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Lambeth, London

Prior approval drawings in Lambeth

Prior approval drawings in Lambeth serve the houses that sit between the borough's 64 conservation areas and its flats. The latest government return records 13 larger home extension prior approvals granted and 18 refused. We check the address, draw the notification and send it, from a 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

    What the figures say about this route in Lambeth

    A closer split between grants and refusals means the outcome here turns on the particular house. Lambeth's latest return lists 13 larger home extension prior approvals granted and 18 refused. That is not a reason to avoid the route, only to prepare the notification as if the neighbour will read it carefully.

    The borough's extension guidance is its Lambeth Design Guide SPD Part 4: Building Alterations, Extensions and Retrofit. It governs full applications, but the same concerns, such as outlook and the relationship with neighbouring gardens, are what an officer weighs under the neighbour-impact test, so we read it before we draw.

    The council has also published 12 Article 4 directions, and they cover 223 mapped areas. With 64 conservation areas on top, many Lambeth addresses need checking before the route can be assumed open.

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

    Local figures for Lambeth

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    Conservation areas64 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Article 4 directions12 Article 4 directions published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Article 4 direction areas223 Article 4 direction area polygons published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Listed building entries953 list entries (Historic England, within the LPA boundary)—planning.data.gov.uk
    Households living in a house24.8 % of households living in a house or bungalow (detached, semi-detached or terraced)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Larger home extension prior approvals granted13 decisions2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Larger home extension prior approvals refused18 decisions2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Average price, terraced796,865 GBP2026-07publicdata.landregistry.gov.uk
    Householder applications granted83.4 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Lawful development certificate applications (PS1)401 certificates2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.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
    Class A, para A.4(5)(d)LPA notifies adjoining owners/occupiers, giving at least 21 days for representations 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 Lambeth
    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

    Houses and flats in the same streets

    Only 24.8 per cent of households here live in a house or bungalow. Most Lambeth homes are flats, which cannot use the larger home extension route at all. A converted terrace may look like a house from the street and be legally two flats, so we confirm the planning status before quoting.

    For genuine houses, the economics are plain. A terraced house averages £796,865 and a detached one £1,153,203, so a clean extension adds real value, and a failed notification costs weeks.

    The borough holds 953 list entries and listed status removes the route.

    What goes into the notification

    The depth rules are national: 6 m (attached) / 8 m (detached), single storey, height max 4 m; not on article 2(3) land or an SSSI. The measurement starts at the original rear wall, and we mark later additions so the officer sees what counts.

    The council writes to adjoining owners and occupiers, who get time to respond: LPA notifies adjoining owners/occupiers, giving at least 21 days for representations. The Order asks for Written description (depth beyond rear wall, max height, eaves height), site plan, addresses of adjoining premises, developer contact address, and we add scaled plans and elevations and the neighbours' windows.

    If the council has not notified you within 42 days, work may start. Because the split between grants and refusals is close, we advise waiting for the written decision.

    Trees, gardens and the back of the plot

    Domestic gardens cover 26 per cent of the borough's land in the government's generalised land use database, and the council has published 339 tree preservation orders. A protected tree at the back of a terrace can fix the footprint of an extension before depth is even discussed.

    We plot every protected tree and its root zone on the site plan during the survey. If a tree limits depth, the notification is drawn to the real limit from the start, rather than being amended after an officer queries it.

    Gardens in a dense borough also mean short boundaries, so we record the height and condition of every boundary wall. An extension built against a shared wall changes what the neighbour sees, and the officer will ask.

    Other routes for a Lambeth house

    When the extension must go beyond the Order, or the land is excluded, the choice is a householder application. In its latest year the council granted 83.4 per cent of 595 householder decisions. Our planning drawings in Lambeth are built for that test.

    A certificate suits work within permitted development limits. The council recorded 401 certificate applications in its return, which shows how commonly owners here seek written proof. See Lawful Development Certificate drawings in Lambeth.

    Where an extension has already been built without consent, retrospective planning in Lambeth is a separate path.

    Preparing a Lambeth notification

    We start with the free constraints check, then survey the house and both neighbouring rear elevations. Next we draw the proposal and test it against next-door habitable windows, as those are the usual source of an objection.

    A second chartered technologist reads the finished set against the Order, and we submit and track it. The general rules are on our prior approval drawings page, and the borough overview is architectural drawings in Lambeth.

    Next door, the same route in Southwark tells a different story, with far fewer decisions in total.

    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 Lambeth

    Prior approval drawings nearby

    Questions

    How often does Lambeth refuse larger home extensions?

    Its latest return records 18 refused and 13 granted, so the result depends on the individual house and the neighbours.

    Can I use prior approval if I live in a converted flat?

    No. Only 24.8 per cent of households here live in houses, and flats have no larger home extension rights.

    Is there a council fee?

    Yes, £249 to the council. Our fee is fixed after the free constraints check.

    Does the council have Article 4 directions?

    It has 12, and they cover 223 mapped areas, which we plot before we quote.

    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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