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Rear Extension Approval Rates in Surrey Heath

Rear extensions are the bread and butter of UK planning — and one of the most common reasons homeowners face a refusal. Here's what 1,177 real decisions tell us about rear extension outcomes in Surrey Heath.

1,177 real decisions·January 2020 to present·Updated March 2026
89.6%
Approval Rate
1,177
Decisions
1,055
Approved
122
Refused
89.6% approved. But 122 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 Surrey Heath: Windlesham & Chobham approves 87.5% of rear extension applications while Old Dean sits at 80.0%. That 7.5% gap means your postcode is one of the strongest indicators of outcome.

Rear Extension approval rate by ward

#WardDecisionsApprovedRate
1Windlesham & Chobham87
87.5%
2Mytchett & Deepcut76
85.7%
3Bisley & West End65
83.3%
4Old Dean54
80.0%
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These are council averages. Your property is specific.

A rear extension has a 87.5% approval rate in Windlesham & Chobham but just 80.0% in Old Dean.
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 Surrey Heath.

TypeDecisionsRate
Basement21
100.0%
Annex26
96.2%
Conservatory350
91.1%
Wraparound Extension180
90.6%
Garage / Parking773
89.9%
Rear Extension1,177
89.6%
Outbuilding138
89.1%
Side Extension908
89.1%
Front Extension371
88.9%
Extension (General)159
87.4%
Change of Use (Residential)124
85.5%
New Build284
84.9%
Loft Conversion42
83.3%
Dormer191
80.6%
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What the data tells us

1
89.6% of rear extension applications in Surrey Heath get approved. That means 122 homeowners since 2020 have been refused. Not terrible odds, but not a foregone conclusion.
2
Your ward matters more than you think. The 7.5% gap between Windlesham & Chobham (87.5%) and Old Dean (80.0%) 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

122 rear extension applications in Surrey Heath 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 Surrey Heath planning data

Methodology: Based on 1,177 planning decisions classified as rear extensions in Surrey Heath, 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 Surrey Heath Council's public planning portal. Full methodology →
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