Affordable housing in Wandsworth boosted by changes to local planning rules

The Council's proposed changes to local planning rules were confirmed to be sound and legally compliant by the independent Planning Inspector, supporting the borough’s approach to housing delivery and responding directly to Wandsworth’s significant and growing need for affordable homes. 

The updated Local Plan introduces a series of changes that will require developers to contribute more affordable housing for local people:

• At least 70% of all new affordable homes will be social rent, up from the current 50% requirement. This reflects clear evidence that social rent is the tenure most needed in the borough.
• Small housing developments of fewer than 10 units will, for the first time, contribute financially towards affordable housing delivery, with a charge of £50,000 per dwelling.
• Stronger requirements for Build‑to‑Rent, Purpose‑Built Student Accommodation (PBSA), and co‑living developments to ensure these schemes provide a fair and meaningful contribution to genuinely affordable housing.

Aydin Dikerdem, Cabinet Member for Housing, said, "We're an ambitious progressive council and we want to ensure private sites in Wandsworth deliver the social housing local people need. Thanks to this decision, when a scheme comes through our planning process we will fight for as much affordable housing as we can get which will help those residents on our housing list. We will have more public good coming out of developments in our borough because of these changes - and that's what this council set out to do."

These changes place Wandsworth amongst London’s most proactive and ambitious boroughs in protecting affordability for residents.

A new Housing Needs Assessment shows the borough faces an urgent long‑term requirement for up to 23,600 additional affordable homes by 2038, with two‑thirds of this need for social rented housing. In addition, around 11,000 households are currently on the Council’s waiting lists.

The updated Plan directly responds to this evidence, ensuring future development meets the real and pressing needs of local people.

The updated Plan will be presented to Full Council on 4 March with a recommendation for adoption, after which it will used to assess any future planning applications that the Council receives.