Greenwich planning: 77.6% of householder cases approved, 23 conservation areas and a 3.6m rear extension guide
Greenwich planning decisions covered 647 householder applications in 2025-26, and the Royal Borough granted 502 of them. That is an approval rate of 77.6%, against 85.6% across London, and 30th of the 32 boroughs with a published figure. Since 18 October 2023 the Urban Design Guide SPD has been the council's design guidance for extensions, with a 3.6m rear projection described as typically appropriate.
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How does Royal Greenwich decide householder applications?
Greenwich refuses a larger share of householder cases than almost any London borough, while the Planning Inspectorate has been kinder to its appellants than to those in most of London.
Measure
Greenwich
London
England
Householder applications decided, 2025-26
647
24,758
151,867
Householder approval rate
77.6%
85.6%
90.3%
Decided within 8 weeks (standard cases)
94.2%
—
—
Large extension prior approvals decided
158
—
—
Householder appeals allowed, five years
42.9%
39.9%
34.4%
Approval and speed: MHCLG district planning application statistics (PS1/PS2), financial year 2025-26. The eight-week figure is 484 of 514 decisions excluding planning performance agreements and extensions of time. Appeals: Planning Inspectorate casework, five years to 30 June 2026, 127 of 296 determined householder appeals allowed. Derived in scripts/aggregate/.
Why are Greenwich's refusal numbers worth reading before you apply?
Greenwich refused 145 of its 647 householder applications. Its approval rate ranks 30th of the 32 boroughs with a published figure. Speed is mid-table: 484 of 514 standard decisions came within eight weeks, 94.2%, 20th of 32. A further 133 householder decisions were made under a planning performance agreement or an agreed extension of time, 124 of them in time, and the eight-week measure leaves those out.
The sharper number is on larger rear extensions. Greenwich decided 158 prior approvals for large home extensions and refused 76 of them, 48.1%. Of the 24 boroughs with a published rate that is the highest. The statistics say nothing about why each was refused, so read the figure as a prompt to test a deep extension against the neighbours' windows before you commit, not as a verdict on any one scheme.
Appeals tell a different story. The Planning Inspectorate allowed 127 of 296 householder appeals against Greenwich over five years, 42.9%. That is 7th of 32 and 8.5 points above the national rate. A refusal here is sometimes reversed, though an appeal takes months.
What does Greenwich's Urban Design Guide SPD say about extensions?
The council's adoption notice says it adopted the Urban Design Guide SPD on 18 October 2023, and that Chapters H and I supersede the Residential Extensions, Basements and Conversions SPD, which has been withdrawn. Chapter I covers household extensions. The PDF's cover says it was adopted in October 2023, but its page footers still read Final Pre-Consultation Draft; the adoption notice is the council's formal statement. The guide is a material consideration, not part of the development plan itself. Once permitted development is out of the picture, a case officer will read your drawings against it alongside the development plan.
18 Oct 2023 Adopted
3.6m Typical rear projection
Earlier extensions SPD Replaces
What are the Greenwich Urban Design Guide's rules for house extensions?
Chapter I sets out principles by extension type. The wording below is close to the guide's own, and each rule is a guide to how officers will judge a scheme, not a statutory limit.
Extension type
What chapter I says
Why it matters
Single-storey rear (I.3.3)
A 3.6m projection from the rear is typically considered appropriate; more can be considered for certain typologies where neighbours' amenity is not compromised
This is deeper than the 3m permitted development depth for a terraced or semi-detached house, so a scheme can need consent and still be supported
Double-storey rear (I.3.4)
Not normally supported where the existing building has two storeys or less; reducing the width to one third or one half of the plot is one way the guide suggests to keep it from overwhelming the house
A two-storey rear extension on a typical two-storey house starts from a presumption against
Side (I.3.2)
Secondary in scale, set back at least 0.5m from the front facade, typically no more than 50% of the original house width, with a 1.2m walkway kept where that is an established feature
Side returns are judged on width, set-back and access to the garden
Outbuildings (I.3.5)
Cumulatively with existing extensions, should not result in the loss of more than 50% of the original rear garden; a building that could be self-contained is assessed as a new home
A garden building that could function as a self-contained home is assessed against new-home standards, including London Plan space standards
Roofs (i.66, i.68)
Rear dormers generally acceptable subject to typology; the council does not generally support converting a hipped end to a flat gable
Hip-to-gable is a harder sell in Greenwich than a rear dormer
Source: Royal Borough of Greenwich, Urban Design Guide SPD, Chapter I Household Extensions, principles I.3.2 to I.3.5 and paragraphs i.66 and i.68, read from the council PDF on 13 October 2026. The 3m permitted development depth is Class A of Part 1 of the 2015 General Permitted Development Order for houses that are not detached; our guide to the rear extension limits sets out the exceptions.
