Dorset planning approval rate
Dorset council approved 92.4% of planning applications and refused 7.6%, based on 8,267 decisions analysed. Ranked 168th out of 284 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
92.4%
overall approval rate
8,267
Decisions analysed
7,635
Approved
632
Refused
53
Wards covered
Planning in Dorset? 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 Dorset. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
92.4%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in Dorset, mined from 8,267 proposal descriptions.
91.2%
94.1%
92.9%
91.9%
95.3%
94.1%
98.3%
88.4%
82.6%
96.0%
98.8%
94.2%
84.6%
81.8%
70.0%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within Dorset. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Beacon
95.5%
Gillingham
93.5%
St. Leonards and St. Ives
92.5%
Bridport
94.7%
West Purbeck
96.2%
South East Purbeck
92.4%
Chesil Bank
94.4%
Chalk Valleys
97.4%
Lytchett Matravers and Upton
85.2%
Wareham
90.3%
Ferndown North
91.3%
Colehill and Wimborne Minster East
92.2%
Stour and Allen Vale
79.5%
Marshwood Vale
91.6%
Rodwell and Wyke
89.2%
Verwood
81.4%
Lyme and Charmouth
93.4%
Eggardon
90.9%
Yetminster
93.7%
Ferndown South
91.2%
Wards in Dorset
Beacon
95.5% approval · 311 decisions
Gillingham
93.5% approval · 310 decisions
St. Leonards and St. Ives
92.5% approval · 292 decisions
Bridport
94.7% approval · 282 decisions
West Purbeck
96.2% approval · 239 decisions
South East Purbeck
92.4% approval · 238 decisions
Chesil Bank
94.4% approval · 233 decisions
Chalk Valleys
97.4% approval · 231 decisions
Lytchett Matravers and Upton
85.2% approval · 223 decisions
Wareham
90.3% approval · 206 decisions
Ferndown North
91.3% approval · 196 decisions
Colehill and Wimborne Minster East
92.2% approval · 192 decisions
Stour and Allen Vale
79.5% approval · 190 decisions
Marshwood Vale
91.6% approval · 190 decisions
Rodwell and Wyke
89.2% approval · 186 decisions
Verwood
81.4% approval · 183 decisions
Lyme and Charmouth
93.4% approval · 182 decisions
Eggardon
90.9% approval · 176 decisions
Yetminster
93.7% approval · 174 decisions
Ferndown South
91.2% approval · 171 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in Dorset, showing how the council decides real applications.
P/HOU/2026/00189
Raise roof to existing porch & garage with alterations · Littlemoor and Preston · 13/03/2026
P/HOU/2026/00121
Erect single storey extension to front elevation to enlarge garage and single st · Corfe Mullen · 13/03/2026
P/LBC/2025/07273
Internal and external alterations to The Old Rectory including demolition of gar · Sherborne Rural · 13/03/2026
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In Dorset, 1 in 13 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 Dorset
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for Dorset →
✓ Common refusal reasons in Dorset
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 8,267 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in Dorset
What is the planning approval rate in Dorset?
Based on 8,267 planning decisions analysed since 2020, Dorset approved 92.4% of applications and refused 7.6%. The council is ranked 168th out of 284 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in Dorset?
Dorset refuses 7.6% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 13. That is lower than the UK average of 11.7%. Out of 8,267 decided applications since 2020, 632 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of Dorset have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in Dorset are in Beaminster (98.1%), Winterborne and Broadmayne (97