5. Context of the Document

5.1. Lewisham’s small sites commitments

As part of the London Plan , each borough is assigned a 10 year housing target for net completions. With the adoption of the new London Plan in 2021, Lewisham’s total housing target is 16,670 homes, of which 3,790 (just under a quarter) will need to be developed on small sites.

Lewisham is committed to meeting and exceeding these target to deliver the housing it needs. Small sites present an opportunity not only for the delivery of overall housing numbers but also to open up the development process to more diverse sources, including homeowners, small developers and contractors, community groups and self-builders. Lewisham has a proud history of supporting these groups and this document is part of Lewisham’s strategy to build on this legacy.

5.2. Policy context of this SPD

This SPD provides specific advice on the development of new homes on small sites in Lewisham. It sits alongside a series of other SPDs which may also be relevant to your project and you should check the Lewisham website to see what other documents are available. This includes the Alterations and Extensions SPD which provides advice on working with existing buildings, and the Development Management Local Plan.

This document is subsidiary to Lewisham’s Local Plan, the London Plan and the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). It therefore draws information from each of these documents and explains how the polices contained in each are applied to small sites in Lewisham. As such, this document will frequently refer to policies in other documents where the exact wording can be found.

It also sits alongside a series of other documents that include Neighbourhood Plans and Conservation Area Appraisals that are important documents to consult when working within or near to the areas that they apply to.

The Small Sites Design Guide SPD has been developed following considerable research into the specific opportunities in Lewisham. Much of this information can be found in the Development Strategy Document and Appendices that sit alongside this document, and can be found on Lewisham’s website.

5.3. A note about the maps

We have provided a range of maps throughout this document based on information which was current at the time of writing. These maps are intended only for general guidance. With time, planning policies and political boundaries change, and over the life of this document is it likely that some of the maps contain herein will be superseded. For example, Lewisham’s ward boundaries are due to change in 2022 and in anticipation of this we have provided both the extant ward maps as well as the new ones.

Lewisham’s planning website will always include the latest policy boundaries and you should not rely on the maps included within this document to determine whether policy constraints apply to your site. Instead, you should always check the latest mapping data provided on the council’s website which will always be kept updated with changes as they become adopted.