Guides · 5 min
How to read a nearby decision
What the reference means, and why the same street matters more than a wide average.
Start with the reference
A reference is the council’s own number for that application. A certificate and a full application are different events.
An appeal reference is the Planning Inspectorate’s case. Appeal decisions explain themselves in public when the council website does not.
Do not average away the street
An area can allow most front extensions and still refuse them on one road. A decision on the same kind of house, close by, is stronger than a wide average.
A decision on the same kind of house, close by, is stronger than one 400 metres away on a different house.
Questions
Is a decision on the next street enough?
It is a clue. A decision on the same street, on a similar house, is stronger.
Where do I find the record?
Use the reference on the council’s public planning register. The report points you at it.
Check with your council. Rules change, and every house is different.