Wandsworth, London
Velux loft conversion drawings in Wandsworth
Wandsworth sets out its guidance on roof alterations in its Housing SPD, and we draw Velux loft conversions for the borough against it from £695 including VAT. The council granted 91.9 per cent of householder applications in its latest year.
From £695 (VAT included)
- MCIAT chartered
- £2m PI insured
- LABC Partnered
- Fixed fees, VAT included
Request a fixed quote
How we work on velux loft conversion drawings
Nine steps from first call to approval.
Enquiry and constraints check
We check the property against conservation areas, listed status, Article 4 directions, tree preservation orders, flood zone and planning history. We choose the right route and send a fixed quote.
Measured survey
We survey the house on one datum: rooms, levels, boundaries, drains, trees and the neighbours' windows that the 45° and 25° tests depend on.
Design options
We model the house in Revit and show you options in 3D and plan, with the planning strategy and the precedents in your street.
Design frozen
You choose an option in writing. Nothing changes after this without your say.
Independent check
A second chartered technologist checks every sheet against the council's validation checklist and the policy. A senior review signs it off before anything is submitted.
Submission
We prepare the forms, certificates, fee and documents and submit through the Planning Portal.
Officer liaison
We answer the planning officer and make any amendments within five working days, at no charge until approval.
Building regulations
Technical drawings are coordinated with the structural engineer's calculations, the drainage and the planning conditions.
Approval and hand-over
Building control approval, then a next-steps pack covering the commencement notice, party wall timing and CIL.
Free redraws until approval. Every drawing set is checked independently, and the checker is never the person who drew it.
Request a fixed quote
The Housing SPD and your Wandsworth roof
The council's Housing SPD (covers rear extensions, basements, roof extensions and loft conversions) is the document we read first, and one guide covering rear extensions, roof extensions and loft conversions means the same officer logic runs through all three. Roof changes are tested against the original form of the house and its neighbours.
The local plan behind it is the Wandsworth Local Plan 2023-2038. A Velux conversion is the least intrusive roof change the SPD covers, because no volume is added, and that is where we begin the design.
Wandsworth also keeps non-statutory guidance on basements, the Basement extensions guidance (non-statutory). It is not relevant to a roof, but owners who want both should note that the two projects need separate drawings.
In practice we ask three questions of every Wandsworth roof. Is the ridge high enough for a bed under the slope? Does the party wall allow the new floor to bear on it? And does the street, seen from the pavement, tolerate a rooflight in the front plane? The answers decide the design before a line is drawn.
Local figures for Wandsworth
| Measure | Value | Period | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Conservation areas | 46 named conservation areas published by the council | — | planning.data.gov.uk |
| Listed building entries | 312 list entries (Historic England, within the LPA boundary) | — | planning.data.gov.uk |
| Householder decisions | 977 decisions | 1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026 | assets.publishing.service.gov.uk |
| Householder applications granted | 91.9 % | 1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026 | assets.publishing.service.gov.uk |
| Householder applications decided in time | 92.4 % decided within 8 weeks or an agreed extended period | 1 July 2025 - 30 June 2026 | assets.publishing.service.gov.uk |
| Households living in a house | 31.4 % of households living in a house or bungalow (detached, semi-detached or terraced) | Census 2021 | nomisweb.co.uk |
| Lawful development certificate applications (PS1) | 360 certificates | 2025 Q2 to 2026 Q1 (1 Apr 2025 to 31 Mar 2026) | assets.publishing.service.gov.uk |
| Supplementary planning document | Housing SPD (covers rear extensions, basements, roof extensions and loft conversions) | 2016 | wandsworth.gov.uk |
A blank value means the figure has not been published, not that there are none. Check your own address with the council.
Householder applications by street in Wandsworth
| Street | Applications | Approved |
|---|---|---|
| Earlsfield Road | 28 | 89% |
| Dover House Road | 27 | 74% |
| Broomwood Road | 26 | 92% |
| Sutherland Grove | 26 | 82% |
| Elborough Street | 25 | 92% |
| Elsenham Street | 25 | 91% |
| Elsley Road | 24 | 100% |
| Wakehurst Road | 24 | 90% |
| Deodar Road | 22 | 89% |
| Huntingfield Road | 22 | 91% |
| Mallinson Road | 22 | 91% |
| Thurleigh Road | 22 | 100% |
| Engadine Street | 21 | 100% |
| Magdalen Road | 21 | 80% |
| Burntwood Lane | 20 | 89% |
Loft enlargement in section: the permitted development limits
A dormer on the rear slope, with the limits that decide whether it needs planning permission.
