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Rear Extension Approval Rates in Hertsmere

Rear extensions are the bread and butter of UK planning — and one of the most common reasons homeowners face a refusal. Here's what 1,206 real decisions tell us about rear extension outcomes in Hertsmere.

1,206 real decisions·January 2020 to present·Updated June 2026
86.0%
Approval Rate
1,206
Decisions
1,037
Approved
169
Refused
86.0% approved. But 169 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 Hertsmere: Potters Bar Oakmere approves 100.0% of rear extension applications while Bentley Heath & The Royds sits at 66.7%. That 33.3% gap means your postcode is one of the strongest indicators of outcome.

Rear Extension approval rate by ward

#WardDecisionsApprovedRate
1Potters Bar Oakmere55
100.0%
2Aldenham East77
100.0%
3Potters Bar Parkfield77
100.0%
4Bushey North66
100.0%
5Bentley Heath & The Royds96
66.7%
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These are council averages. Your property is specific.

A rear extension has a 100.0% approval rate in Potters Bar Oakmere but just 66.7% in Bentley Heath & The Royds.
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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 Hertsmere.

TypeDecisionsRate
HMO21
100.0%
Flat Conversion22
100.0%
Front Extension151
94.7%
Wraparound Extension103
94.2%
Basement31
93.5%
Hip-to-Gable Conversion137
92.7%
Garage / Parking494
90.7%
Dormer475
90.7%
Extension (General)73
89.0%
Change of Use (Residential)63
88.9%
Outbuilding143
88.1%
Conservatory153
86.9%
Side Extension330
86.1%
Rear Extension1,206
86.0%
Loft Conversion94
83.0%
New Build91
81.3%
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What the data tells us

1
86.0% of rear extension applications in Hertsmere get approved. That means 169 homeowners since 2020 have been refused. Not terrible odds, but not a foregone conclusion.
2
Your ward matters more than you think. The 33.3% gap between Potters Bar Oakmere (100.0%) and Bentley Heath & The Royds (66.7%) 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

169 rear extension applications in Hertsmere 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 Hertsmere planning data

Methodology: Based on 1,206 planning decisions classified as rear extensions in Hertsmere, 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 Hertsmere Council's public planning portal. Full methodology →
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