Where in Southwark does a permitted development scheme actually get determined?
Every Southwark postcode district we draw in, the stock that dominates
it and the authority that validates a permitted development scheme there. Southwark fees below are the
statutory England rates for 2026, not permitted development scheme estimates.
| Postcode | Area | Dominant stock | What it means for a permitted development scheme |
|---|
| SE1 | Bermondsey / Borough / Waterloo | Georgian terraces, post-war flats, new-build | SE1 straddles a boundary: Bermondsey / Borough / Waterloo addresses fall to Southwark Council or Lambeth Council, so confirm which authority validates the permitted development scheme before submitting SE1 drawings. |
| SE5 | Camberwell | Georgian villas, Victorian terraces | Camberwell is split at SE5. Either Southwark Council or Lambeth Council can determine a permitted development scheme here, so the SE5 address is checked against both policies maps first. |
| SE15 | Peckham / Nunhead | Victorian terraces, post-war estates | Peckham / Nunhead sits wholly inside SE15, so Southwark Council validates every permitted development scheme submitted from an SE15 address. |
| SE16 | Bermondsey / Rotherhithe | Warehouse conversions, Georgian terraces, new-build | Bermondsey / Rotherhithe sits wholly inside SE16, so Southwark Council validates every permitted development scheme submitted from an SE16 address. |
| SE17 | Walworth | Post-war estates, new-build towers | A permitted development scheme at an SE17 address in Walworth is determined by Southwark Council under its own Local Plan policies for Walworth. |
| SE21 | Dulwich Village | Georgian villas, Edwardian villas (Dulwich Estate) | SE21 straddles a boundary: Dulwich Village addresses fall to Southwark Council or Lambeth Council, so confirm which authority validates the permitted development scheme before submitting SE21 drawings. |
| SE22 | East Dulwich | Victorian and Edwardian terraces | SE22 covers East Dulwich only; Southwark Council handles the permitted development scheme. |
| SE24 | Herne Hill | Victorian villas, Edwardian terraces | Herne Hill is split at SE24. Either Lambeth Council or Southwark Council can determine a permitted development scheme here, so the SE24 address is checked against both policies maps first. |
What changes about a permitted development scheme in each part of Southwark?
Roof pitch, wall build-up and plot depth change every few Southwark
streets, and each one changes what a permitted development scheme can achieve at that address.
- Rotherhithe (SE16) — permitted development scheme work in Rotherhithe means warehouse conversions, post-war estates, new-build. Rotherhithe is warehouse conversions, riverside. Post-war stock here frequently sits inside an estate layout throughout SE16. Southwark Council decides the Rotherhithe application, and Surrey Quays anchors the Rotherhithe location plan.
- Elephant and Castle (SE1, SE17) — a permitted development scheme in Elephant and Castle starts from post-war estates, new-build towers, and Elephant and Castle reads as regenerated quarter, modernist origins. Post-war stock here frequently sits inside an estate layout in SE1. Southwark Council assesses Elephant and Castle permitted development schemes against its own Elephant and Castle character guidance, and the location plan we draw for Elephant and Castle references Elephant and Castle station.
- Nunhead (SE15) — permitted development scheme work in Nunhead means victorian terraces. Nunhead is Victorian terraces around the cemetery. Most applications on these Victorian streets are householder applications validated on existing and proposed plans throughout SE15. Southwark Council decides the Nunhead application, and Nunhead Cemetery anchors the Nunhead location plan.
- Bermondsey (SE1, SE16) — warehouse conversions, Georgian fragments defines Bermondsey, where warehouse conversions, georgian terraces, new-build set what a permitted development scheme can do. Applications on Georgian stock here almost always need a heritage statement alongside the drawings across SE1. Any Bermondsey permitted development scheme is validated by Southwark Council, with Bermondsey Street the usual Bermondsey reference point on the site plan.
- Borough (SE1) — permitted development scheme work in Borough means georgian and victorian terraces, warehouse conversions. Borough is Georgian and Victorian terraces, market quarter. Applications on Georgian stock here almost always need a heritage statement alongside the drawings throughout SE1. Southwark Council decides the Borough application, and Borough Market anchors the Borough location plan.
- Camberwell (SE5) — a permitted development scheme in Camberwell starts from georgian villas, victorian terraces, and Camberwell reads as Georgian villas, Victorian terraces. Applications on Georgian stock here almost always need a heritage statement alongside the drawings in SE5. Southwark Council assesses Camberwell permitted development schemes against its own Camberwell character guidance, and the location plan we draw for Camberwell references Camberwell Green.
- Peckham (SE15) — a permitted development scheme in Peckham starts from victorian terraces, post-war estates, and Peckham reads as Victorian terraces, creative renewal. Most applications on these Victorian streets are householder applications validated on existing and proposed plans in SE15. Southwark Council assesses Peckham permitted development schemes against its own Peckham character guidance, and the location plan we draw for Peckham references Peckham Rye.
How do conservation areas and Article 4 affect a permitted development scheme in Southwark?
Conservation areas covering Southwark: Southwark Council runs 43, and Peckham Rye, Borough, Camberwell Grove are the ones Southwark owners meet most. A permitted development scheme inside a Southwark conservation area loses permitted development, so the Southwark submission is a householder application at £548 decided in 8 weeks — not a £249 prior approval decided in 6 weeks. In Peckham Rye a permitted development scheme is judged on the street elevation first.
Article 4 and your Southwark permitted development scheme: Article 4 for HMOs borough-wide; additional Article 4 for office-to-residential in Bermondsey and Elephant & Castle. At a SE1 address that matters twice over, because Southwark Council applies the direction unevenly across Southwark — we read the Southwark policies map for the exact SE1 address before quoting permitted development schemes.
Southwark housing stock: Georgian and Regency in Bermondsey and Borough; Victorian terraces in Camberwell and Peckham; Dulwich Estate controlled housing; riverside new-build. Dulwich Estate private planning scheme affects much of SE21 and SE22; Southwark planning for rest of borough; strong heritage context. Read that before choosing a permitted development scheme route in Southwark — construction, not postcode, sets what is achievable.
Who decides a permitted development scheme on the edge of Southwark?
- Lambeth — cross the Southwark boundary and Lambeth Council takes the permitted development scheme instead, applying 64 conservation areas of its own around SE1. We re-price permitted development schemes at the Southwark edge because Lambeth policy and Southwark policy rarely align on permitted development scheme depth.
- Lewisham — adjoining Southwark, with 30 conservation areas centred on SE3. A permitted development scheme on the far side of the Southwark line is determined by Lewisham Council, so the Southwark quote for permitted development schemes is checked against Lewisham guidance before it is issued.
- Bromley — the Bromley boundary runs against Southwark, so a permitted development scheme a street from Southwark is decided by Bromley Council instead. Bromley runs 48 conservation areas across BR1 and its neighbours, which is why permitted development schemes priced for Southwark are re-checked against Bromley policy whenever the Southwark address sits on that edge.
- Tower Hamlets — adjoining Southwark, with 58 conservation areas centred on E1. A permitted development scheme on the far side of the Southwark line is determined by Tower Hamlets Council, so the Southwark quote for permitted development schemes is checked against Tower Hamlets guidance before it is issued.
Sources for this Southwark 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.
