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Lewisham, London

Planning drawings in Lewisham

Planning drawings for a Lewisham home start at £745 including VAT. Lewisham has 57 Article 4 directions on top of 30 conservation areas, so many houses have lost rights you might assume they still have.

From £745 (VAT included)

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

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    Rows of brick terraced houses and gardens on a residential street

    Lewisham's Alterations and Extensions SPD and the new Local Plan

    The council's householder guidance is the Alterations and Extensions SPD. It is the first document a Lewisham case officer opens for a rear extension, a side addition or a roof alteration, and we draw each sheet so that it can be checked against it.

    Policy sits in the Lewisham Local Plan 2020-2040, adopted in 2,025. Earlier Lewisham decisions you may have seen quoted online may have been made under the previous plan, so we work from the current one.

    There is also the Small Sites SPD, which matters if your project is more than a household extension, for example a new home on the plot. For those schemes the drawing set grows, and we explain what is needed before you commit.

    Because the Local Plan is recent, we also check any planning history on the street. A decision on a neighbouring house under the older policy may not carry over, and the officer will say so. We keep the notes on the drawings short and specific to the current guidance, with the key dimension of each proposed change marked beside it.

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

    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
    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
    Householder applications decided in time95.2 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Local planLewisham Local Plan 2020-2040—lewisham.gov.uk
    Local plan adopted2,025—lewisham.gov.uk
    Supplementary planning documentAlterations and Extensions SPD2019lewisham.gov.uk
    Supplementary planning documentSmall Sites SPD2021lewisham.gov.uk
    Householder: alterations/extensions to a single dwellinghouse, from 1 Apr 2026548 GBP—ribblevalley.gov.uk
    DMPO 2015 art 34(2)(b): non-major development8 weeks—legislation.gov.uk
    DMPO 2015 art 15: site notice or neighbour notification for not less than 21 days21 days—legislation.gov.uk
    Householder: two or more dwellinghouses (or flats)1,083 GBP—ribblevalley.gov.uk
    DMPO 2015 art 34(2)(a): major development13 weeks—legislation.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: the Lewisham catch

    With 57 Article 4 directions, Lewisham removes permitted development in parts of the borough. A direction can withdraw rights such as replacing windows and doors or changing a roof covering. A change you might expect to need no application can need one here.

    That is why the constraints check comes before the design. If the address is clear, a Lawful Development Certificate in Lewisham can confirm that a project is lawful without a planning application. If it is not, the planning drawings carry the case.

    Conservation areas, listed houses and a World Heritage Site

    The borough has 30 conservation areas, and Historic England lists 367 entries. The borough also includes 1 World Heritage Site in its records. Near a site of that kind, officers can look closely at how a roof extension or a taller addition reads from a distance.

    Lewisham also has an Article 4 direction covering houses in multiple occupation. If you plan a shared house, say so at the first call, because it changes what the application needs.

    How Lewisham decides householder applications

    Lewisham decided 578 householder applications in its latest published year, granting 89.4 per cent. 95.2 per cent were decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extension.

    That timing is quick, but a figure for the whole borough cannot tell you how your own application will go.

    Planning drawings in Lewisham: fees and what is included

    Our fixed fee begins at £745 including VAT. The householder application fee, £548 for one dwelling, goes to the council. Neighbours are notified for at least 21 days once the application is valid.

    The set has existing and proposed plans, elevations and sections, a location plan and a block plan. A second chartered technologist checks it, and we redraw at no charge if the council asks for changes.

    Lewisham's Small Sites SPD matters when a plot is divided. Householder works affecting two or more dwellings carry a council fee of £1,083, and a major scheme has a statutory period of 13 weeks. We tell you at the start which category your project falls into, because it changes the timetable, the fee and the number of drawings.

    Planning first, then Building Regulations

    A planning approval fixes the shape and appearance of the work. It does not cover how the building is built, which is the job of Building Regulations. Lewisham owners often commission both, and the order matters: the planning set freezes the layout, and the construction drawings then add structure, fire safety and insulation.

    Our building regulations drawings in Lewisham follow on from the planning set without redrawing the survey. If work has already started without consent, a retrospective planning application in Lewisham may be the way to regularise it, and we can advise on that before you decide.

    Around Lewisham

    Start at architectural drawings in Lewisham for the borough in full. Neighbouring councils are covered in planning drawings in Greenwich, planning drawings in Southwark and planning drawings in 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.
    Brick cottage with a tiled roof, chimneys and a front dormer window
    The street around you
    Move across the plinth — the blocks rise around the pointer.

    Other services in Lewisham

    Planning drawings nearby

    Questions

    Why do so many Lewisham houses need planning permission for small changes?

    Because of the borough's 57 Article 4 directions and 30 conservation areas, which remove permitted development rights in many streets.

    Which Lewisham document covers house extensions?

    The Alterations and Extensions SPD, applied with the Lewisham Local Plan 2020-2040.

    How much do planning drawings cost in Lewisham?

    From £745 including VAT, fixed before you commit. The council's householder fee is £548 and is paid separately.

    Do I need permission to turn my Lewisham house into a shared house?

    Usually yes. Lewisham has an Article 4 direction for houses in multiple occupation, so a change from a family house to a small shared house needs an application.

    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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