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Rear Extension Approval Rates in Sandwell

Rear extensions are the bread and butter of UK planning — and one of the most common reasons homeowners face a refusal. Here's what 3,206 real decisions tell us about rear extension outcomes in Sandwell.

3,206 real decisions·January 2020 to September 2026·Updated September 2026
93.4%
Approval Rate
3,206
Decisions
2,994
Approved
212
Refused
93.4% approved. But 212 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.

These are council averages. Your property is specific.

Two houses on the same street can get different outcomes.
Check your postcode to see what actually happens near your address.

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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 Sandwell.

TypeDecisionsRate
HMO43
100.0%
Hip-to-Gable Conversion32
96.9%
Flat Conversion29
96.6%
Wraparound Extension199
96.0%
Conservatory313
95.5%
Side Extension1,091
94.6%
Front Extension236
94.5%
Rear Extension3,206
93.4%
Loft Conversion176
93.2%
Outbuilding112
92.9%
Garage / Parking454
92.1%
Extension (General)260
91.2%
Change of Use (Residential)393
91.1%
New Build53
88.7%
Dormer227
87.7%
See how this applies to your postcode →

What the data tells us

1
93.4% of rear extension applications in Sandwell get approved. That means 212 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

212 rear extension applications in Sandwell 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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Free · Property report emailed in minutes · Based on 3,840,000+ real decisions

More Sandwell planning data

Nearby councils rear extension data

Methodology: Based on 3,206 planning decisions classified as rear extensions in Sandwell, January 2020 to September 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 Sandwell Council's public planning portal. Full methodology →
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