Side return extension drawings in Lewisham
A side return extension in Lewisham is judged on the plans, elevations and sections you submit, so they need to be complete and consistent. DrawingsDirect, MCIAT chartered architectural technologists, draws the set for Lewisham side return extensions from £745, and checks it against the permitted development limits first.
Fixed fee from £545 drawings + £200 survey (£745 total) · all prices
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What a Lewisham side return drawing set contains
A side return infill fills the narrow strip beside the back outrigger of a terraced or semi-detached house. Because the extension sits against a neighbour's boundary, the drawings carry more weight than on an open-plan rear extension: the case officer wants to see boundary positions, heights at the eaves, roof form and how light reaches the neighbouring windows.
We draw the existing and proposed floor plans, the elevations and a section through the infill, with the dimensions agreeing from sheet to sheet. If you are weighing infill against a bigger scheme, read side return versus wraparound extensions before you choose.
Does a Lewisham side return need planning permission?
Some do not. Under the General Permitted Development Order 2015 (Schedule 2, Part 1, Class A), a single-storey rear extension to a house other than a detached one can extend back by 3 metres, and the eaves of an enlargement within 2 metres of the boundary must not exceed 3 metres. A side return that stays inside the limits, on a house with its rights intact, may not need a full application. The rules for side-facing walls are stricter, so the answer turns on your exact design.
Our guide on planning permission for a side return extension works through the tests. Our analysis of MHCLG table PS1 (released 24 Sep 2026, quarters to 2026 Q2) shows Lewisham determined 85 larger home extension prior approvals over the eight quarters from 2024 Q3 to 2026 Q2, granted and refused together. Our guide to prior approval for larger home extensions explains that route.
Our analysis of the MHCLG Planning Data Platform (bulk snapshot retrieved 14 Aug 2026) finds 30 conservation-area entries for Lewisham on the national register.
How Lewisham decides householder applications
Our analysis of MHCLG planning application statistics, table PS2 (released 24 Sep 2026, quarters to 2026 Q2) finds that Lewisham decided 578 householder applications, including prior approvals, across the four quarters from 2025 Q3 to 2026 Q2, and granted 89% of them.
That figure is for the whole borough and every kind of householder project, so it says little about any one house. What you control is the drawings: the council reads your proposal from them.
Conservation areas in Lewisham
Our analysis of the MHCLG Planning Data Platform (bulk snapshot retrieved 14 Aug 2026) finds 30 conservation-area entries for Lewisham on the national register. Inside a conservation area, extensions are examined for their effect on the character of the street, and some permitted development rights are narrower.
Your address decides whether this applies, and the map on Lewisham's website shows it. Our guide to extension rules in London conservation areas explains what changes.
Lewisham's householder fee and our side return fee
From 1 April 2026 the statutory fee for a householder application for alterations or extensions to a single dwellinghouse is £548 (SI 2012/2920, Schedule 1, Part 2, category 6(1)). That goes to the council.
Our fixed fee for side return extension drawings starts from £745; see the pricing page for the rest. Should Lewisham query the drawings, we revise them at no extra charge. The rules quoted above are in the GPDO 2015 on legislation.gov.uk. See also our side return extension drawings service.
Sources
Every figure on this page, where it comes from and a link to the original.
| Figure | Source | Link |
|---|---|---|
| 578 | Our analysis of MHCLG planning application statistics, table PS2 (district open data table) (released 24 Sep 2026, quarters to 2026 Q2) | www.gov.uk |
| 89% | Our analysis of MHCLG planning application statistics, table PS2 (district open data table) (released 24 Sep 2026, quarters to 2026 Q2) | www.gov.uk |
| 85 | Our analysis of MHCLG planning application statistics, table PS1 (district open data table) (released 24 Sep 2026, quarters to 2026 Q2) | www.gov.uk |
| 30 | Our analysis of MHCLG Planning Data Platform conservation-area and article-4-direction datasets (bulk snapshot retrieved 14 Aug 2026) | www.planning.data.gov.uk |
| 3 metres | GPDO 2015 Sch 2 Pt 1 Class A.1(f)(i): single-storey rear extension max depth, house other than detached (source wording: 3 metres) | www.legislation.gov.uk |
| 3 metres | GPDO 2015 Sch 2 Pt 1 Class A.1(i): eaves of an enlargement within 2 metres of the curtilage boundary must not exceed 3 metres (source wording: 3 metres) | www.legislation.gov.uk |
| £548 | Statutory fee from 1 April 2026, SI 2012/2920 Sch 1 Pt 2 category 6(1): householder application for alterations or extensions to a single dwellinghouse | assets.publishing.service.gov.uk |
| £745 | DrawingsDirect starting fixed fee for side return extension drawings, from the published price list | drawingsdirect.co.uk |
Questions people ask
How deep can a rear extension be under permitted development in Lewisham?
What is the planning fee for a side return in Lewisham?
Does Lewisham grant most householder applications?
Do I need drawings if my side return might be permitted development?
Photographs: Chris Whippet (CC BY-SA 2.0).
