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Rear Extension Approval Rates in Stevenage

Rear extensions are the bread and butter of UK planning — and one of the most common reasons homeowners face a refusal. Here's what 1,206 real decisions tell us about rear extension outcomes in Stevenage.

1,206 real decisions·January 2020 to present·Updated June 2026
93.9%
Approval Rate
1,206
Decisions
1,132
Approved
74
Refused
93.9% approved. But 74 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.

Ward gap in Stevenage: Old Town approves 100.0% of rear extension applications while Roebuck sits at 81.8%. That 18.2% gap means your postcode is one of the strongest indicators of outcome.

Rear Extension approval rate by ward

#WardDecisionsApprovedRate
1Old Town1414
100.0%
2Longmeadow77
100.0%
3Bedwell66
100.0%
4Bandley Hill And Poplars65
83.3%
5Roebuck119
81.8%
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These are council averages. Your property is specific.

A rear extension has a 100.0% approval rate in Old Town but just 81.8% in Roebuck.
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 Stevenage.

TypeDecisionsRate
Outbuilding85
98.8%
Conservatory181
98.3%
Extension (General)102
96.1%
Front Extension465
95.7%
Rear Extension1,206
93.9%
Change of Use (Residential)286
93.4%
Side Extension474
92.0%
Wraparound Extension100
92.0%
Garage / Parking417
91.4%
HMO32
90.6%
Loft Conversion106
90.6%
Dormer131
90.1%
New Build189
87.8%
Annex30
73.3%
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What the data tells us

1
93.9% of rear extension applications in Stevenage get approved. That means 74 homeowners since 2020 have been refused. Not terrible odds, but not a foregone conclusion.
2
Your ward matters more than you think. The 18.2% gap between Old Town (100.0%) and Roebuck (81.8%) means your postcode is one of the strongest indicators of outcome.
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

74 rear extension applications in Stevenage 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 Stevenage planning data

Methodology: Based on 1,206 planning decisions classified as rear extensions in Stevenage, 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 Stevenage Council's public planning portal. Full methodology →
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