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

Across 211 councils and 610,885 decisions, the average approval rate is 90.9%. But rates vary enormously by council and location.

Which council has the highest rear extension approval rate?

Ards and North Down Borough Council at 99.9% based on 1,592 decisions.

How many rear extension applications get refused?

Of 610,885 decisions nationally, 82,053 were refused. That is roughly 1 in 7 applications.

Rear Extension: What Are Your Chances? UK Approval Rates (October 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	Ards and North Down Borough Council	1,592	1	99.9%
2	Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council	617	2	99.7%
3	Derry City and Strabane District Council	1,327	4	99.7%
4	Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council	479	2	99.6%
5	Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council	624	3	99.5%
6	Fermanagh and Omagh District Council	539	3	99.4%
7	Hinckley & Bosworth	891	5	99.4%
8	Mid and East Antrim Borough Council	543	4	99.3%
9	Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council	1,107	11	99.0%
10	Belfast City Council	3,261	38	98.8%

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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	5,714	1,903	66.7%
2	Brent	12,230	3,350	72.6%
3	Waltham Forest	9,172	2,269	75.3%
4	Harrow	10,804	2,659	75.4%
5	Lewisham	4,812	1,172	75.6%
6	Barnet	18,093	4,407	75.6%
7	Gravesham	416	101	75.7%
8	Kingston	7,741	1,876	75.8%
9	Barking & Dagenham	5,259	1,253	76.2%
10	Redbridge	12,463	2,827	77.3%

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All 211 Councils Ranked for Rear Extensions

