MCIAT chartered drawings · Fixed fees across all 33 London boroughs
[email protected]020 7864 7245WhatsApp

Free 2026 London Planning Report — Side Return Extension Drawings in Putney SW15

Open-plan kitchen extension interior in a Putney SW15 Victorian house near the Thames, Wandsworth
Putney · SW15 · Wandsworth

Side Return Extension Drawings in Putney SW15

Fixed-fee, MCIAT-chartered side return extension drawings for Putney (SW15) homeowners — London Borough of Wandsworth validation and local constraints handled from the start.

Free Putney planning assessment

Tell us your Putney (SW15) address and project. A fixed quote and free planning appraisal land within one working day.

No obligation · No spam · Reply within 1 working day

Putney (SW15) is unusually heavily conservation-controlled for an outer-inner London neighbourhood: five separate conservation areas — Putney Embankment, West Putney, East Putney, Charlwood Road & Lifford Street, and Oxford Road — cover a large share of the housing. Whether a property sits inside one of those boundaries is the single biggest factor in how an extension or loft is designed and assessed.

Add the Thames on the northern edge, and riverside and Embankment properties also carry flood-zone considerations that have to be addressed in the application. We map a Putney property against the conservation and flood-zone boundaries first, then design the drawings to Wandsworth's residential guidance so the application is validated without a query.

Open-plan kitchen extension interior in a Putney SW15 Victorian house near the Thames, Wandsworth
Isometric illustration of a Putney SW15 home side return extension drawings design
Proposed floor plan
Putney SW15

Planning in Putney (SW15): what to know before you apply

SW15 has no householder Article 4 direction, but its five conservation areas mean permitted development cannot be assumed across much of Putney, and riverside properties near the Embankment sit within the Thames flood zone — both are checked before we recommend a route.

Typical Putney housing stock

Victorian and Edwardian terraces on the streets climbing from the river, riverside mansion blocks along the Embankment, and interwar semi-detached houses toward Putney Heath and Roehampton.

Streets we regularly draw for in Putney

Putney High Street · Upper Richmond Road · Lower Richmond Road · Disraeli Road

Side Return Extension Drawings for Putney (SW15) homes: the package and the process

Every side return extension drawings we prepare for an Putney property is drawn to London Borough of Wandsworth’s validation standards and tuned to the SW15 constraints above. Here is what the drawing package covers and how the process runs from first survey to approval.

Behind most London terraces sits a narrow side alley, a metre or so wide, running from the front boundary to the back garden. A side return extension builds into that alley at ground floor, pushing the kitchen wall out to line up with the rest of the house and topping the new space with a glazed or pitched roof — often the single biggest transformation available to a galley kitchen without touching the garden at all. Because the alley typically sits hard against next door's boundary wall, this is also the extension type most likely to involve your neighbour directly, both through the planning application and through the Party Wall process.

DrawingsDirect draws side return extensions for full planning, coordinates the Party Wall paperwork your neighbour will need to see, and produces the structural calculations for the beam that carries the new roof, all under one MCIAT-chartered team and one fixed fee. If you are also extending the rear at the same time, our Wraparound Extension page covers the combined project.

Do I need planning permission for a side return extension in London?

Permitted development rights for side extensions are narrower than for rear extensions: they generally cap the extension at a single storey, restrict its width to no more than half the width of the original house, and limit its height. In practice, a full-depth side return running the length of a Victorian or Edwardian terrace usually exceeds one or more of these limits, so most side return projects are drawn and submitted as a full householder planning application.

Conservation area status and Article 4 directions, common across inner London terraces, remove permitted development rights for side extensions entirely in many streets, reinforcing the need for a planning application. We check your property's status before drawing.

What does a side return extension involve?

A side return infills the alley at ground floor level, structurally opening the original flank wall of the kitchen into the new space so the two areas read as one room. Unlike a rear extension, which is bounded on three sides by your own garden, a side return is bounded on one long side by the neighbouring property, which shapes almost every decision in the design, from where the roof glazing sits to how deep the new foundations need to go.

