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Rear Extension Approval Rates in Wakefield

Rear extensions are the bread and butter of UK planning — and one of the most common reasons homeowners face a refusal. Here's what 1,893 real decisions tell us about rear extension outcomes in Wakefield.

1,893 real decisions·January 2020 to September 2026·Updated September 2026
96.6%
Approval Rate
1,893
Decisions
1,828
Approved
65
Refused
96.6% approved. But 65 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 Wakefield.

TypeDecisionsRate
Wraparound Extension180
97.8%
Conservatory371
97.6%
Hip-to-Gable Conversion67
97.0%
Rear Extension1,893
96.6%
Loft Conversion260
95.8%
Front Extension278
95.3%
Side Extension1,189
95.2%
Extension (General)2,859
95.1%
Basement66
93.9%
Annex129
93.0%
Garage / Parking2,313
91.7%
Dormer710
91.1%
Outbuilding583
87.5%
New Build538
87.5%
Change of Use (Residential)945
86.7%
Flat Conversion29
86.2%
HMO85
70.6%
See how this applies to your postcode →

What the data tells us

1
96.6% of rear extension applications in Wakefield get approved. That means 65 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

65 rear extension applications in Wakefield 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 3,840,000+ real decisions

More Wakefield planning data

Nearby councils rear extension data

Methodology: Based on 1,893 planning decisions classified as rear extensions in Wakefield, January 2020 to September 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 Wakefield Council's public planning portal. Full methodology →
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