#	Council	Decisions	Approved	Refused	Rate
1	Ards and North Down Borough Council	1,592	1,591	1	99.9%
2	Armagh City, Banbridge and Craigavon Borough Council	617	615	2	99.7%
3	Derry City and Strabane District Council	1,327	1,323	4	99.7%
4	Antrim and Newtownabbey Borough Council	479	477	2	99.6%
5	Lisburn and Castlereagh City Council	624	621	3	99.5%
6	Fermanagh and Omagh District Council	539	536	3	99.4%
7	Hinckley & Bosworth	891	886	5	99.4%
8	Mid and East Antrim Borough Council	543	539	4	99.3%
9	Causeway Coast and Glens Borough Council	1,107	1,096	11	99.0%
10	Belfast City Council	3,261	3,223	38	98.8%
11	Stockton-on-Tees	418	412	6	98.6%
12	North East Lincolnshire	399	393	6	98.5%
13	East Dunbartonshire	376	370	6	98.4%
14	Blaby	966	950	16	98.3%
15	Halton	630	619	11	98.3%
16	Lincoln	978	961	17	98.3%
17	South Ribble	1,068	1,050	18	98.3%
18	Neath Port Talbot	4,371	4,292	79	98.2%
19	Broadland	1,133	1,111	22	98.1%
20	Bromsgrove & Redditch	540	530	10	98.1%
21	South Norfolk	992	973	19	98.1%
22	Cheltenham	2,531	2,480	51	98.0%
23	County Durham	1,593	1,557	36	97.7%
24	Tamworth	1,129	1,103	26	97.7%
25	Erewash	824	804	20	97.6%
26	North Norfolk	338	330	8	97.6%
27	Knowsley	1,455	1,417	38	97.4%
28	Rushmoor	977	952	25	97.4%
29	Winchester	1,009	982	27	97.3%
30	Plymouth	1,301	1,265	36	97.2%
31	Rugby	2,494	2,424	70	97.2%
32	Cornwall	1,219	1,184	35	97.1%
33	Hartlepool	467	453	14	97.0%
34	North West Leicestershire	302	293	9	97.0%
35	Doncaster	1,816	1,760	56	96.9%
36	Gateshead	1,438	1,393	45	96.9%
37	West Suffolk	5,541	5,358	183	96.7%
38	Wakefield	1,895	1,830	65	96.6%
39	Newry, Mourne and Down District Council	802	774	28	96.5%
40	Canterbury	2,090	2,014	76	96.4%
41	Newcastle upon Tyne	325	313	12	96.3%
42	North East Derbyshire	1,151	1,108	43	96.3%
43	Cannock Chase	1,029	990	39	96.2%
44	Basingstoke & Deane	1,929	1,854	75	96.1%
45	Melton	357	343	14	96.1%
46	West Oxfordshire	1,061	1,020	41	96.1%
47	North Tyneside	1,391	1,335	56	96.0%
48	Norwich	1,459	1,401	58	96.0%
49	Derby	1,716	1,646	70	95.9%
50	Forest of Dean	582	558	24	95.9%
51	Rhondda Cynon Taf	609	583	26	95.7%
52	South Kesteven	1,058	1,013	45	95.7%
53	Cotswold	2,482	2,371	111	95.5%
54	Gedling	1,051	1,004	47	95.5%
55	Lewes & Eastbourne	332	317	15	95.5%
56	Sunderland	1,078	1,029	49	95.5%
57	Westmorland and Furness	3,048	2,911	137	95.5%
58	Barnsley	3,843	3,666	177	95.4%
59	Darlington	570	544	26	95.4%
60	Mid Sussex	1,350	1,288	62	95.4%
61	Redcar and Cleveland	1,286	1,225	61	95.3%
62	Horsham	2,271	2,162	109	95.2%
63	Lake District NPA	521	496	25	95.2%
64	Telford & Wrekin	2,582	2,457	125	95.2%
65	Bath & NE Somerset	5,021	4,777	244	95.1%
66	Broxtowe	1,542	1,466	76	95.1%
67	Tewkesbury	1,375	1,306	69	95.0%
68	Nottingham	1,155	1,096	59	94.9%
69	Chichester	696	660	36	94.8%
70	Test Valley	796	754	42	94.7%
71	Torfaen	587	556	31	94.7%
72	Cambridge	2,113	1,998	115	94.6%
73	Flintshire	992	938	54	94.6%
74	North Somerset	3,304	3,127	177	94.6%
75	Wiltshire	16,085	15,206	879	94.5%
76	Dudley	4,051	3,822	229	94.3%
77	East Cambridgeshire	1,340	1,264	76	94.3%
78	East Hampshire	1,329	1,252	77	94.2%
79	Stevenage	1,231	1,157	74	94.0%
80	North Hertfordshire	473	444	29	93.9%
81	Swindon	1,277	1,199	78	93.9%
82	York	2,645	2,484	161	93.9%
83	Fenland	610	572	38	93.8%
84	Warwick	3,750	3,518	232	93.8%
85	Brighton & Hove	506	474	32	93.7%
86	Gwynedd	652	611	41	93.7%
87	Pembrokeshire Coast National Park	285	267	18	93.7%
88	Camden	3,716	3,477	239	93.6%
89	Dorset	2,083	1,950	133	93.6%
90	Sandwell	3,214	3,002	212	93.4%
91	Chorley	1,056	985	71	93.3%
92	Cheshire East	2,778	2,585	193	93.1%
93	Great Yarmouth	434	404	30	93.1%
94	Huntingdonshire	317	295	22	93.1%
95	New Forest	2,873	2,676	197	93.1%
96	Tonbridge & Malling	1,652	1,538	114	93.1%
97	North Yorkshire	525	488	37	93.0%
98	South Downs	1,029	957	72	93.0%
99	Pembrokeshire	408	379	29	92.9%
100	Dover	890	826	64	92.8%
101	North Northamptonshire	725	673	52	92.8%
102	Hammersmith & Fulham	5,368	4,976	392	92.7%
103	Rotherham	778	721	57	92.7%
104	Wandsworth	6,430	5,962	468	92.7%
105	Babergh Mid Suffolk	1,714	1,583	131	92.4%
106	Southwark	4,003	3,694	309	92.3%
107	Three Rivers	723	667	56	92.3%
108	Isle of Wight	1,455	1,342	113	92.2%
109	Rutland	1,019	940	79	92.2%
