I have worked on projects in the London Borough of Southwark, including a dormer loft conversion in Southwark, which added a new bedroom to a characterful house through three dormer extensions and new roof lights.
Southwark looks carefully at householder and heritage applications, so knowing how it approaches a proposal is part of getting a project onto the right footing.
- Council planning pages
- Southwark Council
- Local Plan
- The Southwark Plan 2022 (adopted February 2022, covering the period 2019 to 2036). Local Plan page.
- What to submit with an application
- Local validation requirements.
- Article 4 directions
- Southwark makes extensive use of Article 4 directions that withdraw a range of permitted development rights across the borough. These cover, among others, the change of use from Class E (commercial, business and service) to residential, the demolition of buildings, the change of use of public houses, and the Central Activities Zone, so a proposal should always be checked against the council's interactive Article 4 map before relying on permitted development. Article 4 directions.
- Community Infrastructure Levy
- Southwark charges its own Community Infrastructure Levy on qualifying new floorspace, with rates indexed annually, and as the collecting authority it also levies the Mayor of London's CIL in addition. Community Infrastructure Levy page.
- Conservation areas and heritage
- Southwark is a heritage-rich inner London borough with 48 conservation areas, supported by a rolling programme of conservation area appraisals, alongside statutory and locally listed buildings. In conservation areas some works that would otherwise be permitted development need planning permission, and listed building consent is required for works to listed buildings. Conservation pages.
- Local guidance
- The Southwark Plan is supported by a suite of supplementary planning documents, including Heritage, Householder Development, Design and Access Statements, and Affordable Housing guidance. Supplementary planning documents.
What this means for your project
In Southwark, two things shape much of the residential work I do: the borough’s conservation areas, and how widely permitted development rights have been removed through Article 4 directions. If your property is in a conservation area or is listed, expect the council to look closely at materials and detailing, and expect to need an application for work that might be permitted development elsewhere. Where the Community Infrastructure Levy applies, both the Southwark and the Mayoral charge are worth allowing for early. I check the current position for your specific address before any drawings are prepared.
Last checked: 26 June 2026. page reviewed Planning policy, charges and local designations change over time, so please confirm the current position with the council before relying on this summary.