Garden rooms · Dulwich
Garden rooms in Dulwich
Dulwich Village, East Dulwich and West Dulwich.
A studio, an office or a room for the evenings, at the end of a Dulwich garden. Here two bodies can have a say, the council and the Dulwich Estate, so we plan for both from the first drawing.
Dulwich VillageEast DulwichWest Dulwich
What we build here
Rooms for a London garden.
Long, narrow gardens and old trees: each building is drawn for the plot it stands on.
Planning in Dulwich
The council, and the Dulwich Estate.
Council: London Borough of Southwark (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.
- Much of Dulwich is on the Dulwich Estate. Freehold homes there are bound by its Scheme of Management, approved by the High Court in 1974: owners need the Estate’s approval before putting up a garden building or changing the outside of the property. Just over 4,000 homes are in the Scheme.
- The Estate’s consent is separate from the council’s. One can say yes while the other says no, so both are part of the programme from the first drawing.
- 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. Dulwich Village and much of the area around it are conservation areas.
- Dulwich is mostly in the London Borough of Southwark; part of West Dulwich is in Lambeth. Southwark publishes its conservation areas, Article 4 directions and protected trees on the national planning data platform, so the address check shows them.
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, Article 4 directions and protected trees Southwark publishes for your postcode. Whether your home is on the Dulwich Estate we confirm with you; then we tell you in writing what your room needs.
Built by KF CraftsQuestions
Asked in Dulwich.
Do I need the Dulwich Estate’s permission for a garden room?
If your home is in the Scheme of Management, yes: owners need the Estate’s prior approval for a garden building, as well as anything the council requires. We prepare the drawings for both.
Does it need planning permission from Southwark?
Often not: a garden room within the national permitted development limits needs no application. A conservation area restricts building to the side of the house, and an Article 4 direction or a listed house can remove the rights, so we check your address first.
Which comes first, the Estate or the council?
We plan for both from the start, so one design answers both. We confirm with you whether your home is in the Scheme before we draw.
Sources
Where these notes come from.
- The Dulwich Estate: residential freehold and approvals (opens in a new tab)
- The Dulwich Estate: the Scheme of Management (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 Blackheath and Greenwich
Blackheath, Greenwich and Lewisham: the World Heritage Site, conservation areas and Article 4.
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)