BOROUGH

Planning permission in Wandsworth

Putney-to-Battersea terrace and villa belt; tight basement policy (LP6).

Conservation areas

Article 4 areas

—

Average house price

£690,036

12-month change

-2.2%

Constraints: planning.data.gov.uk (ingested 2026-08-01) · Prices: HM Land Registry UK House Price Index, December 2025 · 285 sales in December 2025 · Open Government Licence

Planning in Wandsworth — the detail

Wandsworth is one of south-west London's strongest renovation markets — the Victorian 'Tonsleys', the Heaver and Magdalen estates, the streets around Wandsworth Common and Nightingale Lane, and the villa stock of Putney and Battersea, across more than forty conservation areas from Battersea Park and Clapham Common to Wandsworth Town and Roehampton Village. Side returns, rear extensions and loft conversions are the borough's bread and butter, with a deep precedent base on the terraces.

Basements are heavily used and tightly controlled. Wandsworth Local Plan Policy LP6, Basements and Subterranean Developments, supported by the council's basement guidance, treats multi-level basements as inappropriate, expects roughly half of both front and back gardens to be retained, and looks for at least a metre of soil above the basement — with conservation-area front gardens protected more strictly. A basement impact assessment and a structural method statement are expected.

Conservation-area coverage shapes roof and elevation design across the protected estates, but much of Wandsworth's terrace stock outside them keeps permitted development rights for rear extensions and lofts — so the address-level check is what separates a prior-approval project from a full application.

Policy detail lives in the Wandsworth local plan and applications are submitted via the Wandsworth planning portal.

Reviewed by

Savas Bulduk MRICSDirector, Hampstead Chartered Surveyors & Building Consultancy — RICS-regulated (Firm Reg. 923064)

Conservation areas in Wandsworth

Real · planning.data.gov.uk

Every designated conservation area in Wandsworth from the official dataset — inside one, permitted development narrows and design scrutiny rises.

Alton
Bathgate Road
Battersea Park
Battersea Square
Charlwood Road and Lifford Street
Clapham Common
Clapham Junction
Coalecroft Road
Culverden Road
Deodar Road
Dinsmore Road
Dover House Estate
East Putney
Garrad's Road
Heaver Estate
Landford Road
Latchmere Estate
Magdalen Park
Mellison Road
Nightingale Lane
Old Devonshire Road
Oxford Road
Park Town
Parkfields
Putney Embankment
Putney Heath
Putney Lower Common
Roehampton Village
Rusholme Road
Shaftesbury Park Estate
St John's Hill Grove
Streatham Park
Sutherland Grove
Three Sisters
Totterdown Fields
Town Hall Road
Victoria Drive
Wandsworth Common
Wandsworth Town
West Hill Road
West Putney
Westbridge Road
Westmead
Wimbledon North
Wimbledon Park Road

Source: planning.data.gov.uk · Open Government Licence. Boundaries are checked at address level by the area report.

Article 4 directions in Wandsworth

Real · planning.data.gov.uk

No Article 4 geometry for Wandsworth appears in the national planning.data.gov.uk dataset. The borough's most significant householder control is its basement regime — Local Plan Policy LP6 (Basements and Subterranean Developments) and the council's basement guidance: multi-level basements are not supported, roughly half of front and back gardens should be retained, and at least a metre of soil above the basement is expected. Check the council's planning pages for any Article 4 directions in force.

Source: planning.data.gov.uk · Open Government Licence. Checked at address level by the area report.

Wandsworth has no Article 4 geometry in the national dataset — see how that compares to the 14 boroughs that do. See the full London Article 4 Coverage Index →

Wandsworth's householder grant rate: 92.3% of householder applications decided were granted (895 of 970) over 2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 — rank 26 of 33 for lowest grant rate. London average: 85.6%. See the full householder approval-rate league table →

FIGURES

Key Wandsworth planning figures

Conservation areas	45
Article 4 directions	—
Householder applications granted	92.3% (895 of 970)
London average grant rate	85.6%
Rank for lowest grant rate	26 of 33
Average house price	£690,036
Annual price change	-2.2%

Conservation areas and Article 4 directions: planning.data.gov.uk, ingested 2026-08-01 · Householder approval rates: MHCLG district planning application statistics (PS2), 2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 · House prices: HM Land Registry UK House Price Index, December 2025 · Open Government Licence. Figures are as published on those dates; a designation missing from the national dataset is a gap in the dataset, not proof it does not exist.

