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Southwark, London

Prior approval drawings in Southwark

Prior approval drawings in Southwark are for the few houses that clear the borough's land designations: it has published 480 Article 4 directions and has 53 conservation areas, and its latest return lists only 7 larger home extension prior approvals granted and 2 refused. We check the address, then draw the notification, from a fixed quote after a free constraints check.

Fixed quote after a free constraints check

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We use it to check conservation areas and constraints.
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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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    Pencil resting on a dimensioned technical drawing beside a scale rule

    How rarely the route is used in Southwark

    The council's latest return lists 7 larger home extension prior approvals granted and 2 refused. That is a very small number for a borough of this size, and one plain factor stands behind it: most households are not in houses at all.

    Only 21.8 per cent of households live in a house or bungalow. Flats, including those above shops and in converted terraces, have no right to the route, so the market is the minority of true houses.

    The borough's Householder development SPD sets the standards for ordinary householder schemes, and for most owners it is the document that matters.

    Rows of brick terraced houses and gardens on a residential street

    Local figures for Southwark

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    Conservation areas53 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Article 4 directions480 Article 4 directions published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Article 4 direction areas480 Article 4 direction area polygons published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Listed building entries919 list entries (Historic England, within the LPA boundary)—planning.data.gov.uk
    Households living in a house21.8 % of households living in a house or bungalow (detached, semi-detached or terraced)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Larger home extension prior approvals granted7 decisions2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Larger home extension prior approvals refused2 decisions2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026)assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Average price, terraced838,160 GBP2026-07publicdata.landregistry.gov.uk
    Householder applications granted94.8 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Lawful development certificate applications (PS1)200 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 Southwark
    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

    The designations that close the door

    Southwark has published 480 Article 4 directions, covering 480 mapped areas, and 53 conservation areas on top. Article 4 land is a specific concern: a direction can remove permitted development rights that the route builds on, so we read each relevant direction rather than assuming.

    Heritage is dense as well. The borough holds 919 list entries, and a listed house cannot use the route.

    In practice, the free constraints check is where most Southwark enquiries end up, and it saves money. We would rather tell you the route is shut than draw a notification that cannot succeed.

    When the route is open

    For a house on open land the national rules decide the design. 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, measured from the original rear wall, and we mark every later addition.

    The Order lists the information the council must receive: Written description (depth beyond rear wall, max height, eaves height), site plan, addresses of adjoining premises, developer contact address. Neighbours are notified: LPA notifies adjoining owners/occupiers, giving at least 21 days for representations, and we draw their windows and boundaries.

    If the council has not given its decision within 42 days, work may begin, but we advise waiting for the written outcome, as with every council.

    The routes most Southwark owners actually use

    A householder application is the usual answer. The council granted 94.8 per cent of 558 householder decisions in its latest year, and decided 95.3 per cent in time. Our planning drawings in Southwark are drawn for that test.

    For work that fits permitted development, a certificate gives written proof. The council recorded 200 certificate applications, and Lawful Development Certificate drawings in Southwark explain the process.

    A terraced house averages £838,160, so whichever route fits, the cost of a wrong turn is high. Some named streets also carry an Article 4 direction on houses in multiple occupation, which matters if the property is let.

    Reading an Article 4 direction properly

    An Article 4 direction is a short legal document with a map. It names the rights it removes, the class of development and the land it covers, and the date it took effect. Two directions on neighbouring streets can differ in what they take away.

    We pull the direction that covers your address from the council's published list and read the schedule, not just the headline. If it removes the right that the larger home extension route relies on, we tell you in the first reply, with the reference, so you can check our reading.

    If the direction removes nothing relevant, the route may still be open, and we continue to the depth and neighbour checks. Either way the answer comes before the drawing fee.

    Working with us in Southwark

    We start with the free constraints check against the council's published designations. If the route is shut, we say which one applies and what to do next.

    If it is open, we survey, draw the notification, test it against the next-door windows and have a second chartered technologist read it before we submit. See prior approval drawings for the national rules and architectural drawings in Southwark for the borough.

    The neighbouring Lambeth page shows a busier record for the same route, and Lewisham a harsher one.

    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.
    Georgian brick terrace with sash windows, arched fanlight doorways, stone steps and iron railings in London
    The street around you
    Move across the plinth — the blocks rise around the pointer.

    Other services in Southwark

    Prior approval drawings nearby

    Questions

    Can I use larger home extension prior approval in Southwark?

    Only on a house outside conservation areas and Article 4 land. The borough has published 480 directions.

    Why are there so few decisions?

    The latest return lists 7 granted and 2 refused. Only 21.8 per cent of households here live in houses.

    Does a direction always block the route?

    Not always, because each direction names the rights it removes. We read the one that covers your street.

    What is the council fee?

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