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Rear Extension Approval Rates in Wirral

Rear extensions are the bread and butter of UK planning — and one of the most common reasons homeowners face a refusal. Here's what 2,191 real decisions tell us about rear extension outcomes in Wirral.

2,191 real decisions·January 2020 to present·Updated June 2026
91.3%
Approval Rate
2,191
Decisions
2,001
Approved
190
Refused
91.3% approved. But 190 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 Wirral: Hoylake and Meols approves 100.0% of rear extension applications while West Kirby and Thurstaston sits at 91.7%. That 8.3% gap means your postcode is one of the strongest indicators of outcome.

Rear Extension approval rate by ward

#WardDecisionsApprovedRate
1Hoylake and Meols88
100.0%
2Heswall55
100.0%
3West Kirby and Thurstaston1211
91.7%
See how this applies to your postcode →

These are council averages. Your property is specific.

A rear extension has a 100.0% approval rate in Hoylake and Meols but just 91.7% in West Kirby and Thurstaston.
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 Wirral.

TypeDecisionsRate
Wraparound Extension338
95.0%
Side Extension1,460
92.7%
Rear Extension2,191
91.3%
Front Extension312
91.0%
Conservatory264
90.2%
Extension (General)764
88.5%
Garage / Parking1,266
87.3%
Outbuilding277
86.3%
Annex70
85.7%
Basement45
84.4%
Dormer559
81.9%
Loft Conversion252
80.6%
Change of Use (Residential)432
78.2%
New Build335
76.7%
Hip-to-Gable Conversion72
75.0%
Flat Conversion73
74.0%
HMO60
53.3%
See how this applies to your postcode →

What the data tells us

1
91.3% of rear extension applications in Wirral get approved. That means 190 homeowners since 2020 have been refused. Not terrible odds, but not a foregone conclusion.
2
Your ward matters more than you think. The 8.3% gap between Hoylake and Meols (100.0%) and West Kirby and Thurstaston (91.7%) 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

190 rear extension applications in Wirral 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 Wirral planning data

Methodology: Based on 2,191 planning decisions classified as rear extensions in Wirral, 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 Wirral Council's public planning portal. Full methodology →
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