PROJECTS

What gets built in Wandsworth

Rear extension

The 'between the commons' terraces extend routinely; scale against the neighbour's daylight to clear the 45-degree test.

Rear extension in Wandsworth →

Side return extension

Among the highest-return projects on the Wandsworth terraces; steelwork and party-wall work drive the cost.

Side return extension in Wandsworth →

Loft conversion

Strong loft stock; conservation-area dormers and rooflines get the closest scrutiny.

Loft conversion in Wandsworth →

Basement extension

Policy LP6 treats multi-level basements as inappropriate and expects roughly half of both gardens retained, plus a metre of soil above.

Basement extension in Wandsworth →

Garden room

Common across the borough's terrace gardens; the 2.5m boundary-height rule is the most-breached limit.

Garden room in Wandsworth →

DISTRICTS

Wandsworth postcode by postcode

SW18 — Wandsworth Town & Earlsfield

SW18 covers the Wandsworth Town, Magdalen Park and Old Devonshire Road conservation areas and the Victorian 'Tonsleys'. Side retur…

SW18 planning report →

SW11 — Battersea & Clapham Junction

SW11 includes the Battersea Park, Battersea Square, Shaftesbury Park Estate and Heaver Estate conservation areas around Clapham Ju…

SW11 planning report →

SW12 — Balham

SW12 is Balham — the streets around Nightingale Lane and the Clapham Common conservation-area edge, classic family-terrace stock. …

SW12 planning report →

SW15 — Putney & Roehampton

SW15 runs from the Putney Embankment and Putney Heath conservation areas to the Dover House Estate and Roehampton Village. Riversi…

SW15 planning report →

SW17 — Tooting

SW17 is Tooting — the Totterdown Fields conservation area, an early London County Council cottage estate, and the long terraces ar…

SW17 planning report →

FAQ

Wandsworth planning, asked straight

Do I need planning permission for a basement in Wandsworth?

In practice, yes, and to a defined standard. Local Plan Policy LP6 (Basements and Subterranean Developments) and the council's basement guidance treat multi-level basements as inappropriate, expect roughly half of both front and back gardens to be retained and at least a metre of soil above the basement, and call for a basement impact assessment and structural method statement. Conservation-area front gardens are protected more strictly still.

Is my Wandsworth home in a conservation area?

It may well be — the borough has more than forty conservation areas, from Battersea Park, Clapham Common and the Heaver Estate to Wandsworth Town, Putney Embankment and Roehampton Village. Inside one, permitted development narrows and roof and elevation design are scrutinised. Enter your postcode to see the named designation, cited to source.

Can I do a side return or loft conversion in Wandsworth?

Very commonly. The borough's Victorian terraces are textbook side-return, rear-extension and loft stock with a deep approval record. Outside the conservation areas, many keep permitted development rights (or qualify for prior approval on larger rear extensions); inside them, expect a full application with careful roof and materials detailing. Check the address first.

What gets refused most often in Wandsworth?

The recurring issues are overscaled basements that breach Policy LP6's garden-retention and depth expectations, rear extensions that overshadow a neighbour against the daylight tests, and loft dormers that break a protected roofline in a conservation area. All three are visible in advance from the street's planning history and the constraint check.

How do I check constraints for a Wandsworth address?

Run the postcode through the Planning Permission Checker area report: it checks your coordinates against the official conservation-area geometry and shows Land Registry sold-price comparables, each cited to source. Because the borough's Article 4 position isn't in the national dataset, confirm any Article 4 direction against the council's own planning pages.

READ

What applies at your address?

Borough-level rules only narrow it down. Enter a Wandsworth postcode for the live constraint check — conservation area, Article 4 and sold-price comparables, cited to source.

Check a Wandsworth address

Need it in writing for one address? A planning permission report for a Wandsworth property — from £59, or surveyor-reviewed from £295.

Planning Permission Checker provides planning and cost intelligence for early feasibility only. It is not legal, planning, valuation, architectural, structural, or surveying advice. All estimates are indicative and must be verified by qualified professionals before purchase, design, planning submission, or construction.

Cost estimates are indicative only — not a quotation. Final price depends on survey, specification, structure, access, party wall matters, VAT, professional fees, and contractor availability.

Planning outcomes are not guaranteed. Local planning authorities make final decisions.