What is the average rear extension approval rate in the UK?

Across 232 councils and 644,708 decisions, the average approval rate is 91.3%. But rates vary enormously by council and location.

Which council has the highest rear extension approval rate?

Mid Devon at 100.0% based on 346 decisions.

How many rear extension applications get refused?

Of 644,708 decisions nationally, 84,389 were refused. That is roughly 1 in 8 applications.

Rear Extension: What Are Your Chances? UK Approval Rates (August 2026)

10 Best Councils for Rear Extensions

These councils approve rear extension applications at the highest rate. But remember, a high council average can hide wards where refusal rates are double the headline figure.

#	Council	Decisions	Refused	Rate
1	Mid Devon	346	0	100.0%
2	Ards and North Down Borough Council	1,592	1	99.9%
3	Fareham	585	1	99.8%
4	Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council	617	2	99.7%
5	Derry City and Strabane District Council	1,327	4	99.7%
6	Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council	479	2	99.6%
7	Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council	624	3	99.5%
8	Fermanagh and Omagh District Council	539	3	99.4%
9	Hinckley & Bosworth	852	5	99.4%
10	South Lanarkshire	4,972	30	99.4%

Found your council? See what's happening at street level →

10 Hardest Councils for Rear Extensions

These councils refuse rear extensions at the highest rate. If you're planning a rear extension in one of these areas, checking your local data first could save you thousands in wasted fees.

#	Council	Decisions	Refused	Rate
1	Greenwich	5,637	1,881	66.6%
2	Brent	12,230	3,350	72.6%
3	Cardiff	467	127	72.8%
4	Waltham Forest	9,045	2,239	75.2%
5	Harrow	10,671	2,628	75.4%
6	Barking & Dagenham	4,814	1,181	75.5%
7	Lewisham	4,767	1,164	75.6%
8	Kingston	7,619	1,854	75.7%
9	Gravesham	383	93	75.7%
10	Barnet	17,862	4,337	75.7%

