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Rear Extension Approval Rates in Darlington

Rear extensions are the bread and butter of UK planning — and one of the most common reasons homeowners face a refusal. Here's what 556 real decisions tell us about rear extension outcomes in Darlington.

556 real decisions·January 2020 to August 2026·Updated August 2026
95.3%
Approval Rate
556
Decisions
530
Approved
26
Refused
95.3% approved. But 26 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 Darlington.

TypeDecisionsRate
Loft Conversion48
97.9%
Annex31
96.8%
Outbuilding200
96.5%
Garage / Parking694
96.4%
Wraparound Extension51
96.1%
Dormer149
96.0%
Side Extension178
95.5%
Rear Extension556
95.3%
Conservatory169
95.3%
Basement21
95.2%
Extension (General)408
95.1%
New Build337
93.8%
HMO37
86.5%
Change of Use (Residential)192
85.9%
See how this applies to your postcode →

What the data tells us

1
95.3% of rear extension applications in Darlington get approved. That means 26 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

26 rear extension applications in Darlington 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 3,780,000+ real decisions

More Darlington planning data

Nearby councils rear extension data

Methodology: Based on 556 planning decisions classified as rear extensions in Darlington, 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 Darlington Council's public planning portal. Full methodology →
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