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Loft Conversion Approval Rates in Richmond

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 Richmond.

3,714 real decisions·January 2020 to present·Updated June 2026
81.5%
Approval Rate
3,714
Decisions
3,028
Approved
686
Refused
81.5% approved. But 686 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.

Loft Conversion approval rate by ward

#WardDecisionsApprovedRate
1Unknown2929
100.0%
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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 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 Richmond.

TypeDecisionsRate
HMO175
92.6%
Change of Use (Residential)1,362
91.3%
Conservatory683
89.6%
Flat Conversion329
88.4%
Outbuilding1,837
87.6%
Extension (General)1,487
85.0%
Garage / Parking3,148
83.7%
New Build777
83.7%
Basement902
83.6%
Rear Extension6,985
82.5%
Hip-to-Gable Conversion1,190
82.4%
Wraparound Extension589
82.2%
Side Extension3,156
82.1%
Dormer4,505
81.5%
Loft Conversion3,714
81.5%
Annex108
79.6%
Front Extension315
77.1%
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What the data tells us

1
81.5% of loft conversion applications in Richmond get approved. That means 686 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

686 loft conversion applications in Richmond 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 Richmond planning data

Nearby councils loft conversion data

Methodology: Based on 3,714 planning decisions classified as loft conversions in Richmond, 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 Richmond Council's public planning portal. Full methodology →
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