Lewisham Planning Consultant
A new plan, a growing borough
Lewisham adopted a brand new Local Plan in July 2025, replacing four older documents in one go. It sets a housing requirement of 1,667 homes a year and leans heavily on small sites, town centre growth in Lewisham and Catford, and two Opportunity Areas. Cedar Planning helps clients read the new policies correctly and build applications around them.
Cedar is a Chartered planning practice led by Dan Malloy MRTPI. From our Norfolk base we work throughout England, London included, liaising with Lewisham Council and the Planning Inspectorate and visiting sites whenever a proposal calls for it.
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- Direct advice from a Chartered Planner
The Lewisham Local Plan 2020 to 2040
The Lewisham Local Plan was adopted on 16 July 2025 after examination hearings in June and July 2024 and an Inspectors' report in June 2025. It replaced the Core Strategy of 2011, the Site Allocations Local Plan of 2013, the Development Management Local Plan of 2014 and the Lewisham Town Centre Local Plan, so every application is now judged against one up-to-date document.
Its spatial strategy, OL1 Delivering an Open Lewisham, directs growth to Opportunity Areas, town centres and the A21 and A2 corridors. The plan contains 75 site allocations and is organised into topic chapters, with policy codes such as QD for design, HE for heritage, HO for housing, EC for the economy, GR for green infrastructure and SD for sustainable design.
The second half of the plan is written by area: Central, North, East, South and West. These chapters add place policies, including strategic areas for regeneration at Grove Park and in the south of the borough, which sit alongside the topic policies when a site is assessed.
Because the plan is so recent, older appeal decisions and officer reports that relied on Core Strategy or DM Local Plan policies should be treated with care. We work from the adopted wording, including the main modifications the Inspectors required.
Two Opportunity Areas and the Bakerloo line question
Lewisham sits in the New Cross, Lewisham and Catford Opportunity Area and the Deptford Creek and Greenwich Riverside Opportunity Area. The plan assumes the Bakerloo Line Extension will not arrive within its period, but allows higher densities, for example around Bell Green, if it comes forward.
Planning questions Lewisham applicants face
The southern wards have been covered since January 2020, and a second direction in force from 19 January 2024 extended Article 4 control over small HMOs to the rest of the borough. Policy HO8 then applies.
Policy HO2 supports small housing sites, which the Inspectors expected to provide about 6,064 homes. The Small Sites SPD shows how infill, backland and garage court schemes can work.
Policy QD4 on building heights directs tall buildings to identified locations. The evidence behind it defined a tall building in Lewisham as 10 storeys or 32.8 metres or more.
The plan designated 14 new areas of Metropolitan Open Land and removed two parcels, and protects Strategic Industrial Locations under EC5, including a new SIL at the Bermondsey Dive Under.
Our planning services in Lewisham
Work is agreed on a fixed-fee quotation. The services below reflect the proposals Lewisham most often sees.
HMO Planning Permission
Full applications for small and large HMOs now that the whole borough is under Article 4 control, with a case built around HO8, space standards and the mix of homes on the street.
View servicePlanning Applications
Infill houses, mews schemes and flat conversions in Brockley, Lee and Sydenham, drawing on HO2 and the Small Sites SPD to show how the site adds to supply without harm.
View serviceHouseholder Applications
Extensions and loft conversions across the borough's Victorian and Edwardian terraces, prepared with the Alterations and Extensions SPD adopted in April 2019 in mind.
View serviceHeritage Statements
Assessments for works in conservation areas such as Brockley, Blackheath and Deptford, and for listed buildings, set against the plan's HE heritage policies.
View serviceLawful Development Certificates
Certificates to prove that an HMO or flat conversion began before the relevant Article 4 date, or has been in use long enough to be immune from enforcement.
View servicePlanning Objections
Objections to neighbouring schemes that raise amenity, height or character concerns, written with reference to the specific Local Plan policies the council must apply.
View serviceHousing, design and London Plan policies in Lewisham
Housing policies run from HO1, which sets the overall requirement, through HO2 on small sites, HO7 on purpose-built student accommodation and HO8 on houses in multiple occupation. The Inspectors' modifications set a target of 30,376 homes from 2025/26 to 2039/40. Employment land is ranked from Strategic Industrial Locations under EC5 to Locally Significant Industrial Sites under EC6 and Mixed-use Employment Locations under EC7.
Green infrastructure policies GR1 to GR6 cover open space, biodiversity, the Lewisham Links network and urban greening. Supplementary guidance includes the Alterations and Extensions SPD and the Small Sites SPD. Lewisham's CIL charging schedule dates from April 2015, and the council consulted on revised rates until October 2025, with examination to follow.
The London Plan 2021 adds SD1 on Opportunity Areas, H2 on small sites, D9 on tall buildings, G3 on Metropolitan Open Land and E5 on Strategic Industrial Locations.
Where Lewisham applications are won or lost
Room sizes, shared facilities and the effect on housing mix and neighbours.
Making the most of constrained plots while respecting neighbours and street character.
Whether a site falls in a location where taller buildings are expected, and how views are affected.
Retaining industrial capacity where housing or mixed use is proposed on employment sites.
A Consultancy That Works With You, For You
A new plan brings new wording, new thresholds and fewer precedents. Applications in Lewisham now need to be argued from the 2025 policies, not recycled from schemes approved under the old Core Strategy.
Landlords are also affected: with Article 4 control over the whole borough, any new small HMO needs permission, and existing ones may need evidence of their lawful start date.
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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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Lewisham Planning FAQs
Which documents did the 2025 Lewisham Local Plan replace?
It replaced the Core Strategy of 2011, the Site Allocations Local Plan of 2013, the Development Management Local Plan of 2014 and the Lewisham Town Centre Local Plan. It now works with the London Plan and any neighbourhood plans as the borough's statutory development plan.
Is all of Lewisham covered by an HMO Article 4 Direction?
Yes. Bellingham, Downham, Grove Park and Whitefoot have been covered since 2020, and the rest of the borough followed on 19 January 2024. Converting a house to a small HMO therefore needs planning permission. See our HMO Article 4 guide.
What counts as a tall building in Lewisham?
The Tall Buildings Study that informed Policy QD4 used 10 storeys or 32.8 metres from ground level to the top, including rooftop plant. Proposals at or above that are directed to identified locations and tested against London Plan Policy D9.
Does the Bakerloo Line Extension affect sites in Lewisham now?
Only indirectly. The plan does not assume the extension will open during its period, but it allows for higher densities along the route, including at Bell Green, if funding is secured. Landowners along the corridor should keep this in view.
How many homes does Lewisham have to deliver?
The adopted plan sets a requirement of 1,667 homes a year, which the Inspectors expressed as 30,376 homes from 2025/26 to 2039/40. Small sites are expected to contribute a substantial share, which supports well-designed infill proposals.
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 a scheme in Catford, Deptford or Forest Hill? Book a free 15-minute call, or explore our HMO planning and planning applications services.