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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 1,128 real decisions tell us about rear extension outcomes in Stevenage.

1,128 real decisions·January 2020 to present·Updated March 2026
93.7%
Approval Rate
1,128
Decisions
1,057
Approved
71
Refused
93.7% approved. But 71 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: Chells approves 100.0% of rear extension applications while Shephall sits at 77.8%. That 22.2% gap means your postcode is one of the strongest indicators of outcome.

Rear Extension approval rate by ward

#WardDecisionsApprovedRate
1Chells99
100.0%
2Old Town66
100.0%
3Roebuck77
100.0%
4Woodfield87
87.5%
5Bedwell76
85.7%
6Symonds Green54
80.0%
7Shephall97
77.8%
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These are council averages. Your property is specific.

A rear extension has a 100.0% approval rate in Chells but just 77.8% in Shephall.
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
Outbuilding75
98.7%
Conservatory178
98.3%
Extension (General)95
96.8%
Front Extension445
95.5%
Rear Extension1,128
93.7%
Change of Use (Residential)264
93.2%
Side Extension436
91.5%
Wraparound Extension91
91.2%
Loft Conversion101
91.1%
Garage / Parking374
90.9%
Dormer126
90.5%
HMO28
89.3%
New Build169
86.4%
Annex26
69.2%
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What the data tells us

1
93.7% of rear extension applications in Stevenage get approved. That means 71 homeowners since 2020 have been refused. Not terrible odds, but not a foregone conclusion.
2
Your ward matters more than you think. The 22.2% gap between Chells (100.0%) and Shephall (77.8%) 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

71 rear extension applications in Stevenage 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 Stevenage planning data

Methodology: Based on 1,128 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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