Planning
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Free Wandsworth planning permission check

Check whether your Wandsworth project needs planning permission in 90 seconds. Free, no signup, verified against the London Borough of Wandsworth's 46 designated conservation areas, around 500 listed buildings and the council's published Article 4 directions. Extensions, loft conversions, basements, new builds, change of use, outbuildings and prior approvals all covered.

WarningThis tool gives general guidance based on public planning data. It is not legal advice. Always verify with your local planning authority before starting work.

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46
Conservation areas
around 500
Listed buildings
90%
Overall approval rate
9 wks
Typical decision time

Approval rate is the overall planning approval rate for all applications decided by the council, YE Dec 2025, per MHCLG Live Table P124.

Planning in Wandsworth

Wandsworth is one of London's most active planning authorities, handling everything from single-storey rear extensions and loft conversions to full basement digs, new build mews houses and Class MA change of use from commercial to residential. The borough runs the full spectrum from Battersea's Victorian terraces (where Article 4 directions increasingly restrict PD rights) to the post-war estates of Roehampton and Tooting's Edwardian semis. Wandsworth has 46 designated conservation areas, 11 published Article 4 directions and around 500 nationally listed buildings. The council's planners are pragmatic on rear extensions and loft conversions that respect the existing roofscape, but strict on anything visible from the street in a conservation area: materials must match, windows must be timber, and mansards are refused more often than approved. For prior approval cases (larger rear extensions between 3m and 8m, upward extensions under Class AA) the council is generally procedural. Basement excavations face much tighter controls and expect a basement impact assessment and a structural engineer's report as standard. The council's overall planning approval rate was 90% for year ending December 2025 per MHCLG Live Table P124.

Why Wandsworth refuses planning applications

The commonest reasons London Borough of Wandsworth officers give when refusing householder planning applications - across extensions, loft conversions, basements, outbuildings and other residential projects - based on published committee reports:

  1. Loss of privacy through overlooking to neighbouring rear windows
  2. Bulk and massing out of scale with the terrace
  3. Unsympathetic materials in conservation area settings
  4. Loss of garden space below the 50% retention threshold
  5. Impact on a tree protected by a TPO

Wandsworth council resources

Authoritative Wandsworth planning sources you can cross-check:

Further reading
Read the full Wandsworth extension guide →

Cost benchmarks, planning timelines and design recommendations specific to Wandsworth homeowners.

Last reviewed by Jonathan Blewitt (founder, Mayfair Studio) on 11 April 2026. Approval rate sourced from MHCLG quarterly live tables (YE Dec 2025). Conservation area, Article 4 and listed building counts cross-referenced against planning.data.gov.uk. This page is reviewed quarterly.