Planning permission in Southwark
Constraints: planning.data.gov.uk (ingested 2026-06-15) · Prices: HM Land Registry UK House Price Index, October 2025 · 263 sales in October 2025 · Open Government Licence
Planning in Southwark — the detail
Southwark spans two planning worlds: the dense, listed riverside from Bankside and Borough through Bermondsey Street and the Tower Bridge conservation areas, and the leafy Victorian and Georgian terraces inland — Camberwell Grove, Dulwich Village, the Sunray Estate, Trinity Church Square and dozens more among its conservation areas. The terrace belts of Camberwell, Peckham, Dulwich and East Dulwich are active rear-extension, side-return and loft territory; the riverside is heritage-led and frequently listed.
Southwark's Article 4 regime is unusual and worth understanding. The great majority of its directions protect public houses — removing the right to demolish, alter or change the use of a pub — and shopping frontages, and control commercial-to-residential conversion; they are not householder extension restrictions. For homeowners, the controls that actually narrow what you can build are conservation-area designation and, in listed stock, listed building consent. The council's Residential Design Standards SPD sets the detailed expectations for extensions and alterations.
Where a terraced house sits outside a conservation area, permitted development and prior approval carry many rear and loft projects; inside the conservation areas, full applications are the norm and roof form and materials decide outcomes. As across inner London, a large share of the stock is flats, where permitted development does not apply and a licence to alter is needed.
Policy detail lives in the Southwark local plan and applications are submitted via the Southwark planning portal.
Conservation areas in Southwark
Real · planning.data.gov.ukEvery designated conservation area in Southwark from the official dataset — inside one, permitted development narrows and design scrutiny rises.
- Addington Square
- Bear Gardens
- Bermondsey Street
- Borough High Street
- Camberwell Green
- Camberwell Grove
- Camberwell New Road
- Caroline Gardens
- Cobourg Road
- Dulwich Village
- Dulwich Wood
- Edward III's Rotherhithe
- Elliot's Row
- Glengall Road
- Grosvenor Park
- Holly Grove
- Honor Oak Rise
- Kennington Park Road
- Kentish Drovers and Bird in Bush
- King's Bench
- Larcom Street
- Liberty of the Mint
- Liverpool Grove
- Livesey
- Nunhead Cemetry
- Nunhead Green
- Old Barge House Alley
- Pages Walk
- Peckham Hill Street
- Pullens Estate
- Rye Lane Peckham
- Sceaux Gardens
- St Georges Circus
- St Marys Rotherhithe
- St Saviours Dock
- Stradella Road
- Sunray Estate
- Sutherland Square
- The Gardens
- The Mission
- Thomas A'Becket and High Street
- Thorburn Square
- Thrale Street
- Tooley Street
- Tower Bridge
- Trafalgar Avenue
- Trinity Church Square
- Union Street
- Valentine Place
- Walworth Road
- West Square
- Wilson Grove
- Yates Estate and Victory
…plus 2 further designated areas.
Source: planning.data.gov.uk · Open Government Licence. Boundaries are checked at address level by the area report.
Article 4 directions in Southwark
Real · planning.data.gov.ukSouthwark records hundreds of Article 4 directions, but they overwhelmingly protect public houses (from demolition, alteration or change of use), protected shopping frontages, and commercial-to-residential conversions and site allocations — not householder permitted development. For homeowners, conservation-area designation and listed status are what narrow extension rights; check the area report for what applies at a specific address.
Source: planning.data.gov.uk · Open Government Licence · 371 directions recorded. Checked at address level by the area report.
What gets built in Southwark
Camberwell, Peckham and Dulwich terraces extend constantly; outside the conservation areas PD or prior approval often carries it.
Costs & planning route →The Camberwell and Peckham terraces are classic side-return stock; match the consented depth on your run.
Costs & planning route →Rear-dormer lofts are common on the Camberwell and Dulwich terraces; protected rooflines are the refusal zone.
Costs & planning route →Controlled through conservation-area and listed-building policy; ground and water conditions drive the cost.
Costs & planning route →Garden offices are popular on the Dulwich and Camberwell terraces; respect the 2.5m boundary-height and 50% coverage rules.
Costs & planning route →Southwark postcode by postcode
SE1 is Southwark's listed riverside — the Borough High Street, Bermondsey Street, Tower Bridge and Trinity Church Square conservat…
Area report →SE5 is Camberwell's Georgian and Victorian stock — the Camberwell Grove, Camberwell Green, Addington Square and Sceaux Gardens con…
Area report →SE15 runs from Rye Lane Peckham to the Nunhead Cemetery and Holly Grove conservation areas. Much of the terrace stock outside the …
Area report →SE16 covers the St Marys and Edward III's Rotherhithe conservation areas, the Surrey Quays redevelopment and the Wilson Grove cott…
Area report →SE22 reaches the Dulwich Village, Sunray Estate and Stradella Road conservation areas, where the Dulwich Estate's private scheme o…
Area report →Southwark planning, asked straight
Do Southwark's Article 4 directions affect my house extension?
Is my Southwark home in a conservation area?
Can I do a rear extension or loft in Camberwell, Peckham or Dulwich?
I own a flat in Southwark — what can I do without permission?
How do I check planning constraints for a Southwark address?
Related reading
Your lease is a contract — and the council was never the only gatekeeper.
Read the guide →Designated land edits the rulebook — here's the exact redline.
Read the guide →Real ranges from real projects — not brochure numbers.
Read the guide →What applies at your address?
Borough-level rules only narrow it down. Enter a Southwark postcode for the live constraint check — conservation area, Article 4 and sold-price comparables, cited to source.
Planning Permission Checker provides planning and cost intelligence for early feasibility only. It is not legal, planning, valuation, architectural, structural, or surveying advice. All estimates are indicative and must be verified by qualified professionals before purchase, design, planning submission, or construction.
Cost estimates are indicative only — not a quotation. Final price depends on survey, specification, structure, access, party wall matters, VAT, professional fees, and contractor availability.
Planning outcomes are not guaranteed. Local planning authorities make final decisions.