Lewisham

Local plan

Lewisham Local Plan 2020–2040, adopted 16 July 2025, replaces the 2011 Core Strategy, 2013 Site Allocations, 2014 Development Management and 2014 Lewisham Town Centre plans; use it alongside the London Plan, applicable made neighbourhood plans and the adopted Policies Map. [1][2][5]

For home projects, start with QD7–QD10 (amenity, housing design, alterations/basements and infill), HO2 (small sites and conversions), HO8 (HMOs) and HE1 (historic environment). [3][4] HO2’s proposed 130 m² minimum for flat conversions was removed before adoption, but family-housing reprovision, layout, garden and character criteria remain; do not confuse this with the separate small-HMO policy. [3][4] HO3(J) also seeks affordable-housing provision from qualifying schemes of 2–9 net homes on sites of 0.25 hectares or less, with payments in lieu where agreed; the December 2025 guidance explains the small-site process. [40]

Householder design guide

The Alterations and Extensions SPD, adopted 24 April 2019, replaced section 6 of the earlier Residential Standards SPD, not that entire document. [7]

Read section 4.2 (pp.28–31) for rear extensions, section 5.7 (pp.60–61) for rear dormers and section 4.8 (pp.44–47) for basements: examples include a generally 3 m rear-extension depth for terraces/semi-detached houses and 0.3 m dormer margins, assessed in context rather than as permission entitlements. [8]

Apply this guidance with the adopted 2025 policies and relevant conservation guidance, not superseded draft policy wording. [1][4][23]

For new homes on small plots, also use the October 2021 Small Sites SPD; its council-linked online edition includes specific infill and backland guidance. [9][48][49]

Validation list

The council links its October 2022 householder and minor-development lists; consultation on replacements ran 1–29 September 2026. [10][13]

The linked householder list covers drawings, application documents and a CIL form, with heritage, tree, flood-risk and archaeological evidence where triggered. [11]

Basement proposals must also address current QD9; the existing minor list includes daylight/sunlight assessment where neighbouring light may be affected and/or basement development is proposed. [3][12]

The September 2026 draft lists are proposed changes. Obtain any subsequent adoption notice and confirm the operative checklist before submission. [13][14][15]

Article 4 directions

C3-to-C4 small-HMO conversion requires planning permission across the borough: confirmed directions took effect in the southern wards on 7 March 2020 and in the remainder on 19 January 2024. [16][17][18][19] Class MA commercial-to-residential rights are also removed in specified mapped centres, employment sites and parades; the council records confirmation on 29 January 2025 and commencement on 1 November 2025, not borough-wide Class MA coverage. [20]

Conservation-related directions can restrict windows, roof and frontage alterations: check the actual direction, its map and the particular works rather than assuming identical controls throughout every conservation area. [22][25]

Planning permission and HMO licensing are separate checks. [16]

Conservation areas

Use the council’s individual conservation-area pages for boundary maps, appraisals, local guidance and Article 4 links, alongside the adopted Policies Map. [21][5]

For example, Brockley’s page provides a dedicated SPD and lists an Article 4 Direction; its guidance addresses retention of historic windows, roofs and materials and the design of alterations. [23][24]

Assess the individual building and area before designing rooflights, dormers, replacement windows or frontage works, and supply a heritage statement where the local validation requirements call for one. [11][24]

Basement policy

Lewisham has explicit basement policy: QD9(G–K) requires a Basement Impact Assessment and addresses structural stability, flood safety, neighbour amenity, trees/soil, safe access and lightwells (final modification MM28, pp.17–18). [3]

Section 4.8 of the Alterations and Extensions SPD (pp.44–47) generally expects one level below the original ground floor; rear excavation, including lightwells, should extend no more than 3 m or one quarter of the original garden length, whichever is less. [8]

The SPD also specifies at least 1 m of soil above under-garden basements and particular resistance to front lightwells in conservation areas; dimensional compliance alone does not resolve the other policy tests. [8][3]

CIL rates

For 2026, indexed borough CIL for Class C3 residential development is £154.44/m² in Zone 1 and £108.10/m² in Zone 2, before project-specific calculations and reliefs; establish the zone from the adopted schedule’s map, not assumptions about today’s postcodes. [27][28]

Where applicable, Mayoral CIL2 is additional: Lewisham’s Band 2 rate is £72.73/m² for 2026, subject to the relevant calculation and relief provisions. [29]

The replacement borough charging schedule is still presented as a draft and should not be used as an operative tariff without adoption and commencement confirmation. [30][31]

Commercial projects need a use-specific calculation because the operative borough schedule retains legacy use-class descriptions. [27][28]

Pre-application advice

Fees checked on 3 October 2026 include the council’s published VAT-inclusive totals of £142.59 for H2 standard written householder advice and £252.93 for an H3 25-minute virtual complex-householder meeting; conservation-area and listed-building work require the appropriate service. [32][33]

The 2026/27 C1 concept-meeting fee for single-plot subdivision, including converting one house into two flats, is £418.01 including VAT. [34]

Email planning@lewisham.gov.uk with the site address, proposal and useful sketches or photographs. [32]

Confirm the service and invoice total before payment; pre-application advice does not guarantee planning approval. [32][33][34]

Building control

Contact Lewisham Building Control on 020 8314 8233 or buildingcontrol@lewisham.gov.uk; applications and inspection booking information are available through the council website. [35][36]

As a 2026/27 example, a single-storey extension without other alterations is listed at £600 plan fee plus £900 inspection fee, both including VAT, or £1,500 for a building notice; larger or more complex work requires a quotation. [37]

From 1 October 2026, relevant new-dwelling and student-accommodation applications also have Building Safety Levy information requirements, including cases exempt from payment; this levy is separate from CIL and building-control fees. [38][39]