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Rear Extension Approval Rates in East Cambridgeshire

Rear extensions are the bread and butter of UK planning — and one of the most common reasons homeowners face a refusal. Here's what 1,299 real decisions tell us about rear extension outcomes in East Cambridgeshire.

1,299 real decisions·January 2020 to present·Updated June 2026
94.2%
Approval Rate
1,299
Decisions
1,224
Approved
75
Refused
94.2% approved. But 75 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 East Cambridgeshire: Woodditton approves 100.0% of rear extension applications while Fordham And Isleham sits at 80.0%. That 20.0% gap means your postcode is one of the strongest indicators of outcome.

Rear Extension approval rate by ward

#WardDecisionsApprovedRate
1Woodditton55
100.0%
2Fordham And Isleham54
80.0%
See how this applies to your postcode →

These are council averages. Your property is specific.

A rear extension has a 100.0% approval rate in Woodditton but just 80.0% in Fordham And Isleham.
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 East Cambridgeshire.

TypeDecisionsRate
Conservatory209
98.1%
Rear Extension1,299
94.2%
Front Extension214
92.1%
Side Extension635
92.0%
Wraparound Extension96
91.7%
Extension (General)866
90.6%
Dormer166
90.4%
Outbuilding690
88.8%
Loft Conversion199
87.9%
Garage / Parking2,010
86.8%
Annex186
85.5%
Change of Use (Residential)562
82.6%
New Build465
77.8%
See how this applies to your postcode →

What the data tells us

1
94.2% of rear extension applications in East Cambridgeshire get approved. That means 75 homeowners since 2020 have been refused. Not terrible odds, but not a foregone conclusion.
2
Your ward matters more than you think. The 20.0% gap between Woodditton (100.0%) and Fordham And Isleham (80.0%) 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

75 rear extension applications in East Cambridgeshire 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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More East Cambridgeshire planning data

Nearby councils rear extension data

Methodology: Based on 1,299 planning decisions classified as rear extensions in East Cambridgeshire, 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 East Cambridgeshire Council's public planning portal. Full methodology →
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