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Rear Extension Approval Rates in Chorley

Rear extensions are the bread and butter of UK planning — and one of the most common reasons homeowners face a refusal. Here's what 1,033 real decisions tell us about rear extension outcomes in Chorley.

1,033 real decisions·January 2020 to August 2026·Updated August 2026
93.2%
Approval Rate
1,033
Decisions
963
Approved
70
Refused
93.2% approved. But 70 refused since 2020. Each refusal cost the homeowner time and money on drawings and application fees. Understanding your local data before you apply is the difference between confidence and a costly gamble.

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Why rear extension approval rates matter

Rear extensions sit in the middle of the pack nationally. They're common enough that councils have clear precedent — but that cuts both ways. If your neighbours have been refused, that precedent works against you too.

These are council averages. Your property is specific.

Two houses on the same street can get different outcomes.
Check your postcode to see what actually happens near your address.

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How rear extensions compare to other project types

Not all applications are treated equally. Here's how rear extensions stack up against other common projects in Chorley.

TypeDecisionsRate
Loft Conversion21
100.0%
Wraparound Extension36
100.0%
Extension (General)240
94.6%
Conservatory332
93.7%
Side Extension437
93.6%
Dormer169
93.5%
Rear Extension1,033
93.2%
Change of Use (Residential)154
92.9%
Garage / Parking527
92.6%
Front Extension92
92.4%
New Build317
90.5%
Outbuilding167
87.4%
HMO25
80.0%
See how this applies to your postcode →

What the data tells us

1
93.2% of rear extension applications in Chorley get approved. That means 70 homeowners since 2020 have been refused. Not terrible odds, but not a foregone conclusion.
3
Council averages are starting points, not guarantees. The decisions that matter most are the comparable ones near your specific property — because planning officers look at precedent, character and the immediate context of your street.

Before you spend £5,000+ on architects and drawings

70 rear extension applications in Chorley have been refused since 2020. Many of those homeowners had already paid for drawings and application fees. A free, property-specific report shows you what gets approved — and what gets refused — near your property.

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Free · Property report emailed in minutes · Based on 3,770,000+ real decisions

More Chorley planning data

Methodology: Based on 1,033 planning decisions classified as rear extensions in Chorley, January 2020 to August 2026. Classification uses keyword matching against proposal descriptions (matching generate_site_data.py rules). A single application may appear in multiple categories. Approval rate = approved / (approved + refused). Pending, withdrawn and invalid applications excluded. Data from Chorley Council's public planning portal. Full methodology →
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