Dorset Council approves 92.3% of planning applications, based on 11,976 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Dorset sits 7.3 percentage points above the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 5,489 decided applications, Dorset Council approved 92.6% of planning applications in 2025. Across 11,976 decisions on record (March 1970 to September 2026), the overall approval rate in Dorset is 92.3%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of Dorset council planning portal records · Data to 29 September 2026 · Quote freely with attribution
Enter your postcode for a free, personalised approval pattern report, based on your ward and application type.
Not all applications are treated equally. Extension types, listed building consent, and change of use applications each have very different success rates in Dorset.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Other | 23,638 | 1,819 | 25,457 | 92.9% |
A loft conversion in one ward can have a 90% approval rate. In the next ward, 55%. The free check tells you which side you're on, your free property report is emailed in minutes.
Check My PostcodeWard-level data reveals where planning applications are most and least likely to succeed. Officers, local policies, and neighbourhood character all play a role.
| Ward | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ward members | 970 | 29 | 999 | 97.1% |
| St. Leonards and St. Ives | 838 | 85 | 923 | 90.8% |
| Gillingham | 811 | 56 | 867 | 93.5% |
| Beacon | 813 | 44 | 857 | 94.9% |
| West Purbeck | 759 | 37 | 796 | 95.4% |
| South East Purbeck | 738 | 49 | 787 | 93.8% |
| Chalk Valleys | 667 | 13 | 680 | 98.1% |
| Wareham | 611 | 63 | 674 | 90.7% |
| Lytchett Matravers and Upton | 565 | 84 | 649 | 87.1% |
| Colehill and Wimborne Minster East | 576 | 40 | 616 | 93.5% |
| Stour and Allen Vale | 452 | 109 | 561 | 80.6% |
| Ferndown North | 516 | 42 | 558 | 92.5% |
| Verwood | 470 | 69 | 539 | 87.2% |
| Lyme and Charmouth | 503 | 35 | 538 | 93.5% |
| Rodwell and Wyke | 471 | 42 | 513 | 91.8% |
| Yetminster | 475 | 34 | 509 | 93.3% |
| Shaftesbury Town | 481 | 19 | 500 | 96.2% |
| Ferndown South | 465 | 34 | 499 | 93.2% |
| Hill Forts and Upper Tarrants | 474 | 15 | 489 | 96.9% |
| Corfe Mullen | 432 | 56 | 488 | 88.5% |
| Swanage | 449 | 38 | 487 | 92.2% |
| Blandford | 458 | 23 | 481 | 95.2% |
| Puddletown and Lower Winterborne | 441 | 19 | 460 | 95.9% |
| Sherborne Rural | 427 | 25 | 452 | 94.5% |
| Dorchester West | 434 | 14 | 448 | 96.9% |
Showing top 25 of 57 wards by volume. Your free property report includes the full ward breakdown.
See full ward breakdown →How Dorset’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, down 2.6pp since 2018.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from Dorset council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| P/VOL/2026/03781 Sherborne Rural | Erect single storey rear extension, replace windows and door, install 3no. roof | Approved |
| P/VOL/2026/04528 Stalbridge and Marnhull | Erect two storey extension, relocate existing external doors & install new windo | Approved |
| P/LBC/2026/03093 Bridport | Replace kitchen and study windows | Approved |
| P/CLP/2026/04431 Rodwell and Wyke | Forming a dormer to loft to create bedroom & en-suite | Approved |
| P/LBC/2026/02158 Sherborne West | Internal and external alterations to facilitate the change of use of part of the | Approved |
| P/FUL/2026/01394 Sherborne West | External alterations, including a new staircase linking the ground floor of no. | Approved |
| P/TRC/2026/04856 Blackmore Vale | T1 & T2 - Cedar - Reduce crown by 3.5m and reduce away from garage and neighbour | Approved |
| P/FUL/2026/00320 Puddletown and Lower Winterborne | Erect five dwellings and associated infrastructure. | Refused |
| P/OUT/2025/06511 Dorchester West | Erection of 1no. dwelling (outline application to determine access & layout) | Approved |
| P/PALH/2026/03419 Wareham | Erect a single storey rear extension to measure 7.80m in length, with a maximum | Approved |
Find out what actually gets approved near your address first. Your free property report analyses the 20 nearest decisions to your property, ward-specific refusal patterns, and extension-by-extension approval patterns. Based on Dorset's 11,976 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare Dorset's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into Dorset's planning statistics, by ward, extension type, or project category:
Data-driven guides to help you understand planning approval patterns:
Yes. PlanningLens offers a free planning permission check for Dorset. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 11,976 real decisions from Dorset council. The full property-specific report is also free and emailed within minutes.
Enter your postcode on PlanningLens for a free instant check based on Dorset's real planning decisions. The free property report goes further: it analyses the 20 nearest comparable decisions to your property, ward-level refusal patterns, and approval rates by application type. Free and emailed within minutes.
Based on 11,976 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in Dorset is 92.3%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 85.0%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 11,976 planning decisions from Dorset council. 11,049 were approved and 927 were refused. These figures cover every decision on record for the council, March 1970 to September 2026.
The average approval rate in Dorset is 92.3%, but outcomes depend heavily on your specific ward, the type of extension or development you are proposing, and local planning policy. Use the free PlanningLens postcode check to get a personalised score.
Writing about planning in Dorset? These figures are free to republish with attribution. Copy the one-line citation, or paste the stat box into any website, CMS or newsletter, it carries its own styling and links back to this page for verification.