Southwark Planning Consultant
Riverside towers to Dulwich villas
Southwark runs south from the Thames at Bankside and London Bridge, through Elephant and Castle and the Old Kent Road, to the suburban streets of Dulwich. One plan governs all of it, yet a site in Borough and a house in East Dulwich face very different tests. Cedar Planning helps applicants understand which ones apply and build the case accordingly.
Cedar is a Chartered practice led by Dan Malloy MRTPI. We are based in Norfolk and take on work across England, including a steady flow of London instructions. We correspond with Southwark's case officers directly and arrange site visits whenever a scheme needs one.
- RTPI Chartered
- Fixed-fee quotations
- Direct advice from a Chartered Planner
Working with the Southwark Plan 2022
Planning decisions in the borough rest on the Southwark Plan 2022, which the council adopted on 23 February 2022 and which looks ahead to 2036. It opens with six strategic policies, SP1 Homes for All through to SP6 Climate Emergency, and follows them with numbered development management policies from P1 upwards, plus area visions and a long schedule of site allocations.
The plan works alongside the London Plan 2021, and in the north of the borough the Mayor's policies on the Central Activities Zone carry real weight. Bankside, Borough and London Bridge, along with Elephant and Castle, sit in or next to the CAZ, where office floorspace and strategic functions are protected and residential proposals are scrutinised more closely than elsewhere.
The biggest change on the horizon is the Old Kent Road Area Action Plan. The council published a submission version for consultation in November 2024, planning for 20,000 homes and 10,000 jobs by 2042 and splitting growth into two phases linked to the Bakerloo line extension. Anyone with land along the corridor should follow its progress closely.
Local guidance fills in the detail. Officers rely on the Residential Design Standards SPD, the Heritage SPD 2021 and the Householder Development SPD when judging extensions, conversions and new homes, so a scheme that ignores them tends to attract amendments or a refusal.
Four Opportunity Areas in one borough
The London Plan identifies Old Kent Road, Canada Water, Elephant and Castle and Bankside, Borough and London Bridge as Opportunity Areas. Expect higher density expectations, tall building scrutiny under Policy P17 and a strong focus on affordable housing and workspace.
What sets Southwark planning apart
An Article 4 Direction removes the Class E to residential right in the CAZ, town centres, railway arches, site allocations, strategic protected industrial land and shopping frontages, so many conversions need full permission.
Viaducts into London Bridge create long runs of arches. Policy P34 covers their use, and a separate Article 4 Direction stops office and sui generis arches becoming homes under permitted development.
With 48 conservation areas and an Article 4 Direction covering several of them, alterations as small as replacement windows or front boundary changes in places like Camberwell and Peckham may need consent.
Southwark's HMO Article 4 Directions are narrow, covering Henshaw Street SE17 and Bywater Place SE16. Elsewhere a small HMO may be permitted development, but Policy P9 applies to larger ones.
Our services for Southwark sites
Each instruction is priced by fixed-fee quotation once we understand the site. These are the services Southwark clients ask for most.
Planning Applications
Infill homes, mixed-use schemes and changes of use in Bermondsey, Walworth and Peckham, argued against the right site allocation, area vision and Southwark Plan policies P13 to P18.
View serviceHouseholder Applications
Rear and side extensions, mansard roofs and outbuildings in Dulwich, Nunhead and Camberwell, designed to satisfy the Householder Development SPD and the residential design tests in Policy P15.
View serviceHeritage Statements
Assessments for listed buildings under P19 and conservation area proposals under P20, including sites that fall in the setting of the Tower of London World Heritage Site across the river.
View serviceClass MA Prior Approvals
We first confirm whether the building sits in any area covered by Southwark's Class E Article 4 Direction. Where it does, we prepare a full application with an office and workspace case under P30 and P31.
View serviceLocal Plan Representations
Submissions on the Old Kent Road Area Action Plan and future Southwark policy documents, promoting land for allocation or challenging proposed designations and height limits.
View serviceHMO Planning Permission
Applications for larger HMOs under Policy P9, and advice for owners in Henshaw Street or Bywater Place where even a small HMO needs planning permission.
View serviceSouthwark policy codes worth knowing
The design chapter of the Southwark Plan is where most applications are won or lost. P13 covers the design of places, P14 design quality, P15 residential design and P18 the efficient use of land. P17 deals with tall buildings, and P22 protects a set of borough views that can limit height some distance from the site itself.
On heritage, P19 covers listed buildings and structures, P20 conservation areas, P21 the wider historic environment, P24 World Heritage Sites and P26 the local list. Housing policies start with P1 on social rented and intermediate homes, P2 on family homes and P3 on protecting existing homes.
From the London Plan 2021, we regularly work with SD4 and SD5 on the Central Activities Zone, D9 on tall buildings, HC4 on the London View Management Framework and H16 on large-scale shared living. Southwark also charges its own Community Infrastructure Levy in addition to the Mayoral CIL.
Policy themes we deal with in Southwark
Resists the net loss of homes, which matters for de-conversions, flat amalgamations and changes of use away from housing.
Sets tests for purpose-built student homes and shared living blocks, both common proposals near the universities and the river.
Protects strategic industrial land, much of it along the Old Kent Road, where co-location proposals must keep workspace capacity.
Guards against the loss of public houses, and Southwark also has an Article 4 Direction relating to pubs.
A Consultancy That Works With You, For You
In Southwark a single site can carry a CAZ designation, an allocation, a conservation area and an Article 4 Direction all at once. Early advice sets out which of those layers applies, and what evidence officers will expect, before money is spent on drawings.
It is also useful where the council's own interests are involved, for example on estate renewal or where a proposal sits next to a regeneration site.
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.
Honest Prospects
A realistic view of the planning risks and options before you commit time or money.
Fixed, Transparent Fees
Fixed-fee quotations agreed before work starts, so you know the cost from the outset.
Direct Access
You deal with the Chartered Planner doing the work, not an account manager.
Planning Consultants Across London
We cover every council area in London. See our main London planning consultants page. If your application has been refused, see our Southwark planning appeal page.
Southwark Planning FAQs
What development plan covers Southwark?
The Southwark Plan 2022, adopted in February 2022, together with the London Plan 2021 and any neighbourhood plan for the area. The Old Kent Road Area Action Plan is still emerging, so it carries some weight on the corridor but has not been adopted.
Can I convert an office in Borough to flats without a full application?
Usually not. Borough sits within the Central Activities Zone, where Southwark's Article 4 Direction removes the Class E to residential right. A full application is then needed, with a case on office loss. Our Class MA guide explains the national rules.
Are railway arches in Bermondsey protected from change of use?
Policy P34 of the Southwark Plan deals specifically with railway arches, and an Article 4 Direction also removes permitted development rights for some arch conversions to homes. We look at the arch's current lawful use before advising.
Where does Southwark allow tall buildings?
Policy P17 of the Southwark Plan sets the local tests, read alongside London Plan Policy D9, and many site allocations indicate appropriate heights. Proposals must also respect borough views under P22 and the London View Management Framework.
Does my Dulwich house need permission for new windows?
It depends on whether the property is listed or covered by an Article 4 Direction. Southwark has 48 conservation areas and some have Article 4 controls on alterations. A short heritage statement usually accompanies any application.
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 Peckham, Bermondsey or Elephant and Castle? Book a free 15-minute call, or see our Southwark planning appeal and feasibility study services.