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Lewisham, London

Planning consultant in Lewisham

Lewisham adopted a new local plan recently and wrote a small sites guide to go with it, so a planning consultant in Lewisham needs to know which policies are fresh and which are untested. We give a fixed quote after a free constraints check, then prepare the route, the statement and the council liaison, with drawings by MCIAT chartered architectural technologists.

Fixed quote after a free constraints check

  • MCIAT chartered
  • £2m PI insured
  • LABC Partnered
  • 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 planning consultant

    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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    Georgian brick terrace with sash windows, arched fanlight doorways, stone steps and iron railings in London

    A new plan: what a Lewisham planning consultant makes of it

    The borough's plan is the Lewisham Local Plan 2020-2040, adopted in 2,025. A new plan means officers are applying policy that has barely been tested at appeal, so the wording of each policy matters more than the way earlier decisions were written.

    For homes the working documents are the Alterations and Extensions SPD and the Small Sites SPD. The first governs how an extension or loft alteration reads against the original house; the second matters if your plot could take another dwelling.

    We read your scheme against the new policy text and note where an older precedent in your street no longer carries weight. That keeps the statement honest about what the officer is likely to give, and what they may not.

    In practice we also compare your street's recent approvals against the new plan, because a decision granted shortly before adoption may rest on policy that has since changed. We note the dates of any precedent we rely on, so the officer sees we have checked that it still applies.

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

    Local figures for Lewisham

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    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
    Article 4 direction areas89 Article 4 direction area polygons published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Listed building entries367 list entries (Historic England, within the LPA boundary)—planning.data.gov.uk
    worldHeritageSites1 World Heritage Sites intersecting the LPA boundary—planning.data.gov.uk
    Householder decisions578 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications granted89.4 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Minor applications granted83.7 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Larger home extension prior approvals granted2 decisions2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Larger home extension prior approvals refused46 decisions2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Domestic gardens share of land (GLUD 2005)31.1 % of land that is domestic garden (GLUD 2005)2005data.london.gov.uk
    Householder single dwellinghouse, from 1 Apr 2026548 GBP—ribblevalley.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
    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

    Article 4 directions and heritage in Lewisham

    The borough has published 57 Article 4 directions, mapped across 89 areas, so permitted development rights vary from street to street. It also records 30 conservation areas, 367 listed building entries and 1 World Heritage Site within its boundary.

    Historic England lists 21 Heritage at Risk entries here. If your house is near one, the statement should say how the scheme sits in its setting.

    None of the borough is green belt, so the heritage and design tests drive the outcome.

    Lewisham's decisions in numbers

    In its latest twelve months the council decided 578 householder applications and granted 89.4 per cent, with 95.2 per cent decided in time.

    Minor applications ran at 83.7 per cent granted from 534 decisions, and 94.8 per cent were decided in time. Minor cases here are close in number to householder cases, which suggests a borough with a good deal of small-scale development.

    These are borough totals. They help us decide how much written argument a job needs; they do not predict a result.

    Larger extensions: a very low success rate

    The prior approval route for larger home extensions stands out in Lewisham. In the latest statistical year the council granted 2 and refused 46.

    That ratio is very poor, and the practical advice follows from it: do not treat the larger-extension notification as the easy option here. A householder application, with a full statement and a negotiated design, usually serves a deep rear extension better.

    Where you only need proof that a smaller project is lawful, the Lawful Development Certificate in Lewisham remains the right document, and the council dealt with 410 in the same period.

    Lewisham homes and gardens

    Lewisham has 122,392 households; 42.2 per cent live in a house or bungalow and 41.9 per cent own their home. Domestic gardens covered about 31.1 per cent of the land in the last national survey.

    Terraced houses average £602,116 in the latest index month, which is why loft and rear extensions are so common, and why the small sites guidance attracts interest from owners with a large garden.

    Costs, the levy and how we charge

    The council's householder fee is £548 for one dwelling. The borough's levy is split into two zones under the London Borough of Lewisham CIL Charging Schedule, and the Mayor's rate is £72.73 per square metre in the current indexed year.

    We quote once and keep to it. When the officer wants changes we turn them round within five working days, and redrawing is free until approval, but we never promise a decision.

    Before anything is lodged, a second chartered technologist who did not draw the sheets checks them against the validation list and the small sites and alterations guidance. We make sure the statement and the drawings describe the same building, then lodge, track the case and answer consultee comments as they arrive.

    Related Lewisham pages

    For the standard route see planning drawings in Lewisham, and for a refused scheme see planning appeals in Lewisham. The borough overview is architectural drawings in Lewisham.

    Neighbouring rules are covered for Greenwich, Southwark and Bromley.

    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.
    Rear view of brick terraced houses in London with slate roofs and chimney stacks along the shared roofline
    The street around you
    Move across the plinth — the blocks rise around the pointer.

    Other services in Lewisham

    Planning consultant nearby

    Questions

    Is Lewisham's new local plan tested yet?

    It was adopted in 2,025, so appeal decisions under it are few. We cite the policy text directly in the statement.

    Is prior approval a good route for a large extension in Lewisham?

    The record is poor: 2 granted against 46 refused in the latest year. We usually compare a householder application.

    How many conservation areas does Lewisham have?

    30 are recorded, with 57 Article 4 directions.

    What is the householder fee?

    £548 for one dwelling, paid to the council.

    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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