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Rear Extension Approval Rates in Dover

Rear extensions are the bread and butter of UK planning — and one of the most common reasons homeowners face a refusal. Here's what 890 real decisions tell us about rear extension outcomes in Dover.

890 real decisions·January 2020 to present·Updated March 2026
92.8%
Approval Rate
890
Decisions
826
Approved
64
Refused
92.8% approved. But 64 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.

Ward gap in Dover: Guston Kingsdown St Margarets-at-Cliffe approves 100.0% of rear extension applications while Dover Downs And River sits at 75.0%. That 25.0% gap means your postcode is one of the strongest indicators of outcome.

Rear Extension approval rate by ward

#WardDecisionsApprovedRate
1Guston Kingsdown St Margarets-at-Cliffe77
100.0%
2North Deal87
87.5%
3Dover Downs And River86
75.0%
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These are council averages. Your property is specific.

A rear extension has a 100.0% approval rate in Guston Kingsdown St Margarets-at-Cliffe but just 75.0% in Dover Downs And River.
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 Dover.

TypeDecisionsRate
Basement63
96.8%
Conservatory232
95.7%
Front Extension114
95.6%
Wraparound Extension69
94.2%
Side Extension526
93.3%
Rear Extension890
92.8%
Outbuilding1,133
92.7%
Dormer268
91.8%
Loft Conversion156
91.0%
Annex127
90.6%
Garage / Parking1,229
89.8%
Extension (General)214
88.8%
New Build701
88.6%
HMO24
87.5%
Change of Use (Residential)521
84.5%
Flat Conversion47
72.3%
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What the data tells us

1
92.8% of rear extension applications in Dover get approved. That means 64 homeowners since 2020 have been refused. Not terrible odds, but not a foregone conclusion.
2
Your ward matters more than you think. The 25.0% gap between Guston Kingsdown St Margarets-at-Cliffe (100.0%) and Dover Downs And River (75.0%) means your postcode is one of the strongest indicators of outcome.
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

64 rear extension applications in Dover have been refused since 2020. Many of those homeowners had already paid for drawings and application fees. A £79 report shows you what gets approved — and what gets refused — near your property.

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More Dover planning data

Nearby councils rear extension data

Methodology: Based on 890 planning decisions classified as rear extensions in Dover, January 2020 to present. 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 Dover Council's public planning portal. Full methodology →
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