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Loft Conversion Approval Rates in Mid Sussex

Loft conversions change your roofline — and that makes them one of the more closely scrutinised application types. Councils scrutinise visibility, overlooking and street character more closely than for ground-level work. Here's what the data shows in Mid Sussex.

369 real decisions·January 2020 to August 2026·Updated August 2026
93.0%
Approval Rate
369
Decisions
343
Approved
26
Refused
93.0% approved. But 26 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 loft conversion approval rates matter

Loft conversions face more scrutiny than rear or side extensions because they change the property's profile from the street. Dormers, mansards and hip-to-gable alterations are particularly sensitive.

These are council averages. Your property is specific.

Two houses on the same street can get different outcomes.
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How loft conversions compare to other project types

Not all applications are treated equally. Here's how loft conversions stack up against other common projects in Mid Sussex.

TypeDecisionsRate
Conservatory356
97.2%
Front Extension240
95.8%
Rear Extension1,316
95.4%
Side Extension764
95.0%
Wraparound Extension102
93.1%
Basement29
93.1%
Loft Conversion369
93.0%
Outbuilding454
92.7%
Garage / Parking1,461
92.1%
Hip-to-Gable Conversion76
92.1%
Extension (General)551
92.0%
Dormer502
91.6%
Change of Use (Residential)253
88.9%
Annex74
86.5%
New Build173
76.3%
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What the data tells us

1
93.0% of loft conversion applications in Mid Sussex get approved. That means 26 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

26 loft conversion applications in Mid Sussex 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 Mid Sussex planning data

Nearby councils loft conversion data

Methodology: Based on 369 planning decisions classified as loft conversions in Mid Sussex, January 2020 to August 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 Mid Sussex Council's public planning portal. Full methodology →
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