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Rear Extension Approval Rates in Leeds

Rear extensions are the bread and butter of UK planning — and one of the most common reasons homeowners face a refusal. Here's what 10,161 real decisions tell us about rear extension outcomes in Leeds.

10,161 real decisions·January 2020 to present·Updated June 2026
89.0%
Approval Rate
10,161
Decisions
9,042
Approved
1,119
Refused
89.0% approved. But 1,119 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.

Rear Extension approval rate by ward

#WardDecisionsApprovedRate
1Adel & Wharfedale54
80.0%
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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 Leeds.

TypeDecisionsRate
Rear Extension10,161
89.0%
Wraparound Extension2,024
87.2%
Conservatory1,054
87.1%
Side Extension6,979
86.2%
Extension (General)3,255
85.3%
Garage / Parking6,064
84.6%
Outbuilding1,842
82.7%
Loft Conversion717
82.6%
Hip-to-Gable Conversion447
81.7%
Dormer4,427
80.7%
Annex222
79.7%
HMO1,000
79.3%
Front Extension1,412
78.3%
Change of Use (Residential)2,273
77.1%
Basement665
76.7%
Flat Conversion232
75.0%
New Build738
72.0%
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What the data tells us

1
89.0% of rear extension applications in Leeds get approved. That means 1,119 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

1,119 rear extension applications in Leeds 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 Leeds planning data

Nearby councils rear extension data

Methodology: Based on 10,161 planning decisions classified as rear extensions in Leeds, 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 Leeds Council's public planning portal. Full methodology →
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