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Rear Extension Approval Rates in South Gloucestershire

Rear extensions are the bread and butter of UK planning — and one of the most common reasons homeowners face a refusal. Here's what 4,038 real decisions tell us about rear extension outcomes in South Gloucestershire.

4,038 real decisions·January 2020 to October 2026·Updated October 2026
90.3%
Approval Rate
4,038
Decisions
3,646
Approved
392
Refused
90.3% approved. But 392 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 South Gloucestershire.

TypeDecisionsRate
Conservatory479
91.9%
Wraparound Extension433
90.5%
Rear Extension4,038
90.3%
Basement39
89.7%
Side Extension2,558
87.0%
Outbuilding903
84.9%
Front Extension662
84.4%
Garage / Parking2,762
83.6%
Hip-to-Gable Conversion247
83.4%
Dormer1,107
82.4%
Extension (General)607
82.4%
Flat Conversion48
81.2%
Change of Use (Residential)1,087
80.7%
Loft Conversion746
79.9%
HMO327
79.2%
Annex411
78.6%
New Build2,805
77.0%
See how this applies to your postcode →

What the data tells us

1
90.3% of rear extension applications in South Gloucestershire get approved. That means 392 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

392 rear extension applications in South Gloucestershire 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 3,850,000+ real decisions

More South Gloucestershire planning data

Nearby councils rear extension data

Methodology: Based on 4,038 planning decisions classified as rear extensions in South Gloucestershire, January 2020 to October 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 South Gloucestershire Council's public planning portal. Full methodology →
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