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Loft Conversion Approval Rates in Runnymede

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 Runnymede.

681 real decisions·January 2020 to present·Updated March 2026
87.5%
Approval Rate
681
Decisions
596
Approved
85
Refused
87.5% approved. But 85 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
1Unknown75
71.4%
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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 Runnymede.

TypeDecisionsRate
Basement447
94.2%
Wraparound Extension407
92.4%
Conservatory519
92.3%
Side Extension1,785
90.8%
Front Extension584
90.6%
Hip-to-Gable Conversion192
88.5%
Rear Extension3,487
87.6%
Loft Conversion681
87.5%
Garage / Parking2,854
87.2%
Outbuilding1,092
87.0%
Dormer1,276
86.1%
Annex106
85.8%
Extension (General)661
85.3%
New Build951
83.8%
Change of Use (Residential)646
71.5%
Flat Conversion74
70.3%
HMO39
56.4%
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What the data tells us

1
87.5% of loft conversion applications in Runnymede get approved. That means 85 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

85 loft conversion applications in Runnymede have been refused since 2020. Many of those homeowners had already paid for drawings and application fees. A £79 report shows you what gets approved — and what gets refused — near your property.

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More Runnymede planning data

Methodology: Based on 681 planning decisions classified as loft conversions in Runnymede, 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 Runnymede Council's public planning portal. Full methodology →
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