Builders in Putney

Homes in Putney

Wandsworth's Urban Design Study describes West Putney as tree-lined streets with mature gardens and a consistent pattern of large Victorian and Edwardian terraced, semi-detached and detached houses, generally two to three storeys and mostly in brick. The West Putney conservation area is largely Victorian in the north and east and overwhelmingly Edwardian in the centre, south and west. East Putney, which grew after its station opened in 1889, mixes Arts and Crafts and Old English cottage styles in yellow stock and red brick, render and hanging tiles.

Deodar Road is unusual: its large three-storey houses, built soon after 1896, have long back gardens running down to the Thames, which the council's appraisal describes as unique in Wandsworth. Around Putney Lower Common, mid-to-late Victorian houses face the common with what the appraisal calls a rural village atmosphere. Houses like these suit rear kitchen extensions and carefully designed loft conversions.

Planning in Putney

Putney is mostly covered by the London Borough of Wandsworth, but the SW15 postcode also reaches into the London Boroughs of Richmond upon Thames and Kingston upon Thames at its edges, so check which council covers your address. Conservation areas include West Putney, East Putney, Deodar Road, Putney Lower Common, Putney Embankment, Putney Heath, Charlwood Road and Lifford Street, Dover House Estate, Landford Road, Oxford Road and Parkfields, with appraisals on Wandsworth's conservation areas pages.

Article 4 directions are narrower than people often assume. At Putney Lower Common the direction covers only the Nelson Cottages at 15 to 36 Commondale, where even re-roofing in a different material, a new front wall or painting the brickwork needs permission. The Dover House Estate has its own direction controlling front alterations and exterior painting. West Putney, East Putney and Deodar Road have no householder Article 4 directions at the time of writing, although their conservation area status still limits permitted development.

The Urban Design Study rates West Putney as highly sensitive to change: it favours brick over timber, says most streets could not take more than three storeys, and expects roof extensions to be highly sympathetic to the house and street. In East Putney it identifies overly large roof extensions as a problem. Wandsworth's Housing guidance sets out its detailed expectations for lofts and rear extensions.

Basements in Wandsworth are governed by Policy LP6 of the Wandsworth Local Plan (adopted 2023). It allows no more than one storey below ground, limits a basement to half of the existing rear garden, requires at least a metre of permeable soil and a drainage layer above any part under the garden, and asks for a pumped device to protect against sewer flooding. Lightwells must leave at least half the depth of the front garden, and in the higher flood zones basement bedrooms are not allowed.

Worth knowing locally

• Parts of Putney near the river are in the Thames flood zone but protected by defences, and the only tidal flood recorded in Wandsworth's flood risk assessment was on Putney Embankment, so riverside properties need flood-resilient design below ground.
• Paved-over front gardens and lost boundary walls are singled out as harming West Putney, so extensions that keep front gardens and walls intact are far better received.
• Putney Heath, around 160 hectares of wooded open space, borders the south of the area, and houses near it often have mature trees that need protecting during building work.