Southwark spans Bermondsey, Peckham, Camberwell, Dulwich, and parts of London Bridge and Elephant and Castle. The borough has significant conservation area coverage in Dulwich Village, Camberwell, and parts of Bermondsey. Southwark Council is generally a pragmatic authority for standard residential extensions, but active regeneration across the Old Kent Road and other zones means the borough's development context is dynamic.
Common projects that may be straightforward when they fit within PD limits and local constraints.
These are the usual reasons planning permission becomes more likely in Southwark.
The biggest drivers of approval are the exact proposal (dimensions and design) and the exact site constraints (designation, conditions, neighbour impacts). Use borough context as a starting point, then validate it with address-level checks and nearby precedents.
Projects that stay modest in size, match materials, and avoid obvious neighbour impacts are more likely to be straightforward — even before you consider borough-specific policies.
Conservation areas, listed buildings, Article 4 directions, flood risk and TPOs can flip the answer. Address-level checks stop you wasting money on the wrong scheme.
The fastest signal is what the council has approved or refused on comparable streets nearby. Precedent does not guarantee success, but it helps you shape a lower-risk design.
Councils rarely refuse the “idea” of an extension or loft conversion — refusals are usually about scale, design, neighbour impacts, and policy/designation conflicts. When you run a check, CanUBuild shows nearby approvals and refusals so you can see what has worked locally.
An invalid application cannot be registered. Use this checklist to ensure your submission is complete before you pay the fee.
Requirements can change — always verify the current validation checklist on the Southwark Council website before submitting.
Search the address, choose your project type, and get an answer based on permitted development rules, local constraints, and nearby precedent decisions.
If your property is within the Dulwich Estate, you may need to seek the Estate's approval under their Scheme of Management as a separate process, in addition to any statutory planning permission from Southwark Council. The two processes run in parallel.
Parts of Peckham are within conservation areas, but much of the residential stock in the broader Peckham area is not. Check your specific address on Southwark's interactive planning map or using the CanUBuild checker.
Possibly, if the property is not in a conservation area and the extension stays within permitted development limits. Many Camberwell streets are in conservation areas, so check your address before assuming PD applies.
Southwark is a large borough with significant development activity. Householder applications are typically determined within 8 weeks. Pre-application discussions are available and can be valuable for more complex proposals, particularly in conservation areas.
Last reviewed: 2026-03 · This guide is for general information only. Always verify with Southwark Council or a qualified planning consultant before making decisions.