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Greenwich, London

Prior approval drawings in Greenwich

Prior approval drawings for a Greenwich house show the council how a larger rear extension sits against its neighbours, using the plans and elevations the Order requires. Greenwich sees heavy use of this route: 82 notifications were decided in favour and 76 were refused in the latest year of returns. Fixed quote after a free constraints check.

Fixed quote after a free constraints check

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

    A borough that decides almost as many refusals as consents

    In the latest published year Greenwich granted 82 larger home extension prior approvals and refused 76. Nearly one notification in two did not succeed. A borough that sees this volume, and says no this often, is reading each file closely, which is why a notification here has to be complete and clear on its first read.

    The reasons for refusal in a volume like this are usually practical: a depth measured from the wrong wall, a neighbour's window left off the plan, or a notification that describes eaves height without a drawing to support it. We cannot see the council's reasons for every case, but we draw to avoid all three. The Order's limits we test against are: 6 m (attached) / 8 m (detached), single storey, height max 4 m; not on article 2(3) land or an SSSI.

    The council has 42 days from a valid notification. The returns show no additional-storey notifications under Class AA decided in the borough, at 0 granted and 0 refused, so for a roof-raising scheme we normally expect to prepare a full application instead.

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

    Local figures for Greenwich

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    Larger home extension prior approvals granted82 decisions2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Larger home extension prior approvals refused76 decisions2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Upward home extension prior approvals granted0 decisions2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.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
    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
    Owner-occupied households41.1 % of households owner-occupied (owned outright or with mortgage/loan)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Average price, terraced545,565 GBP2026-07publicdata.landregistry.gov.uk
    Lawful development certificate applications (PS1)437 certificates2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications granted77.1 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Class A, para A.1(g)6 m (attached) / 8 m (detached), single storey, height max 4 m; not on article 2(3) land or an SSSI—legislation.gov.uk
    Class A, para A.4(10)(c): development may begin if the LPA has not notified a decision within 42 days of receiving the information42 days—legislation.gov.uk
    Prior approval: Larger Home Extensions Part 1 Class A; Additional storeys Part 1 Class AA249 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 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

    Terraces, semis and the housing mix south of the river

    Only 48.4% of Greenwich households live in a house, because the borough has a great deal of flats, and 41.1% of households own their home. The larger home extension rights belong to houses alone, so the people who can use this route are a minority of Greenwich households.

    A terraced house sold for £545,565 on average on the latest Land Registry figures and a semi for £712,724. At those prices a rear extension that adds a proper kitchen and dining room is an investment decision, and a refused notification means months lost before the fallback of a householder application can begin.

    World Heritage and conservation land

    Greenwich contains 1 World Heritage Site and the council publishes 23 conservation areas, with 540 listed building entries across the borough. The larger home extension route does not apply on article 2(3) land, which includes both conservation areas and World Heritage Sites, so a house on that land must go through a householder application instead.

    The site is the first thing we check, because the borough's designations are not obvious from the street. A house two roads from the river may be inside one boundary while its neighbour is outside it. We overlay the council's published boundaries on the plot and tell you the answer before you spend anything on drawings. If the route is closed, our planning drawings cover the application that replaces it.

    What goes into the notification

    The Order asks for: Written description (depth beyond rear wall, max height, eaves height), site plan, addresses of adjoining premises, developer contact address. We draw all of that and then add the documents that make an officer's work quick: scaled plans, a rear elevation, a section through the nearest neighbour window and a block plan prepared in the same way as our location and block plans.

    Our drawings are prepared by chartered architectural technologists (MCIAT) and read by a second technologist against the Order before they are sent. The council fee is £249 and is paid to the council; our own fee is fixed once the constraints check is complete, and amendments the council asks for are redrawn without a second charge.

    Greenwich's ordinary householder record, for comparison

    Prior approval is judged on narrow grounds, but it helps to know how the same officers treat a full householder application. Greenwich decided 624 householder applications in the latest year, granted 77.1% of them, and decided 94.2% within the statutory period or an agreed extension.

    Set beside the larger home extension figures, the contrast is plain. A householder application that fits local policy is usually granted, while a notification that pushes the national depth limits meets a narrower test and more refusals. That is why we sometimes advise a scheme a little shallower than the Order allows: it can be better drawn for the ordinary route than squeezed through the notification.

    If a notification is refused

    A refusal does not end the project. The notification is simply the quick route, and the householder application remains open on the same site. What changes is the test: the officer then weighs the extension against local design policy and not only the Order's list of impacts.

    For that reason we ask every Greenwich client, at the start, what they would do if the answer were no. If the answer is that a slightly smaller scheme would still work, the drawings are prepared so that the reduced version can be lifted from the same survey without a second visit. If it would not, we say so, and recommend going straight to a full application.

    When a certificate or full application is the better answer

    If the extension is within ordinary permitted limits, a Lawful Development Certificate gives you firm evidence without the neighbour consultation. Greenwich decided 437 certificates of lawfulness in the same period, which shows how many owners take that safer route.

    Houses in the neighbouring boroughs follow the same national Order but meet different officers. Lewisham and Bexley are the closest, and our Greenwich area page lists everything else we draw in the borough.

    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 Greenwich

    Prior approval drawings nearby

    Questions

    How often does Greenwich refuse larger home extension notifications?

    In the latest published year it granted 82 and refused 76. Complete drawings, with the neighbour's windows shown, are our response to that record.

    Does the World Heritage Site stop prior approval?

    Yes, on the land it covers: World Heritage Sites are article 2(3) land, as are the borough's 23 conservation areas. We check the plot against the council's boundaries first.

    How long will Greenwich take to decide?

    The council has 42 days from a valid notification. We cannot promise a decision date.

    What is the council fee?

    £249, paid to the council. Our fee is quoted separately and fixed after the free 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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