Your project at SE10 8XJ
1. Your site at a glance
Three designations apply at this address — and one of them is rare: this part of Greenwich sits within the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site, alongside a conservation area and the borough Air Quality Management Area. Converting a house into two flats here is a change-of-use application judged on housing standards and heritage at the same time: the council must weigh the benefit of an extra home against any effect on a site of international significance.
- Greenwich AQMAView the official record →
- Maritime GreenwichView the official record →
- conservation-areaView the official record →
2. What applies here
More homes from the same land — NPPF paragraph 124
National policy actively supports making better use of existing buildings to meet housing need. A well-specified conversion — two decent homes, adequate space standards, bins and bikes resolved — starts with this policy behind it.
“Planning policies and decisions should promote an effective use of land in meeting the need for homes and other uses, while safeguarding and improving the environment and ensuring safe and healthy living conditions.”NPPF paragraph 124 — 11. Making effective use of land · read the source →
London's housing quality bar — London Plan Policy D6
Conversions are decided against the same quality standards as new homes: room sizes against Table 3.1 of the London Plan, layouts, light and outlook. Most refused conversions in this area fail here, not on the principle — design the two flats to the standards and the application argues for itself.
“Housing development should be of high quality design and provide adequately-sized rooms (see Table 3.1) with comfortable and functional layouts which are fit for purpose and meet the needs of Londoners”London Plan Policy D6 — Housing quality and standards (Chapter 3 — Design) · read the source →
The World Heritage Site raises the stakes — NPPF paragraph 212
Great weight scales with the importance of the asset, and a World Heritage Site is the top of that scale. For an internal conversion the heritage effects are usually modest — but external alterations, extractor flues, and bin storage visible from the street will be tested against this standard.
“When considering the impact of a proposed development on the significance of a designated heritage asset, great weight should be given to the asset’s conservation (and the more important the asset, the greater the weight should be).”NPPF paragraph 212 — 16. Conserving and enhancing the historic environment · read the source →
Significance is specific, even here — NPPF paragraph 220
National policy names World Heritage Sites directly: not every element contributes equally to outstanding universal value. A heritage statement that locates your building honestly within the site's significance keeps the application proportionate.
“Not all elements of a Conservation Area or World Heritage Site will necessarily contribute to its significance.”NPPF paragraph 220 — 16. Conserving and enhancing the historic environment · read the source →
Design standards still apply inside — NPPF paragraph 139
Subdivisions fail most often on quality grounds: undersized rooms, poor outlook, no amenity space. The design-refusal policy applies to conversions exactly as it does to new buildings.
“Development that is not well designed should be refused, especially where it fails to reflect local design policies and government guidance on design , taking into account any local design guidance and supplementary planning documents which use visual tools such as design guides and codes.”NPPF paragraph 139 — 12. Achieving well-designed places · read the source →
3. Potential blockers
Nothing in this category for your project — a genuine finding, not an omission.
4. Things to consider
Air Quality Management Area
This address is in an Air Quality Management Area (Greenwich AQMA); air quality impacts may be a material consideration for some projects.
World Heritage Site
This address is in a World Heritage Site (Maritime Greenwich); protecting its outstanding universal value carries great weight.
Conservation area
This address is in the conservation area. Your council must give special attention to preserving or enhancing the area's character, which raises the design bar for external changes.
5. Approved nearby
Of the 267 decided change-of-use applications within 1 km of this address since 2015, 207 were approved and 60 refused — a 78% approval rate. Conversions are common and generally successful in this part of Greenwich, including within the World Heritage Site setting. The refused cases below are instructive: quality of the resulting homes, not the principle of conversion, is where schemes fall down.
- Approved · Proposed side extension including replacement of windows, roof lights and doors, and internal alterations. (2025-07-18) council record →
- Approved · Proposed side extension including replacement of windows, roof lights and doors, and internal alterations. (2025-07-18) council record →
- Approved · Construction of a single storey side infill extension and replacement of all existing sash windows and associated works. (2025-07-16) council record →
- Approved · Construction of a loft extension including a juliette balcony and 3 roof lights (2024-10-09) council record →
- Approved · Construction of a single rear extension and all associated works. (2024-09-20) council record →
- Approved · Demolition of existing extension and construction of a replacement single storey rear extension. (2024-08-14) council record →
- Designations are read live from planning.data.gov.uk at generation time. Some councils have not yet published every dataset; absence of a designation here is absence from the national index, not a guarantee none exists.
- This example was generated with national policy and live designation data. Purchased reports also include the council's adopted Local Plan policies where the plan can be machine-read — and say so plainly where it cannot.
This is a professional screening report built from official public data. It is not legal advice, a planning decision, or a substitute for pre-application advice from your local planning authority. Always confirm requirements with your authority before starting work.