How many conservation areas does Greenwich have?
The council's conservation areas page says: this list shows the 23 conservation areas in Royal Greenwich, and names them. They include Blackheath, Blackheath Park, Greenwich Park, Westcombe Park, Charlton Village, Plumstead Common, Woolwich, Royal Arsenal Woolwich, Eltham Palace, Well Hall Pleasaunce, Progress Estate, Shrewsbury Park Estate and Ashburnham Triangle. Check your own address on the council's conservation area maps before you rely on permitted development.
The status matters for roof and extension work. A dormer is an enlargement of the roof, and Class B of Part 1 of the General Permitted Development Order does not apply on article 2(3) land, which includes conservation areas. The Urban Design Guide says the same in plain terms: certain developments normally allowed under permitted development are not allowed in a conservation area, such as loft conversions that include dormer windows, and it says rear dormers in conservation areas may not be supported for some building typologies.
The council also treats Maritime Greenwich, the World Heritage Site, specially. Its page says alterations to properties within the site are treated like applications from properties in conservation areas, and the buffer zone is the East Greenwich, West Greenwich and Blackheath conservation areas.
Which Article 4 directions does Greenwich list for houses?
The council lists conservation-area directions with guidance notes, plus two wider directions. Its page does not say in one place which rights each conservation-area direction removes.
Direction on the council's page
Dates
What it affects
Houses to small HMOs (C3 to C4)
Made September 2017, effective 27 September 2018
The council says you need planning permission to convert a house into an HMO
Class E to homes in many retail centres
Made 3 August 2022, effective 8 August 2023
Change of use from commercial to dwelling
Ashburnham Triangle
Made 21 May 2013, confirmed 16 April 2014, in force 21 May 2014
Listed addresses lose rights including extensions, roof alterations, porches, hard surfaces, boundary walls and exterior painting; the council's page calls this the 2014 direction
East Greenwich and West Greenwich
Guidance notes dated 1995 and undated
Two directions flagged on the council's conservation list for each area
Progress Estate, Rectory Field, Shrewsbury Park Estate
Notes dated 1998, 1996 and 2016
Some householder permitted development rights; check each note
Trenchard Street
Guidance note dated 1980 (amended)
Listed on the council's page; the note says which rights are affected
Source: Royal Borough of Greenwich, current and proposed Article 4 directions and areas of extra planning restrictions pages, read 13 October 2026. The council's page says that in Article 4 areas there is less permitted development, including when replacing windows and doors and re-roofing. An office-to-residential direction on Greenwich Peninsula was cancelled on 8 August 2023. The page lists no proposed directions. Read the guidance note for your street before you rely on any right.
Do HMO rules in Greenwich need planning permission or a licence?
Both can apply, and they are separate. The council's Article 4 page lists a direction on conversion from a house to a small HMO, effective from 27 September 2018. A licence is a different process: the council runs mandatory HMO licensing where 5 or more people from 2 or more households share a home, and additional HMO licensing for smaller HMOs of 3 or 4 people. A selective licensing scheme for homes let to a single household already covers five wards. The council consulted on expanding it to up to 18 wards until 12 October 2026, and no decision was published when we checked.
The council's June 2026 news release on its new local plan says the HMO conversion threshold would rise to 130 square metres of internal space. That threshold is in draft Policy H6, which is not yet adopted. A council planning policy guidance note says H6 should still be given significant weight when HMO applications are decided, with the weight set out in each officer report. As drafted, H6 supports an HMO only where the original home has a gross internal area of 130 square metres or more and the change would not make three or more of the nearest ten properties HMOs, among other tests. Our guide to HMO planning permission in London sets out the planning side.
