Do I need planning permission in Greenwich?

Greenwich feels straightforward enough — you want to extend, add a loft conversion, or put up a garden room. Surely it's a simple yes or no? The problem is that Greenwich is one of London's most layered boroughs for planning, and the general rules you've read online may not apply to your specific address at all — until you see what the rules actually are for your exact property, free in about a minute.

The World Heritage Site changes the rules in ways most people miss

Maritime Greenwich is a UNESCO World Heritage Site, and that designation isn't just ceremonial. Properties within or near the boundary fall under Article 2(3) designated land rules — which means the standard permitted development allowances that apply across most of England are significantly restricted. Most homeowners don't realise their address puts them in this zone until after they've started planning a project. Whether your property is affected, and by how much, isn't something you can eyeball from a postcode.

Conservation areas, listed buildings, and flood zones add more layers

Blackheath, Charlton Village, and Eltham are all conservation areas — and the rules within them are different from the rules just outside them. Even within a conservation area, rules can vary street by street depending on Article 4 directions that remove permitted development rights for specific property types. Around the Royal Naval College and Greenwich Park, listed buildings are concentrated enough that even neighbouring unlisted properties can face unexpected restrictions.

Then there's the Thames. Properties along the riverfront sit in flood zones that introduce another set of considerations entirely — and the implications for your specific plot aren't the same as for your neighbour two streets back.

The best way to understand whether any of these apply to your address is to check which constraints are stacked against your specific property — because it's rarely just one.

The 8-week clock and £548 fee are the least of your worries

Greenwich Council typically decides householder applications within 8 weeks, and the application fee is £548. But the real risk isn't the cost or the wait — it's submitting something that was never going to be approved, or building under permitted development when your property actually required permission. Both outcomes are expensive and stressful to unwind.

What matters most is knowing, before you spend anything, whether similar projects on your street have been approved or refused, and what drove those decisions. That's the part that's genuinely hard to find out on your own — and it's exactly what WhatCanIBuild surfaces. You can see the approval record for projects like yours nearby and what it means for your chances — free, no signup needed.