Dormer, hip-to-gable and mansard loft drawings across all 5 South East London boroughs — Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Lewisham and Southwark. Householder approval here averages 87%, but it ranges from 83% in Bromley to 90% in Lewisham, and which council decides your roof changes what you can build.
South East London is not one planning market. It is 5 councils applying national permitted-development rules to interwar and postwar semi-detached houses, Georgian and early-Victorian terraces, Victorian terraces and Georgian and Victorian terraces — and reading them against local guidance that differs street by street. The same rear dormer, drawn identically, can be lawful in Lewisham and need a full application a mile away in Bromley. That is the 7-point spread in the table below in one sentence.
The roof stock explains much of it. Lofts across the region sit under hipped roofs on the interwar and postwar semis, gabled roofs on the detached houses, hipped roofs on the interwar semis, gabled roofs on the villas, parapet and butterfly roofs on the Georgian terraces, pitched and hipped roofs on the villas, London butterfly roofs on the Victorian terraces, butterfly and parapet roofs on the terraces and flat and pitched roofs on the former warehouses, and each supports a different conversion: a rear dormer where the roof runs front-to-back with a usable rear slope, a hip-to-gable where the roof is hipped and the side is dead space, a mansard where the street already carries them. We survey the roof before we recommend a route, because the geometry — not the brochure — decides what the space becomes.
Protection is the other half. South East London holds conservation areas including Bexley Village, Danson Park and Upton, where Class B loft rights are removed outright, and 5 of its 5 boroughs layer Article 4 directions on top. Those are street-level designations, not borough-level ones — which is why we check your exact address against them before a line is drawn, and why a regional average is a starting point rather than an answer.
Lewisham approves the highest share of householder applications in South East London at 90%, and Bromley the lowest at 83%; the regional average is 87%. Rates are the share of householder decisions granted, from official planning statistics — read them alongside each borough's roof stock and Article 4 position, because a high rate reflects the applications submitted as much as the council deciding them.
| Borough | Householder approval rate | Article 4 directions? | Dominant roof form | Loft route it supports |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lewisham | 90% | Yes — street-level check needed | London butterfly roofs on the Victorian terraces | Rear dormer behind the valley |
| Southwark | 89% | Yes — street-level check needed | butterfly and parapet roofs on the terraces | Rear dormer behind the valley |
| Bexley | 88% | Yes — street-level check needed | hipped roofs on the interwar and postwar semis | Hip-to-gable, then a rear dormer |
| Greenwich | 87% | Yes — street-level check needed | parapet and butterfly roofs on the Georgian terraces | Rear dormer behind the valley |
| Bromley | 83% | Yes — street-level check needed | hipped roofs on the interwar semis | Hip-to-gable, then a rear dormer |
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 roof line, ridge height and neighbour daylight that every South East London case officer checks first — then tune the pack to the borough actually deciding it, whether that is a lawful development 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 roof 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. Lofts here sit under hipped roofs on the interwar and postwar semis and gabled roofs on the detached houses, on interwar and postwar semi-detached houses. 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. Lofts here sit under hipped roofs on the interwar semis and gabled roofs on the villas, on interwar and postwar semi-detached houses. 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. Lofts here sit under parapet and butterfly roofs on the Georgian terraces and pitched and hipped roofs on the villas, on georgian and early-victorian terraces. 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. Lofts here sit under London butterfly roofs on the Victorian terraces and gabled roofs on the villas, on victorian terraces. 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. Lofts here sit under butterfly and parapet roofs on the terraces and flat and pitched roofs on the former warehouses, on georgian and victorian terraces. Drawn to the Southwark Plan and the borough's Residential Design Standards SPD.
It depends on your borough and your street, not on the region. Across South East London a rear dormer within the permitted-development volume limits — 40 cubic metres on a terrace, 50 on a semi or detached house — is usually 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 decision record — not the 87% regional average.
We measure ridge and eaves heights, roof pitch, joist levels and the existing stair — the numbers the volume calculation and head heights depend on.
Chartered designers develop the dormer, hip-to-gable or mansard your roof supports, drawn inside the Class B limits or to the deciding council's roof-alteration 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 highest share of householder applications in South East London at 90%, against a regional average of 87% and a low of 83% in Bromley. Treat that as context rather than a verdict: rates reflect the quality of what gets submitted as much as the council deciding, and a complete, policy-literate pack moves the odds far more than the borough does.
Often not. A rear dormer within 40 cubic metres on a terrace, or 50 on a semi or detached house, set back from the eaves and below the ridge, is usually permitted development anywhere in South East London. The exceptions are consistent across all 5 boroughs: hip-to-gable conversions, dormers visible from the highway, flats and maisonettes, conservation areas such as Bexley Village, Danson Park and Upton, and streets under an Article 4 direction.
The permitted-development rules are national and identical. What differs is the overlay: 5 of South East London's 5 boroughs — Bexley, Bromley, Greenwich, Lewisham and Southwark between them — apply Article 4 directions on named streets, each council writes its own roof-alteration guidance, and conservation-area coverage varies enormously. That is why the same drawing can be lawful in one borough and refused in the next.
It follows the roof form, and South East London carries hipped roofs on the interwar and postwar semis, gabled roofs on the detached houses, hipped roofs on the interwar semis, gabled roofs on the villas, parapet and butterfly roofs on the Georgian terraces, pitched and hipped roofs on the villas, London butterfly roofs on the Victorian terraces, butterfly and parapet roofs on the terraces and flat and pitched roofs on the former warehouses. A straightforward pitched roof with a usable rear slope takes a rear dormer, usually as permitted development. A hipped roof wastes its side slope, so a hip-to-gable followed by a rear dormer gains far more room — but always needs an application. Our survey confirms which your roof actually supports before we draw.
Every council in South East London works to the same statutory targets: eight weeks for a householder planning application, and eight weeks for a lawful development certificate. Validation delay is the real variable, and it is the one within your control — an incomplete pack can add weeks before the clock even starts. We submit validation-complete drawings and manage the queries.
Every roof 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 loft 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.