Single-storey, double-storey, rear and side-return extension drawings across all 5 South East London boroughs — Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Lewisham and Southwark. Householder approval here averages 87%, ranging from 83% in Bromley to 90% in Lewisham, and the council deciding yours sets what you can build.
The permitted-development rules for extensions are national, but the answer you get in South East London is local. 5 councils — Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Lewisham and Southwark — read the same rules against their own local plans, their own rear-garden and daylight policies, and their own street character. The 7-point spread between Lewisham and Bromley in the table below is that difference made visible.
The stock decides the shape. South East London is built largely from interwar and postwar semi-detached houses, Georgian and early-Victorian terraces, Victorian terraces and Georgian and Victorian terraces, and the extension that works follows from it: a side-return infill where terraces have a narrow alley beside the back addition, a straight single-storey rear where there is a full-width garden, a wraparound where both exist. Depth is where applications fail — the single-storey rear limits (3 metres on a terrace or semi, 4 on a detached house, or 6 and 8 under the larger-home prior-approval route) are counted from the original rear wall, not the one standing today.
Then the designations. South East London holds conservation areas including Bexley Village, Danson Park and Upton, where extension permitted-development rights are curtailed and materials are assessed, and 5 of its 5 boroughs add Article 4 directions street by street. Neither follows a borough boundary, which is why we check the address itself before drawing, and why the regional average is context rather than a prediction.
Lewisham grants the highest share of householder applications in South East London at 90%, Bromley the lowest at 83%, against a regional average of 87%. Rates are the share of householder decisions granted, from official planning statistics. Read each alongside the borough's stock and Article 4 position — a high rate reflects what gets submitted as much as who decides it.
| Borough | Householder approval rate | Article 4 directions? | Dominant housing stock | Extension it supports |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lewisham | 90% | Yes — street-level check needed | Victorian terraces | Side-return or wraparound infill |
| Southwark | 89% | Yes — street-level check needed | Georgian and Victorian terraces | Side-return or wraparound infill |
| Bexley | 88% | Yes — street-level check needed | interwar and postwar semi-detached houses | Single-storey rear, side infill available |
| Greenwich | 87% | Yes — street-level check needed | Georgian and early-Victorian terraces | Side-return or wraparound infill |
| Bromley | 83% | Yes — street-level check needed | interwar and postwar semi-detached houses | Single-storey rear, side infill available |
Source: MHCLG householder decision statistics per local planning authority, covering Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Lewisham and Southwark. Conservation-area and Article 4 status is street-specific — we confirm yours on your address before drawing.
We draw the depth from the original rear wall, the daylight line to next door and the boundary relationships every South East London case officer checks first — then tune the pack to the borough deciding it, whether that is prior approval, a certificate or a full householder application.
Tell us about your project and get a fixed, no-obligation quote back within one working day. If you don't need planning permission at all, we'll tell you that too — for free.
Each South East London council decides against its own local plan and its own housing stock. What that means where you are:
Bexley approves a strong majority of householder applications, with Metropolitan Green Belt on its edges and the symmetry of paired suburban semis the main factors shaping approvals. Extensions here go onto interwar and postwar semi-detached houses, detached houses on larger plots and riverside and Victorian terraces. Drawn to the Bexley Local Plan and the borough's design guidance for householder development.
Bromley grants a solid majority of householder applications, though Green Belt coverage and the symmetry of paired semis shape what gets approved on many streets. Extensions here go onto interwar and postwar semi-detached houses, Victorian villas in Beckenham and detached homes on larger plots. Drawn to Bromley Local Plan and the borough's householder design guidance.
Greenwich approves most householder applications, but the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site and its dense conservation coverage set the terms for what works near the town centre and the river. Extensions here go onto Georgian and early-Victorian terraces, Victorian and Edwardian villas and riverside and interwar housing. Drawn to the Royal Greenwich Local Plan: Core Strategy with Detailed Policies and the borough's residential extensions design guidance.
Lewisham grants the large majority of householder applications, though its policy shielding family houses from conversion and its Victorian conservation areas shape roof and rear works street by street. Extensions here go onto Victorian terraces, Victorian and Edwardian villas and converted flats and maisonettes. Drawn to the Lewisham Local Plan and the borough's Alterations and Extensions SPD.
Southwark grants most householder applications, but heavy conservation-area coverage, its basement policies and the Dulwich Estate's scheme of management dictate what is achievable in many neighbourhoods. Extensions here go onto Georgian and Victorian terraces, former warehouse and industrial conversions and Dulwich villas and postwar estates. Drawn to the Southwark Plan and the borough's Residential Design Standards SPD.
It depends on your borough and your street, not the region. Across South East London a modest single-storey rear extension within the permitted-development depth limits is often lawful. You will normally need a full application if any of these apply:
One process, tuned per council — most drawings are submission-ready within seven days of survey, in any of the 5 boroughs.
Give us your South East London postcode. We identify which of the 5 councils decides it, confirm conservation and Article 4 status on your street, and score your odds against that borough's live record — not the 87% regional average.
We measure the original rear wall, boundary distances, levels and the neighbouring windows — the numbers the depth calculation and daylight assessment depend on.
Chartered designers develop the rear, side-return or wraparound your plot supports, drawn inside the permitted-development limits or to the deciding council's extension guidance.
We submit, manage validation and case-officer queries with that borough, and revise the drawings free until the decision is issued.
On the published record Lewisham grants the largest share of householder applications in South East London at 90%, against a 87% regional average and 83% in Bromley. Read it as context, not a verdict — the figures reflect what applicants submit as much as how councils decide, and a complete, policy-literate drawing pack shifts your odds much further than your postcode does.
Often not. A single-storey rear extension within 3 metres on a terrace or semi, or 4 metres on a detached house, under 4 metres high and covering less than half the original garden, is usually permitted development anywhere in South East London. Depths of 6 or 8 metres need prior approval. The exceptions hold across all 5 boroughs: flats, conservation areas such as Bexley Village, Danson Park and Upton, and streets under Article 4.
The permitted-development rules are national and identical. The overlay is not: 5 of South East London's 5 boroughs apply Article 4 directions on named streets, each council publishes its own extension and rear-garden guidance, and conservation-area coverage varies widely between them. That is how an identical drawing can be lawful in one borough and refused in its neighbour.
Three metres from the original rear wall on a terraced or semi-detached house, four on a detached one — and critically, "original" means the house as first built, so an existing rear addition already spends part of that allowance. Six and eight metres respectively are possible through the larger-home extension prior-approval route, which every South East London council operates but which triggers a neighbour-consultation period.
Every council in South East London works to the same statutory targets: eight weeks for a householder application, and 42 days for larger-home prior approval. Validation delay is the real variable and the one you control — an incomplete pack can burn weeks before the clock starts. We submit validation-complete drawings and manage the case-officer queries.
Every plot differs, so we quote each project individually — a fixed, no-obligation price back within one working day, wherever in South East London you are. The quote covers the full drawing pack with free revisions until the council approves, and we tell you upfront whether your extension qualifies as permitted development. Call 020 7864 7245 to start.
Answer five quick questions and get a free planning score for your exact address — instantly. Then, if you want the full picture, unlock the detailed analysis: your council's live approval rates, local precedents, constraints on your street and a step-by-step route to permission.
Every borough we cover in South East London — with that council's own approval rate, policies and drawing requirements.