragraph of description. If the numbers fail the test, we say so and look for a revised layout.

Article 4 directions and the HMO angle

The council has made 57 Article 4 directions. 30 conservation areas and 367 listed entries add heritage tests. If your refusal concerned converting a family house to shared use, check whether a direction applies, because it may mean the council was right that permission was needed, and the real question becomes the merits.

The borough also has 1 world heritage site, so views and setting can matter on taller proposals. We produce sections and 3D views to test them.

Subdivision, small sites and the garden question

With domestic gardens covering 31.1 per cent of its land, development pressure falls on them. Backland houses, garden flats and conversions of a family house into two or three dwellings can all be refused.

The appeal has to show that the new use fits its plot. We prepare a plan with garden depths, amenity space for each unit, refuse and cycle storage and the separation from neighbouring windows. An inspector expects each to be answered.

If your scheme falls short on one item, say a flat with a small terrace, we look at whether a redesign can fix it. Sometimes a modest change to a stair or a wall closes the gap.

Where a refusal rests on harm to the setting of a protected building, we ask Historic England's list entry for its description first, since the officer may have relied on a feature the entry does not mention.

Timing and next steps

The council decided 95.2 per cent of householder cases on time. That is a good record, which means the notice date will usually be close to your expectation. Send us the notice and the officer's report as soon as you have them.

We give you a plain written view: appeal, revise or leave it. If you go ahead, the national median for a written-representations householder appeal was 11.6 weeks, and we tell you if the case looks more complex than that.

Our approach

We draft the statement, correct the drawings and have a second chartered technologist check the bundle. Our Lawful Development Certificate drawings in Lewisham page covers work that needs no permission, and the architectural drawings in Lewisham page lists everything else.