Which local plan applies in Greenwich today?
The council's local plan page says the Royal Greenwich Local Plan: Core Strategy with Detailed Policies was adopted on 30 July 2014, and it remains the adopted plan. A replacement, the Royal Greenwich Local Plan, ran its Regulation 19 consultation from 27 July to 6 September 2026, and the council says it expects to submit the plan by the end of 2026. No examination or adoption date was stated on the pages we read.
Check the council's Drafting our new Local Plan page, which carries the current stage, before you quote a policy. The London Plan 2021 sits alongside whichever local plan applies, and where it applies, so does the Lee Neighbourhood Plan 2024.
What should you prepare for a Greenwich householder application?
The council's page asks for all the necessary information, with a local validation list setting the detail. The checks below come from the design guide and the council's own service pages.
Existing and proposed plans, elevations and sections, with the rear projection dimensioned from the original rear wall
A location plan and block plan, so the officer can test the neighbours' windows against the 45 degree line the guide illustrates
A heritage impact assessment where the house is in a conservation area or the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site, or could affect the setting of a listed building; the council's validation list requires one
A Basement Impact Assessment if a basement is proposed; the guide requires one
The council's Local Validation Requirements List 2025: its householder section asks for a site location plan, block plan, existing and proposed plans, elevations and sections, photographs and, where relevant, a heritage impact assessment, tree survey and flood risk assessment
The council aims to decide minor applications within 8 weeks and major ones within 13 weeks; its page states no separate householder target
What housing stock do Greenwich lofts and extensions start from?
Greenwich has a smaller pre-1919 share than most London boroughs: 22.2% of homes with a recorded build period predate 1919, 21st of the 33 boroughs, and its post-war share ranks 9th.
Build period
Share of homes
Why it matters for a project
Before 1919
22.2%
Victorian and Georgian terraces; roof and rear work is judged against the guide and any conservation area
1919 to 1939
17.3%
20th of 33 boroughs; interwar houses, where side and rear extensions are read against the 50% width and 3.6m guidance
1945 to 1972
19.4%
9th of 33 boroughs; post-war estates and flats, where householder permitted development rights do not apply to flats
Shares of the 124,480 Greenwich dwellings with a recorded build period. Source: Valuation Office Agency, council tax stock of properties (CTSOP4.1), as at 31 March 2025. The published bands have a genuine gap over 1940 to 1944, so the rows do not sum to 100%. Rank across the 33 London boroughs is computed from the same data.
What should you check first for Greenwich planning?
Check the address against the council's 23-area list, then the Article 4 page, then chapter I of the Urban Design Guide. Those three help decide whether a dormer, rear extension or basement can use permitted development, needs an application that will be read against the 3.6m and 50% rules, or runs into a presumption against, as with a two-storey rear extension on a two-storey house. For Greenwich planning the 2014 Core Strategy is still the adopted local plan, and the guide supplies the detailed design tests.
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How do we prepare a Greenwich planning application?
Greenwich refuses more householder cases than most of London, so the design is tested against the guide before a drawing is issued.
1
Constraint check
We check the address against the council's conservation area list, the Article 4 page and the World Heritage Site buffer zone, and note which rights are removed.
2
Measured survey
We measure the house as built. Limits are set from the original rear wall and roof, so earlier additions change the route.
3
Route test
We compare permitted development, a lawful development certificate, prior approval and a full householder application, and say which is safest.
4
Drawings to the Urban Design Guide
Plans, elevations and sections are drawn against chapter I, with a heritage impact assessment when the site is in a conservation area.
5
Submission and liaison
We submit to Royal Greenwich, answer the case officer and revise the drawings free of charge until the council decides.
Greenwich's live approval record
Greenwich's approval rate against the national one, refreshed as each quarter of MHCLG data is released.
Source: MHCLG planning application statistics (householder decisions, rolling year). Compare every borough on our London approval-rate league table.
77.6%householder applications approved in Greenwich
90.3%national average — Greenwich is 12.700000000000003 points below the national average
Frequently asked questions
What percentage of Greenwich planning applications are approved?
