Home extension plans in Greenwich.

Your local planning authority

Planning permission in Greenwich

Your local planning authority is the Royal Borough of Greenwich. Householder applications — the type most extensions and loft conversions need — carry a national target in England of eight weeks from validation to decision.

Greenwich also has its own design guidance worth knowing before you sketch anything. The council's Urban Design Guide, a supplementary planning document adopted in 2023, sets out what it expects from householder alterations, including a guideline depth of around 3.6 metres for single-storey rear extensions.

• Article 4 directions remove some permitted development rights in parts of the borough, including the Ashburnham Triangle, the Shrewsbury Park Estate and the Progress Estate in Eltham. In these areas, work that would normally not need an application does need planning permission.
• A borough-wide Article 4 direction has been in force since 27 September 2018, so changing a house into a small HMO needs planning permission anywhere in Greenwich.

We check which of these apply to your address as part of preparing your drawings, so nothing surprises you after submission.

Loft conversions

Loft conversion in Greenwich

Terraced and semi-detached streets across the borough convert well. We produce plans for dormer, hip-to-gable and mansard loft conversions — typically adding a bedroom and bathroom — with the planning or lawful development certificate application, building regulations drawings and structural calculations handled together.

Fixed price

Fixed prices, clear timescales

Every Arkiplan package is a fixed price, starting from Price confirmed in your proposal for Essentials. Depending on the package you choose, that covers the survey, planning application drawings, building regulations drawings and structural engineer's calculations — ready in three to six weeks.

Our 30-day design guarantee keeps the risk low: if the initial proposal is not right for you, you can cancel and pay only for the survey and initial design work already done.