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Southwark, London

Side return extension drawings in Southwark

Southwark publishes 480 Article 4 directions and 53 conservation areas, so a side return in Peckham, Camberwell or Dulwich often loses rights that a house elsewhere keeps. We draw side return extensions in Southwark from £745 including VAT, and begin by checking your address against every one of those layers.

From £745 (VAT included)

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  • £2m PI insured
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  • Fixed fees, VAT included

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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 side return extension drawings

    Nine 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.

    8. Building regulations

      Technical drawings are coordinated with the structural engineer's calculations, the drainage and the planning conditions.

    9. Approval and hand-over

      Building control approval, then a next-steps pack covering the commencement notice, party wall timing and CIL.

    Free redraws until approval. Every drawing set is checked independently, and the checker is never the person who drew it.

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    Finished white-rendered rear house extension with large glazed doors

    Southwark's side extension rule in the Householder SPD

    The council's Householder development SPD is the document that matters. For a side extension that needs permission it asks for a single-storey scheme with a 1.5 m set-back from the street-facing facade. On a side return that detail decides how the extension meets the front of the house, because the strip beside the rear wing is not the same as the gap at the front.

    The guide sits under the Southwark Plan 2022, which is the borough's current plan. We draw plans, elevations and sections to the guide's tests and mark the set-back on the plan, so the officer reads it without measuring.

    In a street of repeating Victorian terraces the set-back is usually easy, as the extension sits behind the rear wing. It becomes a design question on a corner house or a semi-detached house with a visible flank, where we test options before you choose.

    Two-storey rear extension under construction on a semi-detached house

    Local figures for Southwark

    Figures with their unit, period and source
    MeasureValuePeriodSource
    Side extensions needing permission should be single storey and set back 1.5m from the street-facing facade.1.5 m set-back—southwark.gov.uk, Householder SPD 2025, p.69, section 3.4.1
    Article 4 directions480 Article 4 directions published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Conservation areas53 named conservation areas published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Tree preservation zones724 tree preservation zone polygons published by the council—planning.data.gov.uk
    Listed building entries919 list entries (Historic England, within the LPA boundary)—planning.data.gov.uk
    Householder decisions558 decisions1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications granted94.8 %1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.uk
    Householder applications decided in time95.3 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026assets.publishing.service.gov.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
    Households living in a house21.8 % of households living in a house or bungalow (detached, semi-detached or terraced)Census 2021nomisweb.co.uk
    Average price, terraced838,160 GBP2026-07publicdata.landregistry.gov.uk
    Householder: alterations/extensions to a single dwellinghouse, from 1 Apr 2026548 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

    Householder applications by street in Southwark

    Streets in Southwark with the most householder applications, and the share approved
    StreetApplicationsApproved
    Ivydale Road6098%
    Upland Road5192%
    Friern Road4695%
    Underhill Road3293%
    Landells Road2996%
    Crystal Palace Road2587%
    Melbourne Grove2491%
    Dunstans Road2391%
    Burbage Road2291%
    Turney Road22100%
    Hollydale Road21100%
    Court Lane1994%
    Harlescott Road19100%
    Henslowe Road19100%
    Barry Road18100%
    Counts of householder applications by street; no individual applications are shown. Streets with fewer than five applications are left out.Source: GLA Planning London Datahub, householder applications, all years held. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.
    The 45-degree test in planTest used in daylight assessments: 45 degrees (plan and elevation). Southwark guidance: 45 degrees / 25 degreesAB

    The 45-degree test in plan

    A line from the middle of the neighbour's nearest window: the extension should stay behind it.

    A · Test used in daylight assessments
    45 degrees (plan and elevation)
    B · Southwark guidance
    45 degrees / 25 degrees

    Article 4 directions, trees and heritage

    480 Article 4 directions apply across the borough, and they remove permitted development rights that would otherwise apply. Nationally, side extensions are already excluded in conservation areas: No side extensions under PD on article 2(3) land (conservation areas etc.).

    Southwark also publishes 724 tree preservation zones, which matter at the back of a plot. A protected tree near the rear boundary affects foundations for a side return, so we plot them and, where needed, advise on an arboricultural report.

    Historic England lists 919 buildings here and 36 sit on the Heritage at Risk Register. A listed house needs separate consent, which we scope before quoting.

    How Southwark has decided householder cases

    In the latest published twelve months Southwark decided 558 householder applications, granted 94.8 per cent of them and decided 95.3 per cent in eight weeks or an agreed extension. That is a borough-wide record, and a side return in a conservation area is judged on its own merits.

    Larger rear extensions under neighbour consultation numbered few here: 7 granted and 2 refused. The householder application route is the main one in Southwark, and the council's fee for it is £548, paid to the council.

    Flats, terraces and values in Southwark

    Only 21.8 per cent of Southwark households live in a house, and just 28.9 per cent own their home. A side return is therefore a project for a smaller group of owners, and a flat has no householder rights at all. If you own a flat, the lease and the freeholder come first.

    Those who do own a terrace tend to have a lot invested: terraced houses averaged £838,160 in the latest Land Registry figures. A well-drawn extension protects that value by passing the officer's checks the first time.

    The borough's levy has three zones, with £598/m² (Zone 1); £300/m² (Zone 2); £74/m² (Zone 3).

    Glazing, party walls and our drawings

    A side return is mainly glass. The simple route limits it: 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. A calculation resolves anything over that, through our SAP calculations service.

    The new wall against the neighbour's house needs notice: Line-of-junction (new wall) notice at least 1 month before work. Our party wall notices service prepares it to match the sheets.

    Side return extension drawings in Southwark start at £745 with VAT included. The package covers plans, elevations, sections, location plan and block plan, checked by a second chartered technologist.

    Next pages for Southwark

    Read the borough overview at architectural drawings in Southwark. If the brief is bigger, look at wraparound extension drawings in Southwark or rear extension drawings in Southwark.

    Nearby boroughs set different tests: side return extension drawings in Lambeth, Lewisham and Tower Hamlets. The national rules sit on the side return extension drawings page.

    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.
    House extension under construction with scaffolding, new glazed doors and building materials
    Every side considered
    Flick across the turntable to spin it.

    Other services in Southwark

    Side return extension drawings nearby

    Questions

    What does Southwark say about side extensions?

    The Householder development SPD asks that a side extension needing permission is single storey, with a 1.5 m set-back from the street-facing facade.

    Do Article 4 directions affect a side return in Southwark?

    They can. The borough has 480, so we check your address before telling you which route applies.

    How much do side return extension drawings cost in Southwark?

    From £745 including VAT. The council's fee of £548 is paid to the council.

    Can I build a side return on a flat in Southwark?

    Flats have no householder permitted development rights, and only 21.8 per cent of households here live in a house. A flat needs an application and usually the freeholder's consent.

    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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