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Rear Extension Approval Rates in Swale

Rear extensions are the bread and butter of UK planning — and one of the most common reasons homeowners face a refusal. Here's what 210 real decisions tell us about rear extension outcomes in Swale.

210 real decisions·January 2020 to present·Updated June 2026
84.8%
Approval Rate
210
Decisions
178
Approved
32
Refused
84.8% approved. But 32 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 Swale.

TypeDecisionsRate
Extension (General)41
97.6%
Loft Conversion57
96.5%
Front Extension37
94.6%
Conservatory36
94.4%
Dormer70
92.9%
Annex24
91.7%
Outbuilding77
90.9%
Garage / Parking289
87.5%
Side Extension102
86.3%
Rear Extension210
84.8%
Wraparound Extension20
80.0%
New Build84
79.8%
Change of Use (Residential)83
78.3%
See how this applies to your postcode →

What the data tells us

1
84.8% of rear extension applications in Swale get approved. That means 32 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

32 rear extension applications in Swale 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 3,290,000+ real decisions

More Swale planning data

Nearby councils rear extension data

Methodology: Based on 210 planning decisions classified as rear extensions in Swale, 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 Swale Council's public planning portal. Full methodology →
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