Thinking of extending, renovating or simply refreshing your home?

It depends on where you live, what you're building, and the specific rules that apply to your house. Most extensions and loft conversions in SE London qualify for Permitted Development — meaning you can build without a formal planning application. A standard single-storey rear extension on a Victorian terrace in Peckham or Herne Hill, built within the permitted size limits, usually qualifies. We often still apply for a Lawful Development Certificate to confirm this in writing, which protects you when you come to sell. Where it gets more complicated: conservation areas change the rules. Parts of East Dulwich, Dulwich Village, Nunhead, and several other SE London neighbourhoods are designated conservation areas, and some Permitted Development rights are restricted there — particularly for roof alterations and side extensions facing a highway. An Article 4 direction can remove further rights from specific streets or areas within LB Southwark or LB Lewisham. We check all of this at the first consultation. Most projects have a clear route. Where they don't, we'll explain the options before you commit to anything.

The statutory target is 8 weeks from the date of validation — the point at which the council formally accepts your application. In practice, both LB Southwark and LB Lewisham sometimes run to 10–12 weeks, particularly in busier periods. A Lawful Development Certificate — which confirms Permitted Development rights in writing — runs on a similar 8-week target. If your scheme qualifies for Permitted Development, this is often the faster, lower-risk route. One thing that catches people out: "submitted" and "validated" are different. Both LB Southwark and LB Lewisham require a specific checklist of drawings, forms and documents before the clock starts. An incomplete submission can sit for weeks without moving. We prepare submissions carefully to avoid that delay. We build realistic planning timelines into your programme from day one, so it's never a surprise.

If you're building near or against a shared wall — almost always the case for terraced houses — you'll need party wall agreements with your neighbours. We coordinate this alongside design, and recommend specialist surveyors when needed.

An Article 4 direction is a planning restriction placed by a local council that removes some or all Permitted Development rights from specific streets or areas. Where one applies, work you could otherwise do without any planning application — including changes to your front door, roof alterations, or rear extensions — may need full planning permission. In SE London, both LB Southwark and LB Lewisham have applied Article 4 directions to several areas, often around conservation areas or streets of particular character. They're more common than most homeowners realise, and the boundaries are rarely obvious from walking the street. We check whether an Article 4 direction applies to your address before any design work starts. If one does, it changes your planning route — but it doesn't mean your project isn't possible. It means a full application rather than a simpler Lawful Development Certificate.

It changes the planning route for some work, not what's achievable. Conservation areas in SE London include Dulwich Village, parts of East Dulwich, Nunhead, Herne Hill and several others. If you're in one, some Permitted Development rights that would otherwise apply are restricted. Extensions or alterations visible from a highway often need planning permission. Roof alterations face closer scrutiny. Demolition of outbuildings or garden walls may need consent. In practice, this means detailing, materials and scale matter more than on a non-designated street. LB Southwark and LB Lewisham each have their own officers and preferences for conservation area proposals. We know both boroughs well and design accordingly. Conservation area status isn't a reason not to extend or renovate. It just asks that you do it thoughtfully.

They control different things, and for most significant extensions you need both. Planning permission is about whether a building is acceptable in principle: its size, appearance, impact on neighbours and effect on the wider street. It's granted or refused by LB Southwark or LB Lewisham. Building Regulations approval is about whether it's built correctly and safely: structural integrity, fire safety, insulation, drainage, electrics and ventilation. It's assessed by the council's Building Control team or a private approved inspector, and runs in parallel to — or after — planning. Some projects need planning but not Building Regulations (certain small outbuildings). Some need Building Regulations but not planning (internal structural changes that fall within Permitted Development rights). Most significant extensions need both, running on different timetables with different people. We manage both processes on your behalf. You shouldn't have to chase two separate sets of approvals.