Borough Report

Wandsworth

632 determined applications · 2,100+ documents · 2019–2024

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Headline findings

31%

Refusal rate

Small-site schemes (1–9 units)

Verified

−42%

10th unit cliff

Per-unit residual collapses at AH threshold

Verified

1.6×

Pre-app advantage

94% approval with pre-app vs 59% without

Verified

19%

Schemes cut

1 in 5 approved schemes loses units

Verified

All 21 findings

Verified Density sweet spot: 350–500 hr/ha for conversions, 250–400 for new-build ›

Median approved density varies by site type. Conversions support higher density than new-build, and PTAL 4–5 sites outperform PTAL 6 on achievable yield. Based on n=344 approved applications.

Verified The 10th unit cliff: per-unit residual drops 42% at affordable housing threshold ›

At 10 units, affordable housing obligations trigger a step-change in scheme economics. The viability model shows 9-unit schemes consistently outperform 10–11 unit schemes on per-unit residual land value.

Verified Pre-app lifts approval from 59% to 94% (+36 points) ›

Pre-application engagement lifts approval rate by 36 percentage points (94.5% vs 58.5%). The effect is consistent across site types and areas. With a 31% base refusal rate, pre-app is the single most effective risk mitigant. n=110 with pre-app, n=369 without.

Verified 18.6% of approved schemes lose units during determination ›

Nearly 1 in 5 approved schemes is compressed during the planning process. The average reduction is 1.7 units (median 1), each worth six figures in lost residual land value. 71% of schemes pass through unchanged, and 10% are actually expanded. n=349 approved applications.

Verified Conservation areas add 8–12% refusal risk ›

Applications in conservation areas face materially higher refusal rates. The effect is strongest for new-build and extension schemes where visual impact is greatest.

Moderate Committee referral correlates with lower approval rates ›

Schemes referred to committee have lower approval rates than delegated decisions. Committee schemes also incur longer determination periods, increasing holding costs.

Moderate Design quality is the most-cited refusal reason ›

Across all refusals, design quality and character/appearance are cited more frequently than any other grounds. This applies to both new-build and conversion schemes.

Moderate Approval rates vary significantly by ward ›

Ward-level approval rates range from under 45% to over 80%. The report maps every ward and identifies which areas are most and least favourable for small-site development.

Inside the report

Density matrix showing median densities by site type

Median approved density by site type, with P20–P75 ranges and sample sizes. The starting point for every acquisition appraisal.

Per-unit residual by scheme size. See exactly where affordable housing obligations collapse your margin.

Executive summary with evidence-graded findings

Every finding graded Robust, Moderate, Indicative, or Anecdotal. No hand-waving. No unqualified claims.

Look up your site type and PTAL band. Get the median approved density and confidence interval in seconds.

What you get

The full report

40+ page report (HTML & PDF) with all 21 evidence-graded findings
Density matrix by site type with P20–P75 ranges
PTAL-adjusted density lookup table
Viability model with cliff chart and sensitivity analysis
Ward-level and area-level approval rate maps
Refusal reason analysis with frequency data
Conservation area risk assessment
Case officer patterns and committee benchmarks

Decision tools

Before-you-bid checklist: site-level due diligence prompts
Before-you-submit checklist: application quality checks
One-page Market Snapshot for quick reference
Underlying data in Excel for your own analysis

Methodology

Complete dataset, not a sample — every determined application
Backtested density model: 73% within ±1 unit, 90% within ±2
Four evidence tiers: Robust, Moderate, Indicative, Anecdotal

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