  • New flank wall built out to align with the rear of the house, following the boundary line
  • Original external wall between kitchen and alley opened up and supported on a steel or glulam beam
  • Roof over the new space either glazed in full, glazed in a strip along the boundary for a 'light well' effect, or pitched and tiled to match the main roof
  • Kitchen re-planned across the combined footprint, often incorporating an island once the room widens
Side return project options
PackageWhat it coversTypical fee
Side return, planning onlyFull householder planning application drawings for the infillFull Planning pack ~£1,600–£2,400
Side return, planning + Building RegulationsAdds structural calculations, Party Wall drawings and construction detailPlanning + Building Regs pack ~£2,200–£3,850
Side return + rear extension (wraparound)Combines both extensions into one L-shaped ground floorsee Wraparound Extension Drawings
Measured survey onlyA measured existing floor-plan set for your own architect, surveyor or builderfrom £450

Also in Putney SW15

Planning PermissionPlanning DrawingsArchitectural DrawingsBuilding Regulations DrawingsLoft Conversion DrawingsSide Return Extension Drawings across WandsworthSide Return Extension Drawings across London
FAQ

Side Return Extension Drawings in Putney SW15 — FAQs

How much does a side return extension cost to design in London?+
Side return drawings start from £1,400. The final fee depends on whether you commission planning drawings alone or a combined planning and building regulations package with structural calculations, all fixed and agreed upfront.
Can I build a side return under permitted development?+
Rarely for a full-width, full-depth side return. Permitted development for side extensions is limited on width and storeys, and most Victorian and Edwardian terraces sit in conservation areas that remove these rights anyway, so a full planning application is the usual route. We still check your specific property first, since some semi-detached and detached houses outside conservation areas retain more generous side-extension allowances.
When do I need to serve Party Wall notice on my neighbour?+
Before work starts, and ideally once your drawings and structural design are settled, since the notice needs accurate dimensions. We can prepare the supporting drawings alongside your planning application so both processes run in parallel.
Do I need an architect for a side return extension?+
No. DrawingsDirect is an MCIAT-chartered architectural technologist practice, so you get the same council-accepted drawings as an architect, for a fixed fee typically around 30% lower, with structural calculations produced in-house.
How long does a side return extension take to design and approve?+
Drawings are typically ready around 7 days from survey. A householder planning application then has a statutory 8-week determination period, running alongside your Party Wall notice period.
Do I need planning permission for a side-return extension in Wandsworth?+
On many of Wandsworth's Victorian terraces a single-storey side-return or rear extension can fall within permitted development, so a full application isn't always required. Conservation areas such as Wandsworth Common and Nightingale Lane, and the 'between the commons' streets, can restrict this. We check your street's designation first and can secure a Lawful Development Certificate where the work is permitted development.
What does Wandsworth's basement Article 4 direction mean for me?+
In parts of Wandsworth an Article 4 direction removes permitted development for basement works, and the council requires a Basement Impact Assessment covering structural stability, drainage and groundwater. If you are considering a basement or lower-ground extension we flag whether the direction applies to your address early, and coordinate the structural input so the application is complete when submitted.
How long will Wandsworth take to decide my application?+
Wandsworth determines most householder applications within the statutory eight-week window once the submission is validated. Because the terraced grids around the commons are party-wall-sensitive and design expectations are well established, the commonest delay is a drawing query — so we prepare Wandsworth submissions to the validation checklist to keep them moving.
Can you design an extension for a converted flat near the commons?+
Yes. Much of Battersea and the streets around Clapham and Wandsworth Commons are mansion blocks and converted flats, where ownership, lease and party-wall considerations shape what is deliverable alongside the planning route. We confirm the ownership and structural context before drawing, and coordinate the calculations in-house so party-wall-sensitive schemes are handled cleanly.
How much do Wandsworth planning drawings cost?+
We agree a fixed fee before starting, usually around 30% below an architect's fee for the same council-accepted drawings, with free redraws until Wandsworth approves. The price depends on the scheme — a side-return differs from a mansard loft or a basement — so we quote once we have seen your project rather than charging by the hour.
Free Fixed Quote

Get your free Putney planning assessment

Tell us your Putney (SW15) address and ambition — we'll confirm feasibility, local constraints and a fixed fee within one working day.