Lewisham's Local Plan 2020-2040 is adopted: 1,667 homes a year and 75 allocated sites. The schemes moving now, from Achilles Street to Sun Wharf's student towers.

The biggest planning story in Lewisham is not any single tower. It is that the borough’s rulebook has just been rewritten: the Lewisham Local Plan 2020-2040 was formally adopted on 16 July 2025, and every planning application in the borough is now judged against it. This page covers what the new plan commits Lewisham to, the housing numbers behind it, and the major schemes actually moving, so you can see where the cranes are heading before the hoardings go up.

The new Local Plan: adopted, and in force

After years in the pipeline, the council formally adopted the new Local Plan at Full Council on Wednesday 16 July 2025. It sets the vision and the planning framework for a 20-year period to 2040, and carries a suite of strategic policies plus 75 site allocations that will guide where development goes (Lewisham Council, adoption of the Local Plan).

It was not waved through. The plan was submitted to the Secretary of State on 3 November 2023, went through public hearings in summer 2024, and came back with modifications consulted on in early 2025. The Government-appointed Inspectors concluded that, with those modifications, the plan is “justified, effective, consistent with national policy and in general conformity with the London Plan” (Inspectors’ report, June 2025).

The new plan replaces the whole old suite at once: the 2011 Core Strategy, the 2013 Site Allocations plan, the 2014 Development Management plan and the 2014 Town Centre plan (Lewisham Council).

What it means for you: if a site near you is one of the 75 allocations, the principle of building there has now been settled in policy, which makes a later detailed application much harder to resist. The time to influence what happens on an allocated site is when its actual application arrives, and on planning grounds; our guide to Lewisham planning applications explains how to search, comment and set up alerts.

The housing numbers

The adopted plan’s Policy HO1 sets a strategic housing target of 1,667 net new dwellings a year, taken directly from the London Plan 2021, which gives Lewisham a ten-year figure of 16,670 homes for 2019 to 2029 (Inspectors’ report; London Plan, Table 4.1).

Worth knowing: the Government’s standard method would put Lewisham’s need much higher, at 2,334 homes a year. The borough’s own housing market assessment considered that figure, but concluded, and the Inspectors agreed, that in London the London Plan sets the borough-level requirement, so 1,667 stands for this plan period (Inspectors’ report, paragraphs 44 to 45).

The schemes moving right now

Bar chart of homes in Lewisham's biggest schemes: Convoys Wharf up to 3,500 homes with outline consent, Lewisham Gateway just over 1,000 homes with phase one complete, Achilles Street 278 homes approved December 2025, Sun Wharf 50 affordable homes plus 605 student rooms approved February 2026
Homes in the borough's headline schemes, from council and committee documents. Sun Wharf's 605 student rooms sit on top of its 50 affordable homes.

Achilles Street, New Cross: approved

The council’s own regeneration of Achilles Street was unanimously approved by the Strategic Planning Committee in December 2025. The scheme delivers 278 new homes at 60% affordable housing, including 122 council-owned homes for social rent, up from the 87 on the estate today, plus 44 shared-ownership homes and about 1,400 square metres of commercial space, with completion expected by 2033. Residents backed the regeneration in a 2019 ballot, with 73% in favour on a 92% turnout (Lewisham Council news, December 2025).

Sun Wharf, Creekside: student towers by Deptford Creek

The borough’s most contested recent decision. On 24 February 2026 the Strategic Planning Committee resolved unanimously to approve the Sun Wharf scheme on Creekside in Deptford (application DC/25/140992) and refer it to the Mayor of London, as required for strategic schemes (committee papers). The scheme comprises 605 student bedrooms plus 50 affordable homes (32 social rent, 18 shared ownership) in blocks of 3 to 20 storeys; objectors argued the area is already saturated, with thousands of student rooms in the local pipeline, and raised steep daylight losses (Salamander News).

Catford: town centre plans grind forward

Catford’s regeneration is moving in pieces rather than as one big bang. Thomas Lane Yard is billed by the council as one of the first projects of its Catford vision, developer contributions are funding improvements between Catford and Catford Bridge stations, and restoration work is planned for the former Catford Constitutional Club, one of the town centre’s oldest buildings. The harder edges have slipped: regeneration of Milford Towers is deferred to the mid-2030s at the earliest (Lewisham Council, Catford regeneration), and the plan to realign the A205 away from the town centre is consented but stalled for funding, as covered in our roadworks and travel page.

The long-runners: Convoys Wharf and Lewisham Gateway

Convoys Wharf in Deptford remains the one to watch: at 40 acres it is the single largest development site in the borough, with outline consent for up to about 3,500 homes and three tall buildings of 38, 38 and 48 storeys. The application was called in and approved by the Mayor of London back in March 2014, and delivery has been slow ever since; the council’s own page on the scheme has not been updated in years, which tells its own story (Lewisham Council, Convoys Wharf).

Lewisham Gateway, the towers between the station and the town centre, has completed its first phase, and the council describes the second as delivering 649 rental homes plus offices, a gym and a multiplex cinema, within an overall scheme of more than 1,000 homes (Lewisham Council, Lewisham Gateway). The wider town centre is also mid-makeover: the council’s £24 million improvement programme around the market and library completes in autumn 2026.

Who decides, and when they next meet

Lewisham runs two ordinary planning committees, A and B, plus a Strategic Planning Committee for major applications that could affect the whole borough or must be referred to the Mayor of London. Each committee has eight councillors and meets in public at the Town Hall Civic Suite in Catford, and an application with ten or more objections from different households is automatically referred to committee if officers recommend approval (Lewisham Council, what is planning committee).

Next scheduled meetings at the time of writing: Planning Committee B on 12 August 2026, the Strategic Planning Committee on 24 September 2026 and Planning Committee A on 8 October 2026 (committee calendar). Agendas appear on the council’s meetings site about a week in advance.

Frequently asked questions

Does Lewisham have an up-to-date Local Plan?

Yes, and it is new. The Lewisham Local Plan 2020-2040 was adopted on 16 July 2025 after independent examination, replacing the 2011 Core Strategy and the rest of the old plan suite (Lewisham Council).

How many new homes does Lewisham have to build?

The adopted plan targets 1,667 net new homes a year, from the London Plan’s ten-year figure of 16,670 for 2019 to 2029. The Government’s standard method would imply 2,334 a year, but the Inspectors confirmed the London Plan figure governs (Inspectors’ report).

What is the biggest development planned in Lewisham?

Convoys Wharf in Deptford: 40 acres with outline consent for up to about 3,500 homes and towers up to 48 storeys, approved by the Mayor of London in 2014 and still largely undelivered (Lewisham Council).

What was the Sun Wharf decision?

In February 2026 the Strategic Planning Committee unanimously backed the Sun Wharf scheme on Creekside: 605 student rooms and 50 affordable homes in blocks up to 20 storeys, referred onward to the Mayor of London (committee papers).

How do I object to a planning application in Lewisham?

In writing, within the comment window, on planning grounds; ten or more objections from different households push an officer-recommended approval to a public committee. The full process, including the portal’s email alerts, is in our Lewisham planning applications guide.

Sources

Checked against the council documents linked above in August 2026. Scheme statuses change; the council’s regeneration pages can lag years behind events, so for anything live, check the application itself on the planning portal.