Why refusals spike in summer, and what to do about it
Refusal rates climb every July and August. The reason is not the councils. It is what gets submitted.
Look at householder decisions across the year and there is a bump. Refusals climb through July and August, then settle again by October. It happens most years.
It is not the councils
Case officers do not get stricter in summer. What changes is the applications. Spring is when people decide to extend, and by midsummer a wave of schemes drawn quickly, to catch the building season, arrives at the same time.
Quick schemes fail on the same three things. Depth over the limit without using the prior approval route. Two storey rear extensions close to a boundary, where overlooking becomes the objection. Materials and roof forms that read as bolted on.
A refusal in August is usually a design that needed another fortnight in May.
If you have one
Read the reasons, not the decision. The notice will cite specific policies, and each one has a fix. If the reason is something you can design around, resubmit. It is free within twelve months and almost always faster than appealing.
If you are still at the design stage, the lesson is simpler. Take the extra two weeks. Nobody has ever regretted a scheme that was approved first time.
Try it on your own house
Pick your house, shape the extension, and watch the drawing turn green, amber or red. Verdict and cost in 60 seconds.
Open the Project Calculator 60 seconds
