Wandsworth Council's Planning Applications Committee has agreed to take enforcement action against a property on St John's Road due to the Installation of external roller shutters without planning permission.
The decision was made during a meeting on Thursday, June 25, 2026, concerning the property at 41 St John's Road, SW11 1QW.
The enforcement action recommends to authorise the issue of an enforcement notice, together with any other legal or direct action which may be necessary, to secure the removal of the external roller shutters.
The owner was advised that the installation of external shutters constitutes development under Section 55 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, thus requiring planning permission. As the Council does not support the installation of solid external shutters, as outlined in policy LP8 of Wandsworth's Adopted Local Plan (2023) and the Shopfronts SPG (1988), the owner was requested to remove them. To date, no action has been taken, and the property remains in use as four self-contained flats.
Google Street View imagery indicates the shutters were not present as of July 2022, meaning enforcement action can still be taken to address the visual harm caused by the unauthorised shutters. This action follows a history of planning compliance issues at the property, including a previous enforcement case in 2015 concerning a high fence in the front garden and subdivision of the house into two flats, for which an enforcement notice was served on 19 April 2016. Another enforcement case in 2021 related to a large HMO without permission.
While related enforcement cases have been documented for properties in the SW15 postcode area, such as those on Elmshaw Road, there are no direct precedents cited for similar actions on St John's Road or within the SW11 postcode area in the provided meeting information.
Further details regarding the specific nature of the enforcement action can be found in the Public reports pack for the Planning Applications Committee meeting on 25th June 2026.