Royal Greenwich Planning Consultant
Riverside growth, historic setting
The Royal Borough of Greenwich combines a World Heritage Site with five Opportunity Areas along the Thames, so the same council handles a Blackheath loft conversion and a riverside tower. With a new Local Plan out for its final consultation in 2026, Cedar Planning helps applicants and landowners understand which rules apply and how to meet them.
We are a Chartered practice led by Dan Malloy MRTPI. Our base is in Norfolk and we work across England, including south-east London, dealing with councils and the Planning Inspectorate and visiting sites in Greenwich as needed.
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From the 2014 Core Strategy to Royal Greenwich 2040
The borough's current Local Plan is the Core Strategy with Detailed Policies, adopted in July 2014 and running to 2028. It combines strategic policies, such as H1 on new housing and EA1 on economic development, with lettered detailed policies like DH(b) on neighbour amenity and DH(h) on conservation areas. There is no separate adopted site allocations plan.
Its successor, the Royal Greenwich 2040 Local Plan, has moved quickly. After Regulation 18 consultations in 2023 and again between December 2025 and February 2026, which drew nearly 3,000 comments, Cabinet and Full Council approved the publication version in June and July 2026. The six-week Regulation 19 consultation closed on 6 September 2026, and submission to the Planning Inspectorate follows.
The new plan aims for almost 50,000 homes over its period, with a borough-wide target of 50 per cent affordable housing. It adds site allocations in Woolwich and Greenwich and tightens the rules on houses in multiple occupation, including a larger minimum floor area before a house can be converted.
Housing delivery pressure is real. The council's monitoring report for 2024 to 2025 records a housing land supply of around three years against the five years national policy expects. Where that shortfall applies, the presumption in favour of sustainable development can tilt the balance for well-designed housing schemes.
Five Opportunity Areas along the river
Woolwich, Charlton Riverside, Greenwich Peninsula, Thamesmead and Abbey Wood, and Deptford Creek and Greenwich Riverside are all Opportunity Areas, where the London Plan expects major growth. Schemes in or next to them are judged against higher density expectations and detailed masterplans.
Greenwich-specific planning issues
Development that affects Maritime Greenwich, Greenwich Park or protected views from them is tested under London Plan Policy HC2 and local heritage policy DH3, even some distance from the site.
A borough-wide Article 4 Direction has required permission for small HMOs since 27 September 2018, and the emerging plan proposes stricter size and concentration controls.
Much of the riverside and Thamesmead lies in areas benefiting from flood defences. Policies E2 and E3 require flood risk and residual risk to be addressed in each application.
Tall structures and some uses in the north of the borough are checked against airport safeguarding under policy IM(d), which can affect cranes as well as finished buildings.
What we offer applicants in Greenwich
All work is quoted on a fixed-fee basis. These are the services Greenwich projects most often need.
Heritage Statements
Assessments for listed buildings, conservation areas such as Blackheath and West Greenwich, and schemes within the setting of the World Heritage Site, prepared against DH3 and DH(h).
View serviceHMO Planning Permission
Applications for HMOs under the borough-wide Article 4, with evidence on concentration, room sizes and amenity, and an eye on the tougher standards in the emerging plan.
View serviceHouseholder Applications
Extensions, loft conversions and basements in Eltham, Charlton, Plumstead and Blackheath, following the council's Residential Extensions, Basements and Conversions guidance.
View serviceLocal Plan Representations
Responses through the Royal Greenwich 2040 examination for landowners whose sites are allocated, omitted or affected by new designations.
View servicePlanning Applications
New homes and mixed-use schemes on small sites across the borough, framed around H5 on housing design and the London Plan small sites policy H2.
View serviceLawful Development Certificates
Certificates to confirm an existing HMO, flat or outbuilding is lawful, often needed where a use began before the 2018 Article 4 Direction.
View serviceGreenwich policy codes, guidance and the London Plan
The Core Strategy uses numbered strategic policies and lettered detailed ones. On housing, H2 covers mix, H3 affordable housing and H5 housing design. On design and heritage, DH1 sets design standards, DH2 covers tall buildings, DH3 heritage assets and DH(g) local views. Parking is handled under IM(c).
Supplementary guidance includes the Urban Design Guide SPD of October 2023, the Planning Obligations SPD of July 2015, the Greener Greenwich SPD and the Woolwich Town Centre Masterplan SPD. The council has charged its own Community Infrastructure Levy since 2015 and has been updating its charging schedule, alongside the Mayoral CIL.
London Plan 2021 policies weigh heavily here: SD1 on Opportunity Areas, D9 on tall buildings, HC2 on World Heritage Sites, HC4 on the London View Management Framework and SI 12 on flood risk.
Key policy areas we navigate
Privacy, daylight and outlook for adjoining occupiers, the most common issue for rear and roof extensions in terraced streets.
Proposals must preserve or enhance character, backed by the relevant conservation area appraisal where one exists.
Height is directed to suitable locations in the growth areas, with protected views and the historic skyline carefully tested.
Carbon reduction and green roofs or walls are expected on new-build schemes, often shaping the design from the start.
A Consultancy That Works With You, For You
Greenwich asks applicants to balance two things at once: strong growth expectations in the riverside Opportunity Areas and some of the most sensitive heritage in the country. Getting the balance wrong usually shows up as a refusal on design or heritage grounds.
Advice is also worthwhile for anyone with land to promote or protect, because the Royal Greenwich 2040 plan is about to enter examination and its allocations and HMO rules will shape decisions for years.
RTPI Chartered
Led by a Chartered member of the Royal Town Planning Institute with more than ten years of public and private-sector planning experience.
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A realistic view of the planning risks and options before you commit time or money.
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Fixed-fee quotations agreed before work starts, so you know the cost from the outset.
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You deal with the Chartered Planner doing the work, not an account manager.
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Greenwich Planning FAQs
What stage has the Royal Greenwich 2040 Local Plan reached?
The publication version was approved by Full Council on 22 July 2026 and consulted on from 27 July to 6 September 2026. The next step is submission to the Planning Inspectorate for examination, after which it would replace the 2014 Core Strategy.
Can I convert a house in Greenwich to a small HMO without permission?
No. A borough-wide Article 4 Direction came into force on 27 September 2018, so a change from a family home to a C4 HMO needs planning permission. Our HMO Article 4 guide explains what the council will look for.
My home is near Greenwich Park. Does the World Heritage Site affect my extension?
It can. Proposals within its setting or visible from protected viewpoints are assessed for their effect on its outstanding universal value. Many homes nearby also sit in conservation areas, so a proportionate heritage statement is usually wise.
Is it too late to put land forward in Greenwich?
The Regulation 19 consultation has closed, but the examination still allows landowners to press their case through hearings and main modifications. Our Greenwich call for sites page covers the history of site submissions.
Does Greenwich have a five-year housing land supply?
The council's 2024 to 2025 monitoring report, published in 2026, shows roughly three years of supply. That engages the presumption in favour of sustainable development for housing proposals, although heritage and flood policies can still justify refusal.
Get a Free Quote
Tell us what you are trying to achieve and where the property or site is. We will give you an initial view and a fixed-fee quote.
Or email us at info@cedarplanning.co.uk with the relevant information.
Planning something in Greenwich, Woolwich or Eltham? Arrange a free 15-minute call, or read about our heritage statements and Greenwich call for sites work.