- Decision
- dismissed, 17 August 2026
- Decided by
- Planning Inspector: K Reeves
- Authority
- Wandsworth (London)
- Appeal reference
- 6006986
- Application reference
- 2025/0902
- Procedure
- written representations
- Development
- Conversion of a house into two flats with enlarged roof terrace
- Homes
- 1
- Site context
- inside settlement
- Green Belt
- No
- Framework applied
- December 2024 NPPF (transitional)
- Determinative policies
- s38(6), P3(2)(a)
- Development plan policies
- Wandsworth Local Plan 2023-2038 LP26, LP27, London Plan 2021 D6
- Main issues
- family housing; living conditions
Summary
A house-to-two-flats conversion in Wandsworth. Dismissed because the only family-sized flat was 23 sq m below NDSS and had a roof terrace instead of the "rear garden" local policy requires. The extra home got only limited weight. Dated 17 August 2026, the letter uses the 2024 "significantly and demonstrably outweighed" language and never mentions the new Framework.
What made the difference
Internal space standards and the literal "rear garden" wording in LP26(B). The appellant's measured survey won on the floorspace threshold (DL ¶6), but that only moved the scheme into Part B, which it then failed. L2(1)(d)'s substantial weight for additional homes within existing plots was not considered.
Policy findings
Policy codes are those of the National Planning Policy Framework (August 2026) unless a development plan is named.
| Policy | Finding | Weight | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| LP26 (Wandsworth LP) | conflict | significant | appellant measured survey (131 sq m original) preferred, so Part A passed; Part B failed — 3-bed upper flat has a 15 sq m second-floor terrace, not a "rear garden" (DL 4-9) |
| P3(2)(a) | fail | significant | upper 3-bed flat 79 sq m against 102 sq m NDSS; LP26/LP27 "consistent with the ... Framework's requirement for a high standard of amenity" (DL 10-16); code mapped by harvester |
| L2(1)(d) | benefit | limited | efficient use of plot, one extra home in sustainable location: "only limited weight" — no L2 substantial weight applied (DL 15); code mapped by harvester |
Key facts
- 23 sq m NDSS shortfall for the family unit (DL 11)
- Balance phrased "significantly and demonstrably outweighed" (2024 tilted-balance wording) in a letter dated 17 August 2026 with no reference to the new Framework (DL 16)
Sources
This note is one of the decisions behind the NPPF 2026 Navigator, which shows how each Framework test has been applied across all the decisions in the database. Also available as Markdown.