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Rear Extension Approval Rates in Elmbridge

Rear extensions are the bread and butter of UK planning — and one of the most common reasons homeowners face a refusal. Here's what 24,783 real decisions tell us about rear extension outcomes in Elmbridge.

24,783 real decisions·January 2020 to September 2026·Updated September 2026
83.6%
Approval Rate
24,783
Decisions
20,727
Approved
4,056
Refused
83.6% approved. But 4,056 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.
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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 Elmbridge.

TypeDecisionsRate
HMO62
90.3%
Conservatory5,281
88.6%
New Build242
87.2%
Front Extension4,806
83.8%
Rear Extension24,783
83.6%
Wraparound Extension1,362
83.0%
Side Extension15,985
82.8%
Extension (General)2,005
81.3%
Annex245
80.8%
Hip-to-Gable Conversion1,954
80.0%
Dormer10,646
77.7%
Outbuilding3,190
76.6%
Loft Conversion4,279
76.6%
Garage / Parking16,343
76.2%
Flat Conversion121
74.4%
Basement1,441
72.7%
Change of Use (Residential)1,905
71.5%
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What the data tells us

1
83.6% of rear extension applications in Elmbridge get approved. That means 4,056 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

4,056 rear extension applications in Elmbridge 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 3,840,000+ real decisions

More Elmbridge planning data

Methodology: Based on 24,783 planning decisions classified as rear extensions in Elmbridge, January 2020 to September 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 Elmbridge Council's public planning portal. Full methodology →
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