Roof terrace permitted by southwark Council?

[Napoletano]

Hi all, my boyfriend and I would like to purchase our loft space from the southwark council (freeholder). Did anyone have any similar experience? Was the pre-application worth it? Do you know if southwark council allows to have a roof terrace? Thanks.

[alex_b]

We were told no for a roof terrace with our loft conversion as it would have been visible from the road. No ifs and no buts it just wasn?t acceptable even with screening etc. I think if we?d been further down the terrace and not visible from a public highway we might have been ok.

Other than that the planners were very reasonable and gave clear advice about what would and wouldn?t be ok in terms of height of boundary walls for our extension and for raising our ridge line.

We?re a freehold house rather than a leasehold flat so your mileage might vary.

[rorsome]

We don't have any experience of purchasing loft space from Southwark Council, but we were granted permission for a roof terrace as part of a loft conversion. We are mid-terrace and the roof terrace was only permitted on the basis that it is 2mx2m and doesn't take up much of the roof area. The pre-application process was definitely worth it and made the formal process run a lot smoother.

[Nanny]

My experience is that Southwark are inconsistent with rules associated with roof terraces in general. I've been advised by an architect it is not permissible, evidencing one on the corner of Heber and Cyrena was told by Southwark Planning that this had been granted permission because it had been there for a sufficient time without permission (12 years?) but one has just been newly constructed on the opposite corner of Heber and Cyrena, both are visible from the road as they are on a corner. Maybe there is now a precedent. Check with Planning, send photos of existing constructions. Good luck.

[James Barber]

Hi Napoletano,

Two issues I believe from your post.

1st - obtaining agreement from Southwark to use the loft for a loft extension has proven hard work for many to obtain.

2nd - obtaining planning permission for a balcony historically has been near impossible IF you could in any way overlook anybody - it also makes it harder for the council to agree to sell the loft space as you would be incorporating a flat terrace with extra risk of water leakage.

Talk to Southwark first about the loft space. If/when you make progress then talk about the detailed design and what they as a freeholder would find acceptable. Then you're into planning permissions for balcony - possibly permitted development if you don't.

[Napoletano]

Hi all, thanks very much for your feedback. It is very much appreciated. It seems it all depends... :(

[alex_b]

James I thought loft extensions for flats always required planning permission even if the same work on a house wouldn?t?

[alice]

does that mean I don't need permission for a balcony at the back of my house.

[Countrlass22]

They wouldn't allow because council the main water tank shared by both flats is in loft.

Thats actually main reason why.

They can't re locate it housing association are same rule.

[Siduhe]

alice Wrote:

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> does that mean I don't need permission for a

> balcony at the back of my house.

I don't have any recent experience but our house was built in the early 2000s with a back balcony overlooking a couple of our neighbours gardens. It's part of the design to allow access to the roof, but there's a planning condition on it that it can't be used as a balcony, due to the invasion of privacy for neighbours. I know the neighbours objected at the time, so that may be why the condition was added. We get on well with our current neighbours so it's never been an issue but I suspect if one of them complained it would lead to some pretty active enforcement.