After months dominated by skyscrapers, controversies and green belt battles, Wandsworth’s Planning Applications Committee is taking a quieter breath [pdf] this May. But even without towers on the table, planning never quite loses its edge — especially in Putney, where dormers, pediments and garden outbuildings proved enough to stir architectural passions and neighbourly scrutiny.
29 St John’s Avenue: A Pediment Too Far? Not Quite
One of the more contentious applications — though modest in scale — came from 29 St John’s Avenue, a handsome villa in the West Putney Conservation Area. The owners sought permission to add a rear dormer, a single-storey side/front extension, an enlarged basement, and an air-conditioning unit on the roof.
What drew the most heat was a proposed pediment — a small triangular classical flourish above the new extension, echoing the decorative features already crowning the house’s original first-floor windows. To some, it was a graceful nod to the home’s Victorian elegance. To others, it was one flourish too many.
The Conservation and Heritage Advisory Committee (CHAC) didn’t hold back:
“The addition of a pediment detracts considerably from the high-quality architecture,” said one member. “They seem to be spending a lot of money to achieve not very much space at the side,” said another. A third questioned why the pediment needed replicating at all. And a fourth, unusually, recused themselves from the entire discussion.
CHAC formally objected to the side extension in principle, and particularly the pediment’s visual impact. But in the end, the Planning Committee is likely to approve the full proposal, including the pediment, siding with officers who felt the design was overall sympathetic to the host building.
Some design tweaks were required:
- The rooflights must be conservation-style, flush with the roof surface.
- External materials for the extension must match the original brickwork.
- Any changes to window detailing or cornicing must adhere to the submitted plans.
It’s a familiar outcome in Wandsworth planning — conservation advisers overruled, provided the harm is judged minimal and the heritage fabric remains largely intact.
In this case, the pediment lives to see daylight, quite literally.
Skeena Hill: A Suburban Superbuild
At 40 Skeena Hill, SW18, a homeowner won approval for a multi-level transformation: demolition of the garage, new basement, two-storey side extension, roof dormers, and a sleek garden studio.
It’s a big leap for a residential plot, but officers gave it the thumbs-up, finding the plans sensitive to the Sutherland Grove Conservation Area and harmonious with neighbouring homes.
It’s the kind of quiet ambition becoming more common in Putney: homes adapting into long-term, multi-functional spaces, with offices, gyms and generational flexibility all built in.
St Ann’s Hill: Going Underground
Likewise, a bid for a basement-equipped outbuilding at 174 St Ann’s Hill, SW18 2RS got the nod from councillors. Though modest on paper — a rear garden gym and office — the inclusion of a basement beneath the garden structure marks a growing trend.
Approved without fuss, it’s a sign of how Putney’s planning frontier now lies beneath the lawn as well as above the roofline.
A Lull in Major Developments — But Not in Detail
Compared to previous meetings — which dealt with towers on protected land, more towers next to bridges, and fierce local campaigns — this month’s committee felt like a retreat into domestic detail.
But planning doesn’t sleep — it zooms in. Enforcement officers reported on matters as granular as unauthorised trellises, gates and garden fences:
- At 76 Norroy Road, a rear extension triggered formal enforcement action.
- At Pleasance Road (Nos. 22 and 24), complaints about a gate and trellis prompted investigations — and resolution.
- In Putney Park Lane and Coalecroft Road, deviations from approved building plans were caught and corrected.
- And at 16 Winchelsea Close, a simple front garden fence found itself under official scrutiny.
It’s a reminder that planning is both epic and absurd, sometimes in the same meeting. Or as one official might put it: “One person’s trellis is another person’s Waterloo.”
The Planning Landscape, Post-Controversy
This month marked a breather after battles over the Wimbledon Park expansion, green belt debates, and high-rise flashpoints. But Putney’s planning terrain remains active, even if it’s now more about cellars than skylines.
In a borough where rooflines are sacred and garden sheds scrutinised, Wandsworth’s planners may have swapped headlines for hedgerows — but the stakes, for residents, remain just as real.
