Side return extension drawings in Lewisham

Article 4, conservation areas and listing in Lewisham

Lewisham publishes 57 Article 4 directions, mapped as 89 areas, and 30 conservation areas. In the latter, permitted development gives no side extension: No side extensions under PD on article 2(3) land (conservation areas etc.). An Article 4 direction can remove rights that apply elsewhere, so we look up your road first.

Historic England lists 367 entries inside the borough, and a listed house needs separate consent.

Without any designation, Lewisham houses fall back on the national allowance: Side extension: single storey, max 4 m high, max half the width of the original house.

Lewisham's housing ranges from terraces to semis, and the same depth rule gives different results on each, because the outrigger lengths differ. Our survey takes the first-floor window sill levels on the rear wall and the neighbour's eaves height, so the ridge test and the boundary section are both drawn from measured figures instead of assumptions. If the figures leave little room, we tell you before design starts, which saves a round of sketches.

Lewisham's decisions and housing

Lewisham decided 578 householder applications in its latest twelve months and granted 89.4 per cent, with 95.2 per cent decided inside eight weeks or an agreed extension.

Of Lewisham's households 42.2 per cent live in a house and 41.9 per cent own their home. The average terraced house sold for £602,116 and the average semi-detached for £773,685 in the latest figures.

Prior approvals for deeper rear extensions went the opposite way: 2 granted and 46 refused. A scheme that combines infill and a long rear is therefore best handled as a full application; see our planning drawings in Lewisham.

Neighbours, glass and fees in Lewisham

A side return in a terrace rests on the neighbour's wall. A newly built wall on the boundary line requires: Line-of-junction (new wall) notice at least 1 month before work. A cut into the shared structure needs: Party structure notice at least 2 months before work. Our party wall notices service prepares both notices from the Lewisham drawings.

Approved Document L restricts how much of the infill can be glass: Windows, roof windows, rooflights and doors in an extension should not exceed 25% of the extension floor area plus the area of openings removed or covered. Lewisham's householder fee is £548, and the borough levy is shown as £154.44/m² (Zone 1, Use Class C3); £108.1/m² (Zone 2, Use Class C3).

What the Lewisham set includes

Lewisham clients get existing and proposed plans, elevations, sections and the location and block plans for a fixed £745. A second chartered technologist checks the drawings before they are lodged, and amendments the council asks for are redrawn free.

Technical detail is in building regulations drawings in Lewisham, and the borough overview is architectural drawings in Lewisham.

A rooflight along the length of the infill is a common request. That is fine in principle, and we size it against the glazing limit and show it on the roof plan. A rooflight that sits too close to the boundary can also overlook a neighbour's window, so we note the distance on the drawings and keep the glazing set in from the flank wall where the plot requires it. The same sheet shows the internal floor level against the garden, so the threshold detail is settled before the builder prices it.