Planning permission in Wandsworth
Constraints: planning.data.gov.uk (ingested 2026-09-08) · Prices: HM Land Registry UK House Price Index, January 2026 · 268 sales in January 2026 · Open Government Licence
Search Wandsworth planning applications
Looking for an existing application rather than checking a new project? Open the council's official planning service to find its application search. Our guide explains how to compare useful precedents without treating another address's approval as a guarantee for yours.
Open the official Wandsworth planning service →How to read planning applications →
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.
Conservation areas in Wandsworth
Real · planning.data.gov.ukEvery 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.ukNo 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.
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 | £689,951 |
| Annual price change | -3.0% |
Conservation areas and Article 4 directions: planning.data.gov.uk, ingested 2026-09-08 · Householder approval rates: MHCLG district planning application statistics (PS2), 2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 · House prices: HM Land Registry UK House Price Index, January 2026 · 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.
What gets built in Wandsworth
The 'between the commons' terraces extend routinely; scale against the neighbour's daylight to clear the 45-degree test.
Rear extension in Wandsworth →Among the highest-return projects on the Wandsworth terraces; steelwork and party-wall work drive the cost.
Side return extension in Wandsworth →Strong loft stock; conservation-area dormers and rooflines get the closest scrutiny.
Loft conversion in Wandsworth →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 →Common across the borough's terrace gardens; the 2.5m boundary-height rule is the most-breached limit.
Garden room in Wandsworth →Wandsworth postcode by postcode
SW18 covers the Wandsworth Town, Magdalen Park and Old Devonshire Road conservation areas and the Victorian 'Tonsleys'. Side retur…
SW18 planning report →SW11 includes the Battersea Park, Battersea Square, Shaftesbury Park Estate and Heaver Estate conservation areas around Clapham Ju…
SW11 planning report →SW12 is Balham — the streets around Nightingale Lane and the Clapham Common conservation-area edge, classic family-terrace stock. …
SW12 planning report →SW15 runs from the Putney Embankment and Putney Heath conservation areas to the Dover House Estate and Roehampton Village. Riversi…
SW15 planning report →SW17 is Tooting — the Totterdown Fields conservation area, an early London County Council cottage estate, and the long terraces ar…
SW17 planning report →Wandsworth planning, asked straight
Do I need planning permission for a basement in Wandsworth?
Is my Wandsworth home in a conservation area?
Can I do a side return or loft conversion in Wandsworth?
What gets refused most often in Wandsworth?
How do I check constraints for a Wandsworth address?
Related reading
The biggest space gain in London — bought at the steepest price.
Read the guide →Four roof forms, four budgets — and one big conservation premium.
Read the guide →Designated land edits the rulebook — here's the exact redline.
Read the guide →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.
Free, and it stays free — no account, no payment. The check reads official geometry at the property's own coordinates; it cannot read a lease, a listing or the condition of the building.
Who to talk to about a Wandsworth property
Constraint data tells you what applies. It does not draw a scheme, argue a case with Wandsworth's planners, or inspect a building. For that this site points at two separately regulated practices — which one you need depends on the job in hand.
The architect's door: designing the scheme and getting it consented — drawings, the planning application and the building-regulations package.
- Residential design for extensions, lofts, basements and conversions
- Planning applications, pre-application advice and appeals
- Lawful development certificates
- Building-regulations and technical design drawings
- Conservation-area design and listed building consent applications
The chartered-surveyor door: professional judgement on condition, risk, party wall matters and leasehold process.
- Building surveys, RICS home surveys and defect diagnosis
- Party wall matters and awards
- Technical due diligence before a purchase
- Leasehold and major-works advisory (Section 20)
- Dilapidations and building pathology
Both practices are independent and separately regulated — Hampstead Chartered Surveyors & Building Consultancy is an RICS-regulated firm (Firm Reg. 923064); Hampstead Architecture and Planning are ARB-registered architects. We publish no fees for their work: each quotes directly for the job in front of them. Your enquiry goes to the practice you choose — we never pass your details to builders or other third parties.
Planning terms on this page
Conservation Area · Article 4 Direction · Permitted development · Full planning · LDC · Determination period
Plain-English definitions · full planning glossary →
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.