BCP (Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole) planning approval rate
BCP (Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole) council approved 90.7% of planning applications and refused 9.3%, based on 257 decisions analysed. Ranked 130th out of 279 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
90.7%
overall approval rate
Planning in BCP (Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole)?
Check your postcode to see approval rates specific to your ward and street.
Approval rate by application type
Different application types have different approval rates in BCP (Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole). Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in BCP (Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole) — mined from 257 proposal descriptions.
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within BCP (Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole). Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Canford Cliffs (42 decided)
88.1%
Broadstone (22 decided)
90.9%
Wards in BCP (Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole)
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in BCP (Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole), showing how the council decides real applications.
Proposed Single Storey Side Extension · Broadstone · 2026-05-20
Remove section of fence and concrete posts to install replacement · Mudeford, Stanpit & West Highcliffe · 2026-05-20
Replace existing front porch with new porch of increased projection. · Commons · 2026-05-20
Showing 3 of 86 comparable decisions. See all 86 in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In BCP (Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole), 1 in 11 applications are refused. Your PlanningLens Full Planning Analysis gives you 17 pages of intelligence specific to your property:
✓ Ward-level approval rates for your exact area
✓ Common refusal reasons in BCP (Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole)
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for BCP (Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole) →
Free. Based on 257 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in BCP (Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole)
What is the planning approval rate in BCP (Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole)?
Based on 257 planning decisions analysed since 2020, BCP (Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole) approved 90.7% of applications and refused 9.3%. The council is ranked 130th out of 279 UK councils for approval rate.
Which areas of BCP (Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole) have the highest planning approval rates?
Approval rates in BCP (Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole) vary by ward — see the ward breakdown above for detailed figures for each area.
What types of planning application are most common in BCP (Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole)?
The most common planning application types in BCP (Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole) are: Other (90 decisions, 92.2% approved), Full (84, 86.9%), and Trees (64, 93.8%).
How long does a planning application take in BCP (Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole)?
Planning applications in BCP (Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole) take an average of 7.1 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 257 decisions with a recorded timeline. That is inside the 8-week statutory target for householder applications (the statutory targets are 8 weeks for householder applications and 13 weeks for major developments). PlanningLens measures the actual time each application takes, not just the target. BCP (Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole) decides approximately 43 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in BCP (Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole)?
You can search planning applications in BCP (Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole) directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 257 historical decisions in BCP (Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole) to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for BCP (Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole) calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes BCP (Bournemouth, Christchurch & Poole)'s official planning portal and analyses every published decision since January 2020. The approval rate is calculated as approved decisions divided by total decided applications, excluding withdrawn and pending applications. The full methodology, data sourcing, and Creative Commons BY 4.0 licensing terms are published at
planninglens.co.uk/methodology.