Found your council? See what's happening at street level →

All 232 Councils Ranked for Rear Extensions

#	Council	Decisions	Approved	Refused	Rate
1	Mid Devon	346	346	0	100.0%
2	Ards and North Down Borough Council	1,592	1,591	1	99.9%
3	Fareham	585	584	1	99.8%
4	Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council	617	615	2	99.7%
5	Derry City and Strabane District Council	1,327	1,323	4	99.7%
6	Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council	479	477	2	99.6%
7	Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council	624	621	3	99.5%
8	Fermanagh and Omagh District Council	539	536	3	99.4%
9	Hinckley & Bosworth	852	847	5	99.4%
10	South Lanarkshire	4,972	4,942	30	99.4%
11	Mid and East Antrim Borough Council	543	539	4	99.3%
12	Carlisle	642	637	5	99.2%
13	West Lancashire	909	902	7	99.2%
14	Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council	1,107	1,096	11	99.0%
15	Dacorum	297	294	3	99.0%
16	Mansfield	663	656	7	98.9%
17	Belfast City Council	3,261	3,223	38	98.8%
18	Gosport	530	523	7	98.7%
19	Harlow	451	445	6	98.7%
20	Stockton-on-Tees	399	394	5	98.7%
21	Stirling	492	485	7	98.6%
22	North East Lincolnshire	395	389	6	98.5%
23	Torridge	327	322	5	98.5%
24	Bromsgrove & Redditch	507	499	8	98.4%
25	East Dunbartonshire	365	359	6	98.4%
26	Blaby	944	928	16	98.3%
27	Lincoln	974	957	17	98.3%
28	South Ribble	1,050	1,032	18	98.3%
29	Halton	619	608	11	98.2%
30	Neath Port Talbot	4,349	4,271	78	98.2%
31	Broadland	1,098	1,076	22	98.0%
32	Cheltenham	2,513	2,462	51	98.0%
33	South Norfolk	954	935	19	98.0%
34	County Durham	1,571	1,535	36	97.7%
35	Tamworth	1,129	1,103	26	97.7%
36	Arun	353	344	9	97.5%
37	Erewash	813	793	20	97.5%
38	Rushmoor	963	939	24	97.5%
39	Knowsley	1,441	1,403	38	97.4%
40	North Norfolk	307	299	8	97.4%
41	Winchester	958	933	25	97.4%
42	Plymouth	1,284	1,248	36	97.2%
43	Rugby	2,479	2,410	69	97.2%
44	South Tyneside	682	663	19	97.2%
45	Cornwall	1,191	1,156	35	97.1%
46	Hartlepool	467	453	14	97.0%
47	Doncaster	1,791	1,735	56	96.9%
48	Gateshead	1,422	1,377	45	96.8%
49	North West Leicestershire	282	273	9	96.8%
50	West Suffolk	5,512	5,330	182	96.7%
51	Newry, Mourne and Down District Council	802	774	28	96.5%
52	Wakefield	1,874	1,809	65	96.5%
53	Aberdeen	711	685	26	96.3%
54	Cannock Chase	1,017	979	38	96.3%
55	Canterbury	2,049	1,973	76	96.3%
56	Melton	352	339	13	96.3%
57	Basingstoke & Deane	1,903	1,831	72	96.2%
58	Newcastle upon Tyne	312	300	12	96.2%
59	North East Derbyshire	1,116	1,073	43	96.1%
60	West Oxfordshire	1,038	997	41	96.1%
61	Derby	1,677	1,610	67	96.0%
62	Norwich	1,449	1,391	58	96.0%
63	North Tyneside	1,358	1,302	56	95.9%
64	City of Edinburgh	3,006	2,880	126	95.8%
65	Forest of Dean	572	548	24	95.8%
66	South Kesteven	1,043	999	44	95.8%
67	Cotswold	2,447	2,339	108	95.6%
68	Rhondda Cynon Taf	594	568	26	95.6%
69	Gedling	1,043	996	47	95.5%
70	Lewes & Eastbourne	331	316	15	95.5%
71	Sunderland	1,064	1,016	48	95.5%
72	Westmorland and Furness	3,048	2,911	137	95.5%
73	Barnsley	3,843	3,666	177	95.4%
74	Lake District NPA	519	495	24	95.4%
75	Mid Sussex	1,316	1,255	61	95.4%
76	Darlington	556	530	26	95.3%
77	Horsham	2,214	2,107	107	95.2%
78	Redcar and Cleveland	1,274	1,213	61	95.2%
79	Telford & Wrekin	2,582	2,457	125	95.2%
80	Tewkesbury	1,357	1,292	65	95.2%
