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Service area · London Borough of Lambeth

Architectural Designers in Lambeth

Magna Studio prepares planning and Building Regulations drawings for homeowners across the London Borough of Lambeth. Our typical Lambeth projects are side-return and rear extensions to Victorian terraces in Brixton, Clapham and Herne Hill, mansard and dormer lofts in Stockwell and Streatham, and rear extensions to 1930s houses in Streatham Vale and West Norwood. We also handle flat conversions and Class MA changes of use along Lambeth's high streets. Every quote is a fixed fee agreed in writing before we start.

Get an instant estimatePlanning constraints

Indicative fee in two minutes. Written fixed-fee quote within 24 hours.

Planning authority
Lambeth
Decision time
8 weeks statutory
Common work
Rear extension
Quote
Within 24 hours
01Local context

Typical homes we work on in Lambeth

  • Georgian and early Victorian terraces in Kennington, Stockwell and Clapham Old Town
  • Victorian terraces in Brixton, Herne Hill, Clapham and Tulse Hill
  • Edwardian houses in Streatham, West Norwood and Clapham Park
  • 1930s semis and terraces in Streatham Vale, Norbury and Gipsy Hill
  • Mansion blocks and converted houses across Clapham, Brixton and Streatham
  • Post-war and recent estates in Vauxhall, Waterloo, Loughborough Junction and Stockwell
02Planning permission

Do I need planning permission in Lambeth?

Answer-first guides for the projects we see most here, with the national rules and the local constraints that change them.

03Constraints

Planning constraints in Lambeth

What changes the planning route in this area. Always confirm on the council's constraints map before relying on permitted development.

Conservation areas

Lambeth has numerous conservation areas covering much of Kennington, Stockwell, Clapham, Brixton, Herne Hill and Streatham. Roof extensions and cladding in these areas need planning permission rather than permitted development. Check the council's constraints map for your address before assuming PD applies.

Source · Checked 15 Sept 2026

Article 4 directions

Lambeth has Article 4 directions in a number of conservation areas removing permitted development for front alterations and boundary treatments, and a Class MA Article 4 covering Waterloo, Vauxhall and other central and town-centre locations that removes the commercial-to-residential prior approval route. We confirm coverage for your address with the council.

Checked 15 Sept 2026

Thames flood zones

Waterloo, Vauxhall, Nine Elms and the riverside at Lambeth fall within Flood Zones 2 and 3, protected by the Thames Barrier and river walls. Basements and new ground-floor habitable rooms there may need a flood risk assessment; surface water flooding is also a recorded issue in parts of Herne Hill and Streatham.

Source · Checked 15 Sept 2026

Basement policy

Lambeth's Local Plan includes a basement policy that limits depth and garden take and requires structural, drainage and construction method information. Basements under Clapham and Kennington terraces are common but need a fuller application than a rear extension.

Checked 15 Sept 2026

Listed buildings and the Kennington and Clapham set pieces

Kennington, Clapham Old Town, Stockwell and the Vauxhall riverside contain many listed Georgian and Victorian houses and terraces. Listed houses need listed building consent for almost any alteration, and the setting of listed terraces is considered for extensions to neighbours.

Checked 15 Sept 2026

Metropolitan Open Land

Clapham Common, Brockwell Park, Streatham Common and Norwood Park are Metropolitan Open Land. Houses fronting or backing onto them are judged on the effect of extensions and outbuildings on openness and setting.

Checked 15 Sept 2026

What London Borough of Lambeth planning officers look for

Lambeth's officers apply the Local Plan's residential design and amenity policies fairly predictably. Rear extensions deeper than neighbouring precedent, side returns that breach the 45-degree rule to the neighbour's rear window and roof extensions in conservation areas are the common refusal reasons. Mansards are accepted on terraces where the street already has them; front dormers and roof extensions on butterfly-roofed terraces attract resistance. Pre-application advice is available for a fee, and Lambeth's decision times can stretch beyond the statutory period at busy times.

Council links

Extensions and loft conversions in Lambeth

Lambeth stretches from the Thames at Waterloo and Vauxhall through Kennington, Stockwell, Brixton and Clapham to Herne Hill, Streatham and West Norwood. Most of its housing is Victorian and Edwardian terraces, many converted into flats, with Georgian set pieces in Kennington and Clapham Old Town and 1930s streets towards the southern edge. The typical brief is a side-return or rear extension to open up a terrace kitchen, a rear dormer or mansard for a top-floor bedroom, or a flat conversion.

