Policy information sourced from Lewisham Core Strategy

15 High quality design for Lewisham

For all development, the Council will:

  • apply national and regional policy and guidance to ensure highest quality design and the protection or enhancement of the historic and natural environment, which is sustainable, accessible to all, optimises the potential of sites and is sensitive to the local context and responds to local character
  • ensure design acts to reduce crime and the fear of crime
  • apply the housing densities as outlined in the London Plan, except where this is not appropriate to preserving or enhancing the characteristics of conservation areas
  • use Building for Life standards to assess major planning applications to ensure design quality in new housing schemes
  • ensure development is flexible and adaptable to change
  • ensure any development conserves and enhances the borough’s heritage assets, and the significance of their settings, such as conservation areas, listed buildings, registered parks and gardens, scheduled monuments and the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site.

The Spatial Strategy in Section 6 identifies the Regeneration and Growth Areas, District Hubs, Activity Hubs, Local Hubs, and Areas of Stability and Managed Change and describes their character. Within each strategy area the design of new development must meet various challenges, determined to a large extent by its context, size, purpose, and public transport accessibility. Specifically each strategy area will need to address.

Regeneration and Growth Areas

Development should achieve the following design aims:

  • Achieve ‘central’ density levels within the Lewisham Major Town Centre.
  • Achieve ‘urban’ density levels in Catford Town Centre.
  • New developments in Lewisham and Catford town centres should result in a radical upgrading of the social and physical environment and, in order to be successful, will need to allow for tall buildings of the highest design quality where they improve and add coherence to the skyline, and do not cause harm to the surrounding environment, including the significance of heritage assets.
  • In the Deptford and New Cross area, urban design policy will aim to establish visual links with the Thames, increase the connectivity of the street network, improve the streetscape, and create a sense of place with radical improvements to the social and physical environment. Tall buildings may be appropriate in certain locations subject to Core Strategy Policy 18.
  • The New Cross/New Cross Gate Town Centre has a number of development opportunities which need to preserve and respect the character of the adjacent conservation areas and the setting of listed buildings.
  • Deptford Town Centre has development opportunities around the station and for the creation of new civic spaces and facilities. These should act to preserve or enhance the character of the conservation area, respect the continued functioning of the street market, and create a new sense of place and focus which will support and increase the vitality and viability of the centre.
  • Development within the Mixed Use Employment Locations (MELs) will need to create new places in areas that currently lack identity and will build on existing landscape features to preserve local distinctiveness.

District Hubs

Development should achieve the following design aims to maximise the unique character and potential of each centre and improve accessibility and the overall environment with the highest quality design to ensure new development at:

  • Sydenham, Forest Hill, Lee Green and Blackheath preserves or enhances the historic character and significance, and that of the surrounding residential areas within a conservation area
  • Forest Hill improves pedestrian connections to the station, throughout the town centre and to the surrounding neighbourhoods with an improved streetscape and public realm
  • Sydenham supports physical and environmental improvements to the High Street
  • Lee Green improves the civic space and connections between sites with mixed use development.

Local Hubs

Development should achieve the following design aims:

  • New development at Brockley Cross and Hither Green should improve pedestrian environment and feelings of security particularly for the approaches to Hither Green and Brockley stations and enhance their local distinctiveness. Development should achieve an overall upgrade in the urban quality and general amenity.
  • New development at Bell Green should seek to achieve a better urban quality with high quality landscaping and a green landscaped link to the long distance foot and cycle path along the western boundary of the site.

Areas of Stability and Managed Change

Development should achieve the following design aims:

  • The scale and type of development will generally be smaller scale than other parts of the borough respecting conservation areas, listed buildings and the scale of surrounding residential character.
  • Small scale development, including infill development, will need to be designed and laid out to, complement the character of surrounding development, provide suitable residential accommodation with a high level of amenity and provide for garden and amenity space. Any adverse impact on neighbouring amenity, conservation areas and designated and non designated heritage assets, biodiversity or open space will need to be addressed.
  • Redevelopment opportunities near stations may provide scope for higher density redevelopment. The primary considerations will be accessibility to public transport, local character and urban design principles which aim to establish place making as part of any redevelopment.
  • Small household extensions and adaptations to existing housing will need to be designed to enhance the street scene, protect neighbour amenity and ensure that the living conditions proposed are satisfactory.
  • Conservation areas will be protected from inappropriate built development and change that enhances residential character will be considered acceptable.
  • Development should enhance the identity and distinctiveness of Downham District Centre.

The Southend Village, Bromley Road Supplementary Planning Document provides a coherent design framework that seeks to regenerate this area and will be used to guide development, while recognising that little remains of the old village centre.

For more information please see the Core Strategy