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Rear Extension Approval Rates in Woking

Rear extensions are the bread and butter of UK planning — and one of the most common reasons homeowners face a refusal. Here's what 2,297 real decisions tell us about rear extension outcomes in Woking.

2,297 real decisions·January 2020 to August 2026·Updated August 2026
83.2%
Approval Rate
2,297
Decisions
1,912
Approved
385
Refused
83.2% approved. But 385 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 Woking.

TypeDecisionsRate
Basement62
95.2%
Conservatory416
88.5%
Extension (General)265
87.2%
Garage / Parking1,853
85.5%
Flat Conversion100
85.0%
Wraparound Extension560
84.8%
Side Extension1,406
84.4%
Rear Extension2,297
83.2%
Front Extension614
82.1%
Outbuilding658
80.9%
New Build592
80.6%
Hip-to-Gable Conversion133
79.7%
Dormer705
79.1%
Loft Conversion231
78.4%
Change of Use (Residential)318
73.0%
Annex56
66.1%
See how this applies to your postcode →

What the data tells us

1
83.2% of rear extension applications in Woking get approved. That means 385 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

385 rear extension applications in Woking 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 3,780,000+ real decisions

More Woking planning data

Methodology: Based on 2,297 planning decisions classified as rear extensions in Woking, January 2020 to August 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 Woking Council's public planning portal. Full methodology →
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