Dormer loft conversion in East Dulwich
A dormer loft conversion in East Dulwich may not need planning permission if the house keeps its permitted development rights and the added roof space stays within 40 cubic metres for a terraced house or 50 cubic metres for any other house. DrawingsDirect prepares the drawings from £695.
Fixed fee from £495 drawings + £200 survey (£695 total) · all prices
Prefer to talk it through?
Check the volume before you check anything else
Class B of the General Permitted Development Order limits the roof space you can add. For a terraced house the limit is 40 cubic metres, and for any other house it is 50 cubic metres. You can read the wording on legislation.gov.uk.
Work out what your dormer adds, and what earlier work has already added, before you commission anything. A rear dormer that squeezes under the limit on paper often goes over it once a side or hip extension is counted.
Rights can be removed
Permitted development is a default, not a promise about your street. A council can restrict it, and conservation areas carry their own rules. Check your address on Southwark's planning map for conservation areas and Article 4 directions before you spend money on design.
If your rights are intact we prepare drawings for a certificate of lawful development. Our analysis of the MHCLG planning application statistics shows that Southwark decided 418 certificates of lawful development in the latest eight quarters of published data, so the route is well used.
Our analysis of the MHCLG planning application statistics shows that Southwark decided 418 certificates of lawful development in the latest eight quarters of published data, so the route is well used.
What Southwark's figures say about a full application
Where a dormer needs full permission, Southwark's record is strong. Our analysis of the same statistics shows that Southwark granted 95% of its householder decisions in the latest four quarters, and made 97% of its non-prior-approval householder decisions within eight weeks.
Our analysis of the Planning Inspectorate casework database also shows that 31% of Southwark householder appeals were allowed, which is a reminder that a refusal is best avoided with a good first submission rather than repaired at appeal.
What we draw and what it costs
Our dormer loft conversion drawings start at £695 as a fixed fee. The set normally includes existing and proposed floor plans, elevations and sections, and we can add Building Regulations drawings for the structural and fire safety stage.
If you are still choosing between a dormer and a larger change, compare it with a hip-to-gable loft conversion or read our general loft conversion drawings page.
Sources
Every figure on this page, where it comes from and a link to the original.
| Figure | Source | Link |
|---|---|---|
| 40 cubic metres | GPDO 2015 Sch 2 Pt 1 Class B para B.1(d): roof space addition limit, terrace house (source wording: 40 cubic metres) | www.legislation.gov.uk |
| 50 cubic metres | GPDO 2015 Sch 2 Pt 1 Class B para B.1(d): roof space addition limit, any other case (source wording: 50 cubic metres) | www.legislation.gov.uk |
| £695 | DrawingsDirect starting fixed fee for a rear extension, dormer or loft | drawingsdirect.co.uk |
| 95% | Our analysis of MHCLG planning application statistics, table PS2 (district open data table) (released 24 Sep 2026, quarters to 2026 Q2) | www.gov.uk |
| 97% | Our analysis of MHCLG planning application statistics, table PS2 (district open data table) (released 24 Sep 2026, quarters to 2026 Q2) | www.gov.uk |
| 418 | Our analysis of MHCLG planning application statistics, table PS1 (district open data table) (released 24 Sep 2026, quarters to 2026 Q2) | www.gov.uk |
| 31% | Our analysis of Planning Inspectorate Casework Database (released 1 Oct 2026 (Casework Database 2609)) | www.gov.uk |
Questions people ask
Do I need planning permission for a dormer loft conversion in East Dulwich?
How much does it cost to draw a dormer loft conversion?
Does my terrace count as a terraced house for the volume limit?
Photographs: Fernweh (CC BY-SA 2.0); GRALISTAIR (CC BY-SA 4.0).
