- Planning authority
- London Borough of Wandsworth
- Postcodes
- SW11, SW15, SW17, SW18
- Noon sun, 21 March
- About 39°
- Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
- About 6.3 m
- Planning plan
- Local Plan
- County
- Greater London
What shapes a plot in Wandsworth
Neighbours matter twice on a landlocked plot. They may own the strip you need to cross, and they’ll be consulted when the application goes in. In Wandsworth, as in Merton, Lambeth and Hammersmith and Fulham, a calm, early conversation about a shared access usually goes better than a letter arriving out of the blue.
We can make that approach with you. Any deal on the access is written down first, then the planning case is built to suit the council’s Local Plan and the guidance the council uses.
From first call to decision
Call us or use the form and tell us roughly where the land is and how you reach it now. We check the title and the planning history around Wandsworth, then come back to you. If the access can’t be secured on sensible terms, we’ll say so plainly and early, and there is nothing to pay for the appraisal.
Free plot appraisal
We start with the access, not the plot: title plans, rights of way, the width on the ground and the route to the road. It’s a desktop check and a conversation, with a site visit if it looks viable, at no cost.
Secure the way in
If a right of way needs widening, a strip needs buying or a neighbour needs to come in, we agree the approach with you and negotiate it, so the terms are settled before planning money is spent.
Planning application
We design a layout that answers the access, privacy and neighbour questions councils ask about tandem and backland plots, then apply. The council consults neighbours and decides, and the decision is always the council’s.
Sale or build
Depending on the route you chose, the sale completes through a transfer of part, or you keep the land and we give a written quote for building the new home after design and survey.
Worth checking early
- A right of way that has served a garage or field for years may not legally cover a new house.
- Buying out a ransom strip or a neighbour’s land costs money and time, and the other owner can say no.
- Tandem layouts affect the front house’s privacy and quiet, and councils weigh that carefully.
Your questions, answered for Wandsworth
Can I build behind my house in Wandsworth if the only way in is my drive?
Possibly. That would be a tandem layout, with the new home behind yours sharing your drive. The London Borough of Wandsworth will look at the effect of cars passing your house, privacy, garden space and whether it suits the area. Fire and bin access also need checking. The decision is the council’s, and a good design improves the odds.
Will the London Borough of Wandsworth accept a shared drive for a new home in Wandsworth?
It can, but shared drives are looked at closely. The council will consider the width, visibility at the road, the effect on the house beside the drive, and whether fire and bin access work. A drive with a clear gap from windows and screening alongside generally fares better.
Could my neighbour and I in Wandsworth share one new access?
Often, yes. If both your gardens are long, combining them can give one shared drive and a better layout than either garden alone. Each owner keeps their house, and a written agreement sets out how the value is shared fairly.
Do you buy landlocked land in Wandsworth?
We can, where the access problem looks solvable. Any purchase is subject to survey, title and contract. If securing access would cost more than it’s worth, or the owner of the strip won’t deal, we tell you that early rather than wasting your time.
Other options in Wandsworth
- Planning permission for a garden plot
- Joint venture on your garden plot
- Build a new home in your garden
- Combine gardens with your neighbours
- Corner and side plots
- Sell subject to planning