Garden rooms · Blackheath
Garden rooms in Blackheath and Greenwich
And across Lewisham.
A studio, an office or a room for the evenings. Blackheath sits across two boroughs, Greenwich and Lewisham, and much of it is conservation area, so the address comes first.
BlackheathGreenwichLewishamLeeCharlton
What we build here
Rooms for a Victorian garden.
Walled gardens, old trees and neighbours close by: each building is drawn for its plot.
Planning in Blackheath
Two boroughs, one heath.
Councils: Royal Borough of Greenwich (opens in a new tab) and London Borough of Lewisham (opens in a new tab). Each note is a first answer, not the final word: we confirm it for your exact address before you sign anything.
- A garden building is usually permitted development, with no application, when it is single storey, is used for something that goes with the house (an office, a studio, a gym), stands behind the front of the house and, with other buildings, covers no more than half the garden. Within 2 m of a boundary it can be no taller than 2.5 m.
- The Blackheath conservation area was designated jointly by Greenwich and Lewisham in 1968. Together with the East and West Greenwich conservation areas it forms the buffer zone of the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site.
- In a conservation area nothing can go between the side of the house and the boundary without an application, and tree work needs 6 weeks’ notice to the council.
- Inside the World Heritage Site itself, buildings more than 20 m from the house are also limited to 10 m² in total without an application.
- Lewisham has Article 4 directions on a number of conservation areas, Blackheath among them. They apply to single houses, and the works they can bring under control include a building in the garden that can be seen from a public place, such as on a corner plot. Each direction lists its own streets and works, so we read the one for your road.
Royal Borough of Greenwich
London Borough of Lewisham
Householder applications decided 1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026: MHCLG planning application statistics, table PS2 (opens gov.uk in a new tab) (Crown copyright, Open Government Licence v3.0). Decisions under an agreed extension of time have no time band in the table; we count them at 8–13 weeks.
Before we draw
Start with your postcode.
The address check shows the conservation areas, listed buildings and flood zones for your postcode, and the Article 4 directions where the council publishes them. Then we tell you in writing which route your room takes.
Built by KF CraftsQuestions
Asked in Blackheath.
We are in the Blackheath conservation area. Can we still build a garden room?
Often, yes. A conservation area does not remove permitted development, but nothing can go between the side of the house and the boundary without an application. If an Article 4 direction covers your street, a room visible from a public place can need one too.
Which council is our house in?
Blackheath is split between the Royal Borough of Greenwich and the London Borough of Lewisham. The address check tells you which, and what each publishes for your postcode.
Is a Lawful Development Certificate worth it here?
In a conservation area or near an Article 4 direction, we usually recommend one: the council’s formal confirmation that the building is lawful, worth having when you sell. How planning works.
Sources
Where these notes come from.
- Royal Borough of Greenwich: Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site (opens in a new tab)
- London Borough of Lewisham: Blackheath conservation area (opens in a new tab)
- London Borough of Lewisham: Article 4 directions (opens in a new tab)
- GOV.UK: permitted development rights for householders, technical guidance (opens in a new tab)
- Planning Portal: outbuildings and planning permission (opens in a new tab)
Checked 19 October 2026. Rules change: we check them again for your address. More areas: Areas we cover · Garden rooms
Nearby
Other local guides.
Garden annexes in Bromley
Bromley, Beckenham and Chislehurst: annexes, planning and the borough’s special residential areas.
Garden offices in Orpington
Orpington and Petts Wood: offices that usually need no application, and the local exceptions.
Garden rooms in Sevenoaks
Sevenoaks, Westerham and Otford: green belt, the Kent Downs and what they change.
Garden rooms in Dulwich
Dulwich Village, East and West Dulwich: the council, the Dulwich Estate and conservation areas.
Garden rooms in Oxted, Surrey
Oxted and Limpsfield in Surrey: green belt, the Surrey Hills and Tandridge’s decision times.
Made to measure
Draw your room in 3D.
Choose the size, the cladding and the glass, then send the design to us with your postcode.
Or talk to us: Ivan, 07389 840483 · Hristiyan, 07934 524074 · WhatsApp Hristiyan (opens WhatsApp)