Prior approval drawings in Wandsworth

What the Housing SPD means for a notification

Prior approval is not a design review, yet officers read neighbour amenity with local guidance in mind. Wandsworth's Housing SPD (covers rear extensions, basements, roof extensions and loft conversions) is the document they use, and its Basement extensions guidance (non-statutory) runs alongside it. Read together, they give a plain idea of how far a rear wall can reasonably reach before it presses on the neighbour.

Because 31.4 per cent of households live in a house or bungalow, much of the borough is flats, and a house here is often a prized, expensive one: terraced homes average £970,844. That value is the reason to check each limit. A depth that turns out to be a few centimetres over costs far more to unpick than the notification cost to prepare.

Owners sometimes want a basement or roof change bundled with the rear extension. Prior approval for a larger home extension covers the single-storey rear extension only; anything else needs its own route. Where a scheme mixes several elements, we split it into what the notification can carry and what belongs in a planning application, then price both in one quote so nothing is discovered halfway through.

The limits that apply are: 6 m (attached) / 8 m (detached), single storey, height max 4 m; not on article 2(3) land or an SSSI. We measure from the original rear wall, so a previous extension on your house is counted against you and shown on the plans.

Notification contents and the council period

The Order asks for Written description (depth beyond rear wall, max height, eaves height), site plan, addresses of adjoining premises, developer contact address. We add scaled plans, elevations and a section through the boundary, because a drawing the officer can read in a minute leaves fewer reasons to write back. Every dimension comes from our own measured survey, not from estate agent plans or an old set of drawings.

The council has 42 days before development may begin without a decision, and neighbours are notified in the meantime. Always obtain the decision in writing. The council fee is £249.

Choosing between notification, certificate and application

Wandsworth decided 977 householder applications in the latest year and granted 91.9 per cent. If the house cannot use prior approval, that is the route to compare, and our planning drawings cover it. The borough also dealt with 360 lawful development certificate applications, a useful reminder that work within ordinary permitted limits can be proved by a Lawful Development Certificate instead.

More on the borough is on our Wandsworth architectural drawings page, with the national rules on the prior approval drawings hub. The council also publishes Wandsworth Local Plan 2023-2038, adopted in 2,023.

Our process for Wandsworth houses

First comes the constraints check: land designation, Article 4 directions and listing. Next a survey of the rear elevation and the adjoining windows, then two or three depth options with the trade-off explained in plain English.

Before submission a chartered technologist other than the drafter checks the set against the Order. We submit, track the neighbour period and reply to the officer. If the council wants amendments we redraw without a second charge. No decision can be promised; it belongs to the council.