Where in Lewisham does a permitted development scheme actually get determined?
Lewisham district by district: the stock in each and the authority that validates a scheme there. Fees shown are 2026 statutory national rates, not what we charge.
| Postcode | Area | Dominant stock | What it means for a permitted development scheme |
|---|
| SE26 | Sydenham | Victorian villas, Edwardian terraces | SE26 at Sydenham crosses into Bromley. Check the address before drawings are issued: Bromley validates against its own requirements, and a package assembled for Lewisham can come back unread. |
| SE3 | Blackheath / Kidbrooke | Georgian villas, Victorian terraces | SE3 is split between Greenwich and Lewisham across Blackheath and Kidbrooke. Blackheath is heavily designated on both sides of the line, so at these addresses permitted development is the exception rather than the starting assumption. |
| SE4 | Brockley | Victorian and Edwardian terraces | Brockley sits entirely within SE4, so Lewisham validates every scheme submitted from that postcode. The Brockley designation covers a substantial part of it, and the rights available change at the designation boundary rather than at the postcode boundary. |
| SE6 | Catford / Bellingham | 1930s semi-detached, post-war flats | SE6 takes in Catford and Bellingham, Lewisham throughout. This is where the borough's prior approval record bites: 135 of 305 larger householder applications refused. That is 44.3% where the London figure is 24.9% (MHCLG PS1, read 3 September 2026). A 6m rear extension is no formality here. |
| SE8 | Deptford | Georgian terraces, post-war estates, new-build | Deptford lies wholly inside SE8 and wholly within Lewisham's remit. Deptford High Street is designated, and work fronting it is judged on the street elevation before anything else is looked at. |
| SE12 | Lee / Grove Park | Victorian and Edwardian terraces across Brockley | SE12 straddles Lewisham and Bromley through Lee and Grove Park. Confirm the authority first. The two validate against different lists, and if a refusal ever came back you would also be inheriting a different appeal record. |
| SE13 | Lewisham / Hither Green | Victorian terraces, post-war flats | SE13 covers Lewisham and Hither Green, all of it the council's own. Hither Green is one of the borough's 30 designated areas, so two houses a street apart can carry entirely different rights. |
| SE14 | New Cross | Victorian and Edwardian terraces across Brockley | SE14 is New Cross, wholly Lewisham and decided under the borough's own Local Plan. Ground is the local complication — 10.31% of Lewisham's land sits inside Flood Zone 3, and it is the zone that triggers a Flood Risk Assessment. That matters for anything dug, rarely for anything in the roof. |
How does a permitted development scheme differ street by street across Lewisham?
In Lewisham the ground shifts as much as the buildings do. Pitch, wall construction and the fall across a plot all change within a short walk, and each of them limits what a scheme can achieve at a given address.
- Forest Hill (SE23) — a permitted development scheme in Forest Hill starts from victorian villas, edwardian terraces, and Forest Hill reads as Victorian villas, Edwardian terraces. Most applications on these Victorian streets are householder applications validated on existing and proposed plans in SE23. Lewisham Council assesses Forest Hill permitted development schemes against its own Forest Hill character guidance, and the location plan we draw for Forest Hill references Horniman Museum.
- Honor Oak (SE23) — a permitted development scheme in Honor Oak starts from victorian villas, edwardian terraces, and Honor Oak reads as Victorian villas on the hill. Most applications on these Victorian streets are householder applications validated on existing and proposed plans in SE23. Lewisham Council assesses Honor Oak permitted development schemes against its own Honor Oak character guidance, and the location plan we draw for Honor Oak references One Tree Hill.
- Lewisham (SE13) — permitted development scheme work in Lewisham means victorian terraces, post-war flats. Lewisham is Victorian terraces, post-war centre. Most applications on these Victorian streets are householder applications validated on existing and proposed plans throughout SE13. Lewisham Council decides the Lewisham application, and Lewisham station anchors the Lewisham location plan.
- Blackheath (SE3) — Georgian and Victorian villas around the heath defines Blackheath, where georgian villas, victorian terraces set what a permitted development scheme can do. Applications on Georgian stock here almost always need a heritage statement alongside the drawings across SE3. Any Blackheath permitted development scheme is validated by Lewisham Council, with Blackheath the usual Blackheath reference point on the site plan.
- Catford (SE6) — 1930s semi-detached, post-war centre defines Catford, where 1930s semi-detached, post-war flats set what a permitted development scheme can do. On these 1930s semis the prior approval route often replaces a full application across SE6. Any Catford permitted development scheme is validated by Lewisham Council, with Catford Cat the usual Catford reference point on the site plan.
- Deptford (SE8) — permitted development scheme work in Deptford means georgian terraces, post-war estates, new-build. Deptford is Georgian fragments, regenerating quarter. Applications on Georgian stock here almost always need a heritage statement alongside the drawings throughout SE8. Lewisham Council decides the Deptford application, and Deptford High Street anchors the Deptford location plan.
- Hither Green (SE13) — permitted development scheme work in Hither Green means edwardian terraces, 1930s semi-detached. Hither Green is Edwardian terraces, 1930s semi-detached. Edwardian houses here typically need the same householder set plus a roof plan where a dormer is proposed throughout SE13. Lewisham Council decides the Hither Green application, and Mountsfield Park anchors the Hither Green location plan.
How do conservation areas and Article 4 affect a permitted development scheme in Lewisham?
How designation changes a Lewisham scheme: the council maintains 30 conservation areas. Forest Hill, Hither Green and Deptford High Street come up most. Where one applies, permitted development cannot be relied on, and the route turns into a householder application — £548, eight weeks — rather than a prior approval at £249 over six. Forest Hill casework sets much of the tone for how this borough reads alterations to a roof.
Article 4 in Lewisham: no borough-wide direction has been made, so outside the designated areas and listed curtilages permitted development generally survives intact. Proving it applied to your particular scheme is the job of a Lawful Development Certificate at £274, and an SE4 owner holding one never has to argue the point a second time.
The building fabric around Lewisham: Victorian and Edwardian terraces across Brockley, Honor Oak, Forest Hill; 1930s semi-detached in Catford and Hither Green; post-war mixed in Deptford. Generally permissive planning compared to central boroughs; loft conversions and side-return extensions routinely approved under PD. A permitted development scheme in Lewisham is scoped against that stock first.
Who decides a permitted development scheme on the edge of Lewisham?
- Southwark — cross the Lewisham boundary and Southwark Council takes the permitted development scheme instead, applying 43 conservation areas of its own around SE1. We re-price permitted development schemes at the Lewisham edge because Southwark policy and Lewisham policy rarely align on permitted development scheme depth.
- Greenwich — the Greenwich boundary runs against Lewisham, so a permitted development scheme a street from Lewisham is decided by Greenwich Council instead. Greenwich runs 20 conservation areas across SE3 and its neighbours, which is why permitted development schemes priced for Lewisham are re-checked against Greenwich policy whenever the Lewisham address sits on that edge.
- Bromley — cross the Lewisham boundary and Bromley Council takes the permitted development scheme instead, applying 48 conservation areas of its own around BR1. We re-price permitted development schemes at the Lewisham edge because Bromley policy and Lewisham policy rarely align on permitted development scheme depth.
- Tower Hamlets — adjoining Lewisham, with 58 conservation areas centred on E1. A permitted development scheme on the far side of the Lewisham line is determined by Tower Hamlets Council, so the Lewisham quote for permitted development schemes is checked against Tower Hamlets guidance before it is issued.
Sources for this Lewisham 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.