81	Bath & NE Somerset	5,021	4,777	244	95.1%
82	Broxtowe	1,524	1,449	75	95.1%
83	Cambridge	1,481	1,408	73	95.1%
84	Chichester	668	635	33	95.1%
85	Torfaen	580	551	29	95.0%
86	Nottingham	1,129	1,070	59	94.8%
87	Flintshire	986	933	53	94.6%
88	North Somerset	3,261	3,085	176	94.6%
89	Test Valley	766	724	42	94.5%
90	Wiltshire	16,085	15,206	879	94.5%
91	Dudley	4,051	3,822	229	94.3%
92	East Cambridgeshire	1,326	1,251	75	94.3%
93	Fenland	599	564	35	94.2%
94	East Hampshire	1,310	1,233	77	94.1%
95	Stevenage	1,220	1,146	74	93.9%
96	York	2,594	2,436	158	93.9%
97	Swindon	1,249	1,172	77	93.8%
98	Brighton & Hove	506	474	32	93.7%
99	Gwynedd	649	608	41	93.7%
100	Warwick	3,686	3,455	231	93.7%
101	Camden	3,685	3,448	237	93.6%
102	Dorset	2,047	1,916	131	93.6%
103	North Northamptonshire	688	644	44	93.6%
104	Pembrokeshire Coast National Park	281	263	18	93.6%
105	North Hertfordshire	430	402	28	93.5%
106	North Yorkshire	439	410	29	93.4%
107	Sandwell	3,143	2,935	208	93.4%
108	South Downs	978	913	65	93.4%
109	Chorley	1,038	968	70	93.3%
110	Adur & Worthing	6,434	5,991	443	93.1%
111	Great Yarmouth	419	390	29	93.1%
112	Ceredigion	342	318	24	93.0%
113	Tonbridge & Malling	1,619	1,505	114	93.0%
114	Wandsworth	6,314	5,869	445	93.0%
115	Dover	890	826	64	92.8%
116	Huntingdonshire	278	258	20	92.8%
117	Pembrokeshire	405	376	29	92.8%
118	Rotherham	778	721	57	92.7%
119	Hammersmith & Fulham	5,311	4,919	392	92.6%
120	Rutland	1,006	931	75	92.5%
121	Cheshire East	2,442	2,254	188	92.3%
122	New Forest	2,533	2,338	195	92.3%
123	Southwark	3,957	3,653	304	92.3%
124	Babergh Mid Suffolk	1,649	1,521	128	92.2%
125	Isle of Wight	1,442	1,329	113	92.2%
126	Lancaster	459	423	36	92.2%
127	Three Rivers	682	629	53	92.2%
128	Derbyshire Dales	290	267	23	92.1%
129	Harborough	595	546	49	91.8%
130	Thanet	5,791	5,315	476	91.8%
131	Rushcliffe	2,415	2,211	204	91.6%
132	Sheffield	1,846	1,691	155	91.6%
133	Exeter	1,079	987	92	91.5%
134	New Forest National Park	969	887	82	91.5%
135	Oldham	2,541	2,323	218	91.4%
136	Wirral	2,233	2,041	192	91.4%
137	Bury	1,444	1,318	126	91.3%
138	Solihull	1,725	1,574	151	91.2%
139	Bassetlaw	742	675	67	91.0%
140	Selby	840	764	76	91.0%
141	South Staffordshire	296	269	27	90.9%
142	Kingston upon Hull	1,140	1,035	105	90.8%
143	Bristol	5,697	5,169	528	90.7%
144	Brecon Beacons National Park	406	368	38	90.6%
145	Wigan	765	693	72	90.6%
146	Trafford	5,917	5,352	565	90.5%
147	Sefton	533	482	51	90.4%
148	South Gloucestershire	3,944	3,567	377	90.4%
149	Hastings	713	644	69	90.3%
150	Middlesbrough	546	493	53	90.3%
151	Lichfield	676	610	66	90.2%
152	Luton	2,295	2,068	227	90.1%
153	Reigate & Banstead	2,711	2,442	269	90.1%
154	Southend-on-Sea	433	390	43	90.1%
155	Warrington	3,263	2,936	327	90.0%
156	Watford	1,650	1,485	165	90.0%
157	Basildon	282	253	29	89.7%
158	Kensington & Chelsea	3,151	2,825	326	89.7%
159	Newport	745	667	78	89.5%
160	Kirklees	5,890	5,256	634	89.2%
161	Portsmouth	2,254	2,010	244	89.2%
162	Peterborough	5,848	5,212	636	89.1%
163	Calderdale	1,366	1,214	152	88.9%
164	Leeds	10,318	9,173	1,145	88.9%
165	Liverpool	987	877	110	88.9%
166	Surrey Heath	1,409	1,253	156	88.9%
167	High Peak	1,199	1,063	136	88.7%
168	Oxford	1,398	1,239	159	88.6%
169	Haringey	4,438	3,928	510	88.5%
170	Stafford	737	652	85	88.5%
171	Dartford	2,109	1,858	251	88.1%
172	Bradford	6,297	5,528	769	87.8%
173	Stoke-on-Trent	344	302	42	87.8%
174	Eastleigh	5,628	4,934	694	87.7%
175	Sevenoaks	1,735	1,522	213	87.7%
176	Glasgow	1,284	1,125	159	87.6%
177	Runnymede	3,563	3,120	443	87.6%
178	Westminster	3,218	2,817	401	87.5%
179	Epsom & Ewell	2,395	2,094	301	87.4%
180	Birmingham	13,250	11,549	1,701	87.2%
181	Gloucester	1,036	903	133	87.2%
182	Pendle	568	495	73	87.1%
183	Hart	2,238	1,947	291	87.0%
184	Staffordshire Moorlands	1,369	1,189	180	86.9%
185	Newark & Sherwood	1,102	957	145	86.8%
186	Hertsmere	1,283	1,111	172	86.6%
187	Maidstone	290	251	39	86.6%
188	Castle Point	1,111	956	155	86.0%
189	Spelthorne	621	534	87	86.0%
190	Tameside	1,181	1,012	169	85.7%
191	Bolton	348	297	51	85.3%
192	Hackney	4,029	3,423	606	85.0%
193	Hounslow	26,811	22,783	4,028	85.0%
194	Ealing	23,818	20,189	3,629	84.8%
195	Windsor & Maidenhead	2,239	1,892	347	84.5%
196	Brentwood	3,885	3,271	614	84.2%
197	Oadby & Wigston	788	662	126	84.0%
198	Slough	7,207	6,029	1,178	83.7%
199	Elmbridge	24,705	20,663	4,042	83.6%
200	Swansea	777	649	128	83.5%
201	Woking	2,297	1,912	385	83.2%
202	Coventry	674	560	114	83.1%
203	Torbay	355	295	60	83.1%
204	Bexley	8,212	6,813	1,399	83.0%
205	Richmond	7,052	5,828	1,224	82.6%
206	Bromley	10,936	8,998	1,938	82.3%
207	Lambeth	6,170	5,069	1,101	82.2%
208	Havering	8,597	7,047	1,550	82.0%
209	Guildford	3,984	3,260	724	81.8%
210	Merton	5,780	4,726	1,054	81.8%
211	Croydon	10,795	8,784	2,011	81.4%
212	Maldon	740	602	138	81.4%
213	Caerphilly	976	789	187	80.8%
214	Tower Hamlets	1,894	1,530	364	80.8%
215	Islington	11,667	9,417	2,250	80.7%
216	Sutton	7,274	5,822	1,452	80.0%
217	Enfield	10,033	7,927	2,106	79.0%
218	Thurrock	3,678	2,902	776	78.9%
219	East Hertfordshire	5,401	4,256	1,145	78.8%
220	Newham	4,546	3,572	974	78.6%
221	Hillingdon	10,275	8,059	2,216	78.4%
222	Redbridge	12,317	9,516	2,801	77.3%
223	Barnet	17,862	13,525	4,337	75.7%
224	Gravesham	383	290	93	75.7%
225	Kingston	7,619	5,765	1,854	75.7%
226	Lewisham	4,767	3,603	1,164	75.6%
227	Barking & Dagenham	4,814	3,633	1,181	75.5%
228	Harrow	10,671	8,043	2,628	75.4%
229	Waltham Forest	9,045	6,806	2,239	75.2%
230	Cardiff	467	340	127	72.8%
231	Brent	12,230	8,880	3,350	72.6%
232	Greenwich	5,637	3,756	1,881	66.6%

Found your council? See what's happening at street level →

What the data tells us

1

Where you live changes everything. The gap between the best council (Mid Devon, 100.0%) and the worst (Greenwich, 66.6%) is 33.4%. Same project, completely different odds.

2

84,389 rear extension applications have been refused since 2020. Each one cost the homeowner time and money. Most of those refusals were predictable from the local data.

3

National averages hide local variation. Your council rate is useful context. Your ward rate is better. But the comparable decisions near your specific property are the only real predictor of your outcome.

Rear Extension Approval Rates Across the UK

Check Your Postcode for Approval Chances

10 Best Councils for Rear Extensions

10 Hardest Councils for Rear Extensions

Your council's approval rate is just the starting point

All 232 Councils Ranked for Rear Extensions

What the data tells us

The UK average is meaningless. Your street isn't average.

More national planning data