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Lewisham, London

Prior approval drawings in Lewisham

Prior approval drawings in Lewisham call for care: the council's latest return records 2 larger home extension prior approvals granted against 46 refused, and the borough carries 57 Article 4 directions. A notification here has to leave an officer no easy reason to refuse. We check the land first, then draw 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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    Rear view of brick terraced houses in London with slate roofs and chimney stacks along the shared roofline

    The record the council has set in Lewisham

    The figures speak for themselves: the latest return lists 2 larger home extension prior approvals granted and 46 refused. Whatever the reasons, the practical lesson is that a thin notification is a risk. Officers here have plainly been willing to say no.

    The council's own guidance, the Alterations and Extensions SPD, explains how it wants additions to sit against the house and its neighbours, and its Small Sites SPD shapes what can happen on smaller plots. Neither controls this route, but both reveal what the officer is already thinking about when your notification arrives.

    The land comes first. The borough has 30 conservation areas and 57 Article 4 directions across 89 mapped areas, and the route excludes article 2(3) land.

    Pencil resting on a dimensioned technical drawing beside a scale rule

    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
    Households living in a house42.2 % of households living in a house or bungalow (detached, semi-detached or terraced)Census 2021nomisweb.co.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
    Upward home extension prior approvals refused1 decisions2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.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
    Lawful development certificate applications (PS1)410 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 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

    Where the route fits in the borough

    Houses make up 42.2 per cent of households, so the route is open to a sizeable group of owners. Rear depth is the usual question from the houses that remain.

    A terraced house here averages £602,116. Against that, a failed notification is a lost month, so we rule out the exclusions early. The borough also lists 367 entries, and a listed house needs its own consent.

    The council has recorded 1 upward extension prior approval refused, which tells you the extra-storey route is hardly used here.

    Making the notification hard to refuse

    The depth limits are 6 m (attached) / 8 m (detached), single storey, height max 4 m; not on article 2(3) land or an SSSI. We survey the house as first built, so the officer can see what the allowance counts from.

    The council notifies adjoining owners and occupiers: LPA notifies adjoining owners/occupiers, giving at least 21 days for representations. Our drawings show every neighbouring window, its distance and the eaves height, because the neighbour test is where refusals begin.

    We attach everything the Order lists: Written description (depth beyond rear wall, max height, eaves height), site plan, addresses of adjoining premises, developer contact address. If the council has not given a decision within 42 days, work may begin, but we advise waiting for the notice in writing.

    Gardens and the plot behind the house

    Domestic gardens cover 31.1 per cent of the borough's land in the government's generalised land use database, so most rear extensions here eat into a garden that neighbours also look at. That is the exact situation the neighbour-impact test was written for.

    We draw the extension footprint, the remaining garden depth and the boundary treatment on one plan, then measure the sight lines from each neighbouring kitchen and bedroom window. The officer should be able to answer a neighbour's complaint from the drawing alone.

    Where a boundary wall or outbuilding already limits what the neighbour sees, we show that too, because it is part of the real impact and sometimes the strongest argument for the notification.

    When a householder application is the better call

    If the design needs more than the Order allows, the council's record on householder cases is better than its prior approval record: it granted 89.4 per cent of 578 householder decisions, and decided 95.2 per cent in time. Our planning drawings in Lewisham cover that test.

    For work within the permitted limits, a certificate is worth comparing. The council recorded 410 certificate applications, and Lawful Development Certificate drawings in Lewisham explains the process.

    We tell you which route fits before you pay for drawings.

    How we handle a Lewisham notification

    A free constraints check comes first. Then we survey, draw the notification and test it against the next-door windows, and a second chartered technologist reads it against the Order before submission.

    We track the neighbour period and answer the officer. If an amendment is requested we redraw without charging again. For the national rules see prior approval drawings, and for the borough see architectural drawings in Lewisham.

    Greenwich is the next borough east, with its own record to compare.

    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.
    Rows of brick terraced houses and gardens on a residential street
    The street around you
    Move across the plinth — the blocks rise around the pointer.

    Other services in Lewisham

    Prior approval drawings nearby

    Questions

    Why do so many larger extensions fail in Lewisham?

    The latest return shows 46 refused and 2 granted. We cannot say why individual cases failed, but we draw the neighbour impact clearly to avoid the common causes.

    Do Article 4 directions apply here?

    The council has published 57, and the route excludes article 2(3) land, so we check the address.

    What is the council fee?

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

    Can I add storeys under prior approval?

    The route exists, but the council has recorded 0 granted and 1 refused, so it is hardly used here.

    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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