Because so many Lambeth terraces sit inside conservation areas and so many houses are split into flats, a large share of our Lambeth work goes through full planning applications. The council’s expectations are well documented and, once you know them, predictable.

Planning constraints in Lambeth

The designations that most often shape a Lambeth project are:

  • Conservation areas across Kennington, Stockwell, Clapham, Brixton, Herne Hill and Streatham, removing PD for roof extensions and cladding.
  • Article 4 directions in several conservation areas and a Class MA Article 4 in Waterloo, Vauxhall and other central locations.
  • Flood Zones 2 and 3 along the Thames at Waterloo, Vauxhall and Nine Elms.
  • Basement policy requiring structural, drainage and construction information.
  • Listed buildings in Kennington, Clapham Old Town and Stockwell.
  • Metropolitan Open Land at Clapham Common, Brockwell Park and Streatham Common.

Flats and maisonettes have no householder PD rights, so every extension to a converted house needs planning permission, and the freeholder’s consent as well.

What Lambeth planning officers look for

Lambeth’s officers apply the Local Plan’s residential design and amenity policies conventionally. For rear and side-return extensions they want depth in step with neighbouring precedent, the 45-degree rule respected to neighbouring habitable room windows and eaves kept low near boundaries. For lofts they support rear dormers set down from the ridge and mansards on terraces where the pattern is established; front dormers and roof extensions on butterfly-roofed terraces are resisted.

For conversions they check unit sizes, family housing retention, amenity space and cycle storage. Pre-application advice is available for a fee and is worth using for basements, conversions and anything in Kennington or Clapham Old Town.

Our services in Lambeth

Example projects nearby

Guides

Read our guides on extending or converting a loft in a conservation area and whether you need planning permission for a rear extension in London.

Ready to start in Lambeth? Get an instant estimate: your indicative fee on screen and by email in two minutes, then a written fixed-fee quote within 24 hours.

04Examples

Example projects in and around Lambeth

Existing first floor plan of a vacant open-plan office above two shops in South CroydonExample project
Change of useSouth Croydon, Croydon

Office to Flats in South Croydon, Croydon

Conversion of a vacant 110 m² first-floor Class E office above two shops into two one-bedroom flats using the Class MA prior approval route in South Croydon.

Typical route: Class MA prior approval, decided within 56 days

05Questions

Planning questions we hear in Lambeth

Do I need planning permission for a rear extension in Lambeth?

If your house is not a flat and sits outside a conservation area with an Article 4 direction, a single-storey rear extension up to 3 m on a terrace or semi is usually permitted development, extending to 6 m under the larger home extension prior approval route. Many Lambeth terraces are in conservation areas, so we check the schedule for your street before recommending a route.

Can I convert my loft under permitted development in Lambeth?

Only outside conservation areas. Within the 40 m³ (terrace) or 50 m³ (semi or detached) volume limit, with no dormer facing the road, a rear dormer is usually PD. In Brixton, Clapham, Herne Hill and other conservation areas roof extensions need planning permission, and mansards almost always do regardless of location.

Are there Article 4 directions in Lambeth?

Yes. Several conservation areas carry Article 4 directions removing permitted development for front alterations and boundary treatments, and a Class MA Article 4 removes the commercial-to-residential prior approval route in Waterloo, Vauxhall and other central locations. The exact coverage varies, so we confirm with the council for your address.

How long does Lambeth council take to decide a householder application?

The statutory period is 8 weeks from validation for a householder application or a Lawful Development Certificate, and 42 days for a larger home extension prior approval. Lambeth is a busy authority and decisions can run past the statutory period, so we build that into the programme. The council fee is £528 for a householder application (verify before applying).

Can I convert my Lambeth house into flats?

Converting a house into two or more flats always needs planning permission. Lambeth's Local Plan sets minimum unit sizes, expects a family-sized unit to be retained in most cases and considers the loss of family housing. We prepare the layouts, amenity and cycle storage drawings the council expects for a complete application.

06Coverage

Everywhere we work

One team, one process, every area. Choose yours.

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Next step

Planning a project in Lambeth?

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