About the Sydenham Thorpes Conservation Area
The Sydenham Thorpes Conservation Area covers about 11 hectares and was designated by London Borough of Lewisham in 2001. No listed buildings are recorded inside the boundary. 3 Article 4 directions over the area remove further householder rights, on top of the conservation area limits below.
What changes inside the conservation area
Conservation areas are “Article 2(3) land”. You keep most permitted development rights, but these are removed or tightened.
- Rear extensionElsewhere: 3 m · 6 m with PANo 6 m / 8 m prior approval
- Two-storey extensionElsewhere: 3 mNeeds planning permission
- Side extensionElsewhere: Half the widthNeeds planning permission
- Loft conversionElsewhere: 50 m³Needs planning permission
- Garden roomElsewhere: 2.5 m high by boundariesNot beside the house
- PorchElsewhere: 3 m²Same limits
- Solar panelsElsewhere: 0.2 m projectionSame limits
- Air source heat pumpElsewhere: 1 unitNot facing the road
- Fences, walls and gatesElsewhere: 2 m · 1 m by a roadSame limits
- External claddingElsewhere: Matching materialsNeeds planning permission
- Tree workElsewhere: No notice6 weeks’ notice to the council
- Demolition (over 115 m³)Elsewhere: AllowedNeeds planning permission
Limits for a semi-detached house under the GPDO 2015. An Article 4 direction can remove more.
Article 4 directions here
These overlap the conservation area. Householder directions remove more of the rights above; change-of-use ones don’t affect extending a house.
- Thorpes Conservation Area/Article 4 DirectionHouseholder works
- Sydenham District CentreHouseholder works
- Small HMO Northern ExtensionHouseholder works
The council’s appraisal
WEBSydenham Thorpes Conservation Area AppraisalLondon Borough of Lewisham’s description of the area’s character — what planners look at when you apply.Open on council site ↗Nearby conservation areas
Boundary and listed buildings from London Borough of Lewisham and Historic England via planning.data.gov.uk (OGL). Guidance only — not an official council check.