Royal Greenwich granted 77.6% of the householder applications it decided in the 2025-26 financial year, 502 of 647, with 145 refused. That is below the London rate of 85.6% across 24,758 decisions and well below the England rate of 90.3%. It ranks 30th of the 32 London boroughs with a published rate.
How long does Greenwich take to decide a householder application?
The council says it aims to decide planning applications within 8 weeks for minor applications and 13 weeks for major ones, and states no separate householder target. In 2025-26, 94.2% of its standard householder decisions met eight weeks, 484 of 514. A further 133 decisions were made under planning performance agreements or agreed extensions of time and are left out of that figure.
How deep a rear extension does Greenwich allow?
The Urban Design Guide SPD says a 3.6m projection from the rear is typically considered appropriate, and that more can be considered for certain typologies where neighbours' amenity is not compromised. That is guidance for applications. Permitted development allows 3m for a house that is not detached and 4m for a detached one under Class A, or up to 6m and 8m through prior approval, which is not available in conservation areas or the World Heritage Site. A deeper scheme needs planning permission.
Does Greenwich support a two-storey rear extension?
Not normally on a two-storey house. Principle I.3.4 of the Urban Design Guide says double-storey extensions are not normally supported where the existing building has two storeys or less, and lists ways to stop a double-storey extension overwhelming the house, including reducing its width to one third or one half of the plot width. Taller houses and different typologies are judged on their own merits.
How many conservation areas are there in Greenwich?
The council's page says there are 23 and lists them, including Blackheath, Greenwich Park, Westcombe Park, Charlton Village, Woolwich and Eltham Palace. Confirm the status of your own address on the council's conservation area maps before you rely on permitted development.
Do I need planning permission for a dormer in a Greenwich conservation area?
Usually yes. Class B of Part 1 of the General Permitted Development Order, which allows many dormers, does not apply on article 2(3) land, and conservation areas are article 2(3) land. The council's design guide says loft conversions with dormers need permission there. Outside article 2(3) land, which also covers the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site, Class B can still apply within its volume and other limits.
Which Greenwich conservation areas have Article 4 directions?
The council's list flags directions for Ashburnham Triangle, Progress Estate, Rectory Field, Shrewsbury Park Estate, East Greenwich and West Greenwich, with guidance notes on its website, and a guidance note for Trenchard Street dated 1980. The page does not say in one place which rights each removes, so read the note for your street. Other conservation areas carry no direction on that list.
What is the current Greenwich Local Plan?
The adopted plan is the Royal Greenwich Local Plan: Core Strategy with Detailed Policies, adopted on 30 July 2014. A replacement plan completed Regulation 19 consultation on 6 September 2026, and the council expects to submit it by the end of 2026. Until then the development plan is the London Plan 2021, the 2014 Core Strategy and, where it applies, the Lee Neighbourhood Plan 2024. The Urban Design Guide SPD is a material consideration, and a council guidance note says draft Policy H6 on HMOs should already be given significant weight.
Do I need planning permission to turn a Greenwich house into an HMO?
The council's Article 4 page lists a direction on conversion from a house to a small HMO, effective from 27 September 2018 across the whole of Royal Greenwich, and says you need planning permission for it. Draft local plan Policy H6, which the council says should carry significant weight, adds a 130 square metre minimum size and a test on how many nearby homes are already HMOs. A licence is separate: mandatory licensing applies where 5 or more people from 2 or more households live in a property, and additional licensing covers smaller HMOs of 3 or 4 people. Confirm your address with the council before you convert.
What are my chances on appeal in Greenwich?
Better than the London average. The Planning Inspectorate allowed 42.9% of householder appeals against Greenwich over the five years to 30 June 2026, 127 of 296, against 39.9% across London and 34.4% in England. An appeal takes months and is judged on the same policies, so a revised application is often quicker than contesting a refusal.
Does Greenwich offer pre-application advice for householders?
Yes. The council runs a Duty Planner and pre-application service, with householders listed under its homeowner and small business applications. Check its page for the current terms and charges. Pre-application advice is generally not binding on the council, but it shows how an officer reads your design against the Urban Design Guide before you submit.
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