- A · Extra roof volume allowed
- 40 m³ (terrace house) / 50 m³ (any other house) additional roof volume
- B · Set-back from the eaves
- Original eaves maintained; enlargement set at least 0.2 m from the eaves measured up the roof slope, so far as practicable (not required for hip-to-gable or roofs joining a rear/side extension)
- C · Height limit
- No part higher than the highest part of the existing roof
Conservation areas and listed houses
The borough has 46 conservation areas and 312 Historic England list entries. In a conservation area a front rooflight is the item most likely to be questioned, so we show it on the front elevation or move it to the rear.
Only 31.4 per cent of households live in a house or bungalow, so many Wandsworth owners hold a flat rather than a whole house. If you own a share of the roof, say so at the start, because the freeholder's agreement is often the real control.
A listed house is stricter again. Listed building consent is needed for most work to its roof, including new rooflights, and that consent runs alongside any planning application.
Planning record and the certificate route
Wandsworth decided 977 householder applications in its latest year, granted 91.9 per cent and decided 92.4 per cent within eight weeks or an agreed extension. Over its last four reported quarters, to the end of March, it also dealt with 360 lawful development certificate cases, which shows how often owners seek written proof of a change before building.
When the address allows it, a Lawful Development Certificate in Wandsworth is the cleanest way to settle the question in writing.
Rooflight, stair and fire rules
The rooflight limit is: Roof alterations (e.g. rooflights) may not protrude more than 0.15 m beyond the roof plane. For a side slope: Side roof-slope windows obscure-glazed and non-opening below 1.7 m.
In a Victorian terrace the stair usually decides the layout, and the allowance is: Loft conversions where 2.0 m cannot be achieved: 1.9 m at the centre of the stair, 1.8 m at the side (half width). A storey above the stated height needs protection: New storey above 4.5 m by loft conversion: protect the full escape route with fire-resisting doors (min E 20) and partitions (min REI 30). We coordinate with the building regulations drawings in Wandsworth.
Rooflights placed over the stair also help, since a well-lit stair feels wider than the same flight under a blank ceiling.
Costs, sheets and the next step
A Wandsworth set has the existing and proposed plans, the roof section, the elevations and the location and block plans, starting at £695 with VAT included. Someone other than the drafter, also a chartered technologist, checks each sheet, and requests from the council are redrawn at no charge until approval.
If the slope is too low for a usable room, look at L-shaped dormer drawings in Wandsworth. The borough overview is architectural drawings in Wandsworth, and Lambeth and Merton are next door.
Our process opens with a free constraints check of the address, followed by a measured survey of the house. The house is then modelled in three dimensions, so the plans, the roof section and the elevations always agree with one another. Where the new floor raises the room, the section shows exactly what height remains under the slope at the bed, the desk and the top of the stair, and you can judge the room from that before a builder is booked.
What you receive
Related pages
Other services in Wandsworth
Velux loft conversion drawings nearby
Questions
Which Wandsworth document covers loft conversions?
The Housing SPD (covers rear extensions, basements, roof extensions and loft conversions), read alongside the Wandsworth Local Plan 2023-2038.
Does a conservation area stop a rooflight?
Not outright, but with 46 in the borough the front slope is closely watched. Rear rooflights are the safer choice.
Can a flat owner add a rooflight?
Only with the freeholder's agreement and usually with permission, because the roof is rarely part of the flat. Ask before you spend.
Sources and dates
- planning.data.gov.uk, retrieved
- planning.data.gov.uk, retrieved
- assets.publishing.service.gov.uk, retrieved
- nomisweb.co.uk, retrieved
- assets.publishing.service.gov.uk, retrieved
- wandsworth.gov.uk, retrieved
- wandsworth.gov.uk, retrieved
- wandsworth.gov.uk, retrieved
- legislation.gov.uk, retrieved
- gov.uk, retrieved
- gov.uk, retrieved
- Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.
- Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
- Contains Historic England data © Historic England 2026. Contains Ordnance Survey data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.
Tell us about your property.
We check the constraints, then send a fixed fee. Messages before 3pm get a reply the same working day.