Permission in Principle Secured for 9 New Homes in Putney, London
Permission in Principle secured for 9 residential units in Putney, converting upper floor offices to housing above retained ground floor retail space.
PLANNING APPROVALSPERMISSION IN PRINCIPLELONDONWANDSWORTH
Andrew Ransome
7/29/20262 min read
In 2025, I helped secure Permission in Principle for the change of use of the upper floors of an office block in Putney from commercial to residential use, delivering 9 new dwellings in the heart of Putney town centre.
On this project I acted as planning advisor, setting the overall planning strategy, while the client submitted the application itself. It's a good illustration of how the Permission in Principle route can be used strategically to de-risk a scheme before committing to detailed design.
Why Permission in Principle?
Permission in Principle is a two-stage consenting route introduced under the Town and Country Planning (Permission in Principle) Order 2017.
The first stage establishes whether a site is acceptable in principle, considering only location, land use, and amount of development, before any technical design detail is worked up.
It's a useful tool where the fundamentals of a scheme are strong, but there's value in confirming the principle of development before investing in detailed drawings and technical assessments.
For this site, the strategy centred on three questions:
was the location suitable for residential use
was the loss of office floorspace acceptable
was a scheme of 9 units appropriate in scale
The Permission in Principle Assessment
The Council agreed with our planning arguments, namely:
Location and land use: the surrounding area was found to be genuinely mixed, with residential and commercial uses.
Loss of office space: town centre policy generally resists the loss of office floorspace unless marketing evidence demonstrates a lack of demand. A marketing and viability report had already been undertaken in connection with an earlier permission. This report was accepted as still being valid and sufficient to justify the change of use at upper floor level.
Amount of development: the 9 additional dwellings was considered modest and appropriate in principle, with design and townscape matters reserved for the technical details stage.
The Application Outcome
The Council's recommendation was to approve, confirming the principle of residential use, the acceptability of the loss of office space at upper floor level, and the amount of development proposed.
As is standard for Permission in Principle, no conditions could be attached
The Value of a Staged Strategy
This outcome shows the benefit of planning strategy, where the the principle is not certain.
By securing agreement on the principle of use and amount of development first, our client now has a clear and confirmed basis to proceed to technical details, with the main planning risk already resolved.
Planning Application Advice
If you have a site with underused commercial floorspace in a town centre location, or a site with an uncertain planning position, it may be worth exploring whether a Permission in Principle strategy could help move things forward. Get in touch to discuss.
Andrew Ransome MRTPI - Email: andrew@andrewransome.co.uk
About me
Andrew Ransome is a Planning Director and a Chartered Member of the Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI), with more than two decades of experience in town planning.
He specialises in delivering strategic planning solutions for complex developments across both rural and urban environments, helping clients navigate planning challenges and unlock development opportunities. Connect with Andrew on Linkedin.
Permission in Principle Approvals
Planning Application Information
Get in touch for planning advice: Email: andrew@andrewransome.co.uk
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