110	Derbyshire Dales	294	270	24	91.8%
111	Sheffield	1,919	1,761	158	91.8%
112	Harborough	623	571	52	91.7%
113	Lancaster	492	451	41	91.7%
114	Exeter	1,104	1,011	93	91.6%
115	New Forest National Park	978	896	82	91.6%
116	Oldham	2,596	2,377	219	91.6%
117	Rushcliffe	2,452	2,247	205	91.6%
118	South Staffordshire	317	290	27	91.5%
119	Bury	1,483	1,354	129	91.3%
120	Sefton	587	535	52	91.1%
121	Selby	840	764	76	91.0%
122	Solihull	1,786	1,626	160	91.0%
123	Kingston upon Hull	1,153	1,048	105	90.9%
124	Brecon Beacons National Park	415	377	38	90.8%
125	Bristol	5,757	5,220	537	90.7%
126	Basildon	307	278	29	90.6%
127	Wigan	794	719	75	90.6%
128	Bassetlaw	759	687	72	90.5%
129	Southend-on-Sea	473	428	45	90.5%
130	Trafford	5,917	5,352	565	90.5%
131	Hastings	720	650	70	90.3%
132	South Gloucestershire	4,038	3,646	392	90.3%
133	Reigate & Banstead	2,766	2,494	272	90.2%
134	Lichfield	698	629	69	90.1%
135	Luton	2,363	2,130	233	90.1%
136	Middlesbrough	548	494	54	90.1%
137	Wirral	2,305	2,077	228	90.1%
138	Warrington	3,314	2,984	330	90.0%
139	Watford	1,683	1,515	168	90.0%
140	Kensington & Chelsea	3,151	2,825	326	89.7%
141	Kirklees	5,890	5,256	634	89.2%
142	Portsmouth	2,254	2,010	244	89.2%
143	Peterborough	5,867	5,228	639	89.1%
144	Surrey Heath	1,436	1,278	158	89.0%
145	Calderdale	1,388	1,232	156	88.8%
146	Leeds	10,506	9,325	1,181	88.8%
147	High Peak	1,199	1,063	136	88.7%
148	Haringey	4,501	3,989	512	88.6%
149	Oxford	1,455	1,287	168	88.5%
150	Stafford	754	667	87	88.5%
151	Glasgow	1,344	1,185	159	88.2%
152	Eastleigh	5,814	5,120	694	88.1%
153	Dartford	2,149	1,889	260	87.9%
154	Stoke-on-Trent	363	319	44	87.9%
155	Bradford	6,388	5,605	783	87.7%
156	Sevenoaks	1,735	1,522	213	87.7%
157	Epsom & Ewell	2,444	2,139	305	87.5%
158	Newark & Sherwood	1,171	1,025	146	87.5%
159	Pendle	590	516	74	87.5%
160	Runnymede	3,570	3,125	445	87.5%
161	Westminster	3,259	2,852	407	87.5%
162	Gloucester	1,054	918	136	87.1%
163	Hart	2,272	1,980	292	87.1%
164	Staffordshire Moorlands	1,369	1,189	180	86.9%
165	Hertsmere	1,330	1,152	178	86.6%
166	Castle Point	1,130	974	156	86.2%
167	Spelthorne	667	574	93	86.1%
168	Tameside	1,210	1,040	170	86.0%
169	Swale	262	225	37	85.9%
170	Maidstone	332	285	47	85.8%
171	Ealing	23,612	20,193	3,419	85.5%
172	Bolton	381	325	56	85.3%
173	Hackney	4,050	3,441	609	85.0%
174	Hounslow	26,941	22,886	4,055	84.9%
175	Windsor & Maidenhead	2,330	1,965	365	84.3%
176	Elmbridge	24,792	20,736	4,056	83.6%
177	Oadby & Wigston	811	678	133	83.6%
178	Slough	7,256	6,069	1,187	83.6%
179	Brentwood	3,962	3,309	653	83.5%
180	Coventry	740	617	123	83.4%
181	Woking	2,337	1,948	389	83.4%
182	Torbay	359	299	60	83.3%
183	Bexley	8,324	6,914	1,410	83.1%
184	Richmond	7,126	5,902	1,224	82.8%
185	Bromley	10,936	8,998	1,938	82.3%
186	Lambeth	6,242	5,127	1,115	82.1%
187	Havering	8,701	7,138	1,563	82.0%
188	Guildford	4,052	3,318	734	81.9%
189	Merton	5,834	4,779	1,055	81.9%
190	Maldon	759	621	138	81.8%
191	Croydon	10,911	8,886	2,025	81.4%
192	Swansea	838	678	160	80.9%
193	Caerphilly	989	799	190	80.8%
194	Islington	11,702	9,451	2,251	80.8%
195	Tower Hamlets	1,904	1,536	368	80.7%
196	Sutton	7,348	5,886	1,462	80.1%
197	Thurrock	3,725	2,946	779	79.1%
198	East Hertfordshire	5,461	4,305	1,156	78.8%
199	Enfield	10,255	8,079	2,176	78.8%
200	Newham	4,630	3,643	987	78.7%
201	Hillingdon	10,380	8,155	2,225	78.6%
202	Redbridge	12,463	9,636	2,827	77.3%
203	Barking & Dagenham	5,259	4,006	1,253	76.2%
204	Kingston	7,741	5,865	1,876	75.8%
205	Gravesham	416	315	101	75.7%
206	Barnet	18,093	13,686	4,407	75.6%
207	Lewisham	4,812	3,640	1,172	75.6%
208	Harrow	10,804	8,145	2,659	75.4%
209	Waltham Forest	9,172	6,903	2,269	75.3%
210	Brent	12,230	8,880	3,350	72.6%
211	Greenwich	5,714	3,811	1,903	66.7%

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What the data tells us

1

Where you live changes everything. The gap between the best council (Ards and North Down Borough Council, 99.9%) and the worst (Greenwich, 66.7%) is 33.2%. Same project, completely different odds.

2

82,053 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 211 Councils Ranked for Rear Extensions

What the data tells us

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

More national planning data