Which postcode districts around Croydon do we cover for permitted development scheme work?
Croydon district by district: the prevailing housing in each, and who validates work there. One caveat belongs with the speed figures above: 924 of Croydon's 2,701 householder decisions were taken under an agreed extension of time, which stops the statutory clock and puts those cases outside the published bands entirely. Among the 1,777 that ran to the ordinary timetable, 33 took over thirteen weeks and three took over a year. Fees listed are the England statutory rates for 2026.
| Postcode | Area | Dominant stock | What it means for a permitted development scheme |
|---|
| CR2 | South Croydon | Crystal Palace and Upper Norwood hold the Victorian villa stock; Selhurst and Thornton Heath the Edwardian terracing; Coulsdon and Purley the inter-war semis; the town centre its post-war blocks and later infill. The VOA counted 168,250 dwellings in the borough at 31 March 2025, 17.4% of them from the 1930s. | CR2 covers South Croydon only; Croydon Council handles the permitted development scheme. |
| CR5 | Coulsdon | 1930s semi-detached | CR5 covers Coulsdon, again wholly Croydon. Detached houses and wider plots are commoner at this end, which is what pushes a scheme into the eight-metre bracket that needs prior approval rather than straightforward permitted development. |
| CR7 | Thornton Heath | Edwardian terraces | CR7 is Thornton Heath, entirely within the borough. Its Edwardian terraces tend to sit on shallow plots, and plot depth rather than policy is usually what limits a rear extension here before an application becomes necessary. |
| CR8 | Purley | 1930s semi-detached, Edwardian villas | CR8 covers Purley only; Croydon Council handles the permitted development scheme. |
| SE20 | Anerley / Penge | Victorian and Edwardian terraces | SE20, covering Anerley and Penge, sits mostly with Bromley and clips a Croydon edge. Determination follows the street, not the outward code, and guessing wrong costs a full validation cycle. |
| SW16 | Streatham / Norbury | Edwardian terraces, post-war flats | Four planning authorities share SW16 at Streatham and Norbury: Lambeth, Wandsworth, Merton, Croydon, all inside a single outward code. Establishing which of them validates is the first job, well before drawings are packaged. |
| SE19 | Upper Norwood / Crystal Palace | Victorian villas, Edwardian terraces | SE19 spreads over Upper Norwood and Crystal Palace across the Croydon-Lambeth line, and only just over half the district's recorded sales sit on the Croydon side. Reading the council off the postcode is a coin-flip here, so the address gets checked on both authorities' policies maps first. |
| SE25 | South Norwood / Selhurst | Victorian terraces | SE25 takes in South Norwood and Selhurst, all of it Croydon, all of it read against one Local Plan. No boundary question, one validation checklist, and the borough's own householder timings apply throughout. |
What changes about a permitted development scheme in each part of Croydon?
Plot depth, roof pitch and how the original rear wall was built all shift inside a few streets in Croydon, and every one of them changes how far a rear extension gets before it stops being permitted development.
- Selhurst (SE25) — permitted development scheme work in Selhurst means edwardian terraces. Selhurst is Edwardian terraces. Edwardian houses here typically need the same householder set plus a roof plan where a dormer is proposed throughout SE25. Croydon Council decides the Selhurst application, and Selhurst Park anchors the Selhurst location plan.
- Croydon (CR0) — a permitted development scheme in Croydon starts from edwardian terraces, post-war flats, and Croydon reads as post-war centre, Edwardian residential ring. Edwardian houses here typically need the same householder set plus a roof plan where a dormer is proposed in CR0. Croydon Council assesses Croydon permitted development schemes against its own Croydon character guidance, and the location plan we draw for Croydon references Whitgift Centre.
- Crystal Palace (SE19) — permitted development scheme work in Crystal Palace means victorian villas, edwardian terraces. Crystal Palace is Victorian villas, hill character. Most applications on these Victorian streets are householder applications validated on existing and proposed plans throughout SE19. Croydon Council decides the Crystal Palace application, and Crystal Palace Park anchors the Crystal Palace location plan.
- Upper Norwood (SE19) — Victorian villas defines Upper Norwood, where victorian villas, edwardian terraces set what a permitted development scheme can do. Most applications on these Victorian streets are householder applications validated on existing and proposed plans across SE19. Any Upper Norwood permitted development scheme is validated by Croydon Council, with Upper Norwood Triangle the usual Upper Norwood reference point on the site plan.
- South Norwood (SE25) — a permitted development scheme in South Norwood starts from victorian terraces, and South Norwood reads as Victorian terraces. Most applications on these Victorian streets are householder applications validated on existing and proposed plans in SE25. Croydon Council assesses South Norwood permitted development schemes against its own South Norwood character guidance, and the location plan we draw for South Norwood references South Norwood Lake.
- Thornton Heath (CR7) — Edwardian terraces defines Thornton Heath, where edwardian terraces set what a permitted development scheme can do. Edwardian houses here typically need the same householder set plus a roof plan where a dormer is proposed across CR7. Any Thornton Heath permitted development scheme is validated by Croydon Council, with Thornton Heath station the usual Thornton Heath reference point on the site plan.
- Purley (CR8) — 1930s semi-detached, Edwardian villas defines Purley, where 1930s semi-detached, edwardian villas set what a permitted development scheme can do. Edwardian houses here typically need the same householder set plus a roof plan where a dormer is proposed across CR8. Any Purley permitted development scheme is validated by Croydon Council, with Purley Way the usual Purley reference point on the site plan.
What local planning policy applies to a permitted development scheme in Croydon?
Designation, and what it does to the Croydon route: the council's own list runs to 24 conservation areas — Shirley Park, Purley and Old Coulsdon are on it. Within any of those, permitted development stops covering the work people actually want, and a householder application takes its place. The householder application fee in England is £548, with eight weeks to determine. Outside designated land a larger single-storey extension runs instead on prior approval in six. The fee for a larger householder prior approval is £249.
Croydon permitted development status: there is no borough-wide direction from Croydon Council, so a permitted development scheme at a SE19 address is normally still permitted development. We certify that with a £274 Lawful Development Certificate rather than leaving a Croydon sale to argue it later.
The building fabric around Croydon: Victorian villas in Upper Norwood and Crystal Palace; Edwardian terraces in Thornton Heath and Selhurst; 1930s semi-detached in Purley and Coulsdon; post-war in Croydon central. Large, mixed-density outer borough; permissive in outer areas; heritage controls in conservation pockets; major regeneration in central Croydon. A permitted development scheme in Croydon is scoped against that stock first.
What happens if a Croydon property sits on a boundary?
- Sutton — adjoining Croydon, with 17 conservation areas centred on SM1. A permitted development scheme on the far side of the Croydon line is determined by Sutton Council, so the Croydon quote for permitted development schemes is checked against Sutton guidance before it is issued.
- Merton — the Merton boundary runs against Croydon, so a permitted development scheme a street from Croydon is decided by Merton Council instead. Merton runs 28 conservation areas across SW16 and its neighbours, which is why permitted development schemes priced for Croydon are re-checked against Merton policy whenever the Croydon address sits on that edge.
- Lambeth — the Lambeth boundary runs against Croydon, so a permitted development scheme a street from Croydon is decided by Lambeth Council instead. Lambeth runs 64 conservation areas across SE1 and its neighbours, which is why permitted development schemes priced for Croydon are re-checked against Lambeth policy whenever the Croydon address sits on that edge.
- Bromley — adjoining Croydon, with 48 conservation areas centred on BR1. A permitted development scheme on the far side of the Croydon line is determined by Bromley Council, so the Croydon quote for permitted development schemes is checked against Bromley guidance before it is issued.
Sources for this Croydon permitted development scheme page: borough policies maps and
conservation-area registers (2025–26), Royal Mail postcode district boundaries,
the Town and Country Planning (Fees for Applications) (England) Regulations, the Town
and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 as amended,
and the Party Wall etc. Act 1996.
