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Building regulations drawings · London Borough of Southwark

Building regulations drawings in Southwark, £695 fixed

Southwark building control asks for two notices on a job, not one: start of work, and then 'regarded as commenced' within five days of the foundations, any basement and the ground floor structure being complete, which stops your approval lapsing. We draw the regulations set around those stages.

Building regs£545 drawings + £150 survey (£695 total)
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CoverageAll 33 boroughs

Householder application fee, paid to your council at submission.

Plus the Planning Portal's own charge if the application goes through the Portal: up to £149 including VAT, depending on the application type, and some types have none (source).

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Starts at£150
Boroughs33/33
Stages5

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A pitched tiled roof in England: building control inspects roof work before it is closed up. Photo: Kristian Thomas / Pexels.

What Southwark Council asks of a building regulations application

From the council's Notice of commencement (Regulation 16 and 46A); Get building regulations approval (adopted current council notice (June 2025 upload), read 25 October 2026).

  • Southwark says anyone who has given a building notice or full plans application must tell the council that the work has reached a stage where it can be regarded as commenced, before the end of 5 days after the work reached that point. (source, checked 25 October 2026)
  • A 'regarded as commenced' notice is not the same as the notice about the start of work; it tells the council that the work has reached a stage where it, or part of it, is protected from the application being considered to have lapsed under Regulation 46A. (source, checked 25 October 2026)
  • For a small house or an extension to the side of a house, the work is regarded as commenced when the sub-surface structure is completed: all foundations, any basement level and the structure of ground floor level. (source, checked 25 October 2026)
  • For the construction of an extension, the start of work is when strip or pad foundations have been excavated or piles installed, which is earlier than the work being regarded as commenced. (source, checked 25 October 2026)
  • The council may reject the notice if the work cannot be regarded as commenced, a rejection must be given within four weeks of the notice, and if none is given the council regards the work as commenced; it may require information or the laying open of work for inspection. (source, checked 25 October 2026)
  • Southwark's building control page lists building notice, full plans, regularisation, notice of completion, notice of commencement and notice of change of dutyholder as the application types and notices, with a charges download and a Building Safety Levy check. (source, checked 25 October 2026)

What Southwark building regulations application drawings have to show

In Southwark the drawings carry the notice dates as well as the details. On the foundation and ground floor structure drawings we mark the stage that Southwark treats as 'regarded as commenced' for a small house or side extension, so the builder knows when the five-day notice is due and the approval is protected from lapsing.

The set separates the foundation excavation, which is the start of work, from the completed sub-surface structure, and shows any basement and the ground floor structure as one pour so the stage is easy to evidence. We also supply the structural calculations and the notice dates on a checklist for your builder to give to the building control inspector.

PS2 · at a glance

Southwark: 558 householder decisions

Southwark
Approvals, prior approvals included94.8%

529 of 558 granted. London: 85.8%.

Decided within 8 weeks97.5%

424 of 435 applications, prior approvals excluded.

Source: MHCLG PS2, 1 July 2025 to 30 June 2026. Dark tick: London.
Two hands holding a printed floor plan over a desk of drawings, with a pen and notebook beside it
Checking the drawings with you before anything goes to the council. Photo: Tima Miroshnichenko / Pexels.

What it costs in Southwark

  • Building regulations drawings: £545 drawings + £150 survey (£695 total).
  • The building control charge is set by your council or a registered building control approver.

Building regulations drawings across London · Southwark planning rules · every price

Answers

Southwark building regulations application questions

What is a regarded as commenced notice in Southwark?
A notice that tells Southwark Council that the work has reached a stage where it is protected from the approval lapsing under Regulation 46A. It must be given before the end of 5 days after that point, and it is separate from the notice about the start of work. The council can reject it within four weeks.
When is a Southwark extension regarded as commenced?
For a small house or an extension to the side of a house, when the sub-surface structure is complete: all foundations, any basement level and the structure of ground floor level. Southwark separates this from the start of work, which for an extension is when strip or pad foundations have been excavated or piles installed.
What happens if Southwark rejects the commencement notice?
The council must give any rejection notice within four weeks of the notice, and if it does not, it regards the work as commenced. After a rejection that you accept, you cannot send another notice until the reasons it gave have been satisfied. The council may also ask for information or for work to be laid open for inspection.

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