Planning
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Free Southwark planning permission check

Check whether your Southwark project needs planning permission in 90 seconds. Free, no signup, verified against the London Borough of Southwark's 48 designated conservation areas and the council's published Article 4 directions. Extensions, loft conversions, basements, new builds, change of use, outbuildings and prior approvals all covered.

WarningThis tool gives general guidance based on public planning data. It is not legal advice. Always verify with your local planning authority before starting work.

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48
Conservation areas
n/a
Listed buildings
91%
Overall approval rate
10 wks
Typical decision time

Approval rate is the overall planning approval rate for all applications decided by the council, YE Dec 2025, per MHCLG Live Table P124.

Planning in Southwark

Southwark is a London planning authority handling the full range of residential projects: rear and side extensions, loft conversions, basement extensions, outbuildings, prior approval applications, new build infill and change of use. Southwark has 48 designated conservation areas, plus multiple Article 4 directions in force that remove permitted development rights in specific streets. Southwark stretches from the densely developed Bankside, London Bridge and Bermondsey riverfronts through the Georgian-Victorian terraces of Walworth, Camberwell and Peckham to the leafier Dulwich Estate with its own unique conservation controls. The council's overall planning approval rate was 91% for year ending December 2025 per MHCLG Live Table P124, reported by the London Borough of Southwark. If your property sits inside a conservation area, behind an Article 4 direction or on a listed building, assume you will need full planning permission rather than permitted development.

Why Southwark refuses planning applications

The commonest reasons London Borough of Southwark officers give when refusing householder planning applications - across extensions, loft conversions, basements, outbuildings and other residential projects - based on published committee reports:

  1. Harm to the character or appearance of a conservation area
  2. Overlooking and loss of privacy to neighbouring windows
  3. Bulk, scale or massing out of character with the terrace
  4. Loss of private amenity space below the 50% retention threshold
  5. Conflict with the council's adopted design or heritage policy

Southwark council resources

Authoritative Southwark planning sources you can cross-check:

Further reading
Read the full Southwark extension guide →

Cost benchmarks, planning timelines and design recommendations specific to Southwark homeowners.

Last reviewed by Jonathan Blewitt (founder, Mayfair Studio) on 11 April 2026. Approval rate sourced from MHCLG quarterly live tables (YE Dec 2025). Conservation area, Article 4 and listed building counts cross-referenced against planning.data.gov.uk. This page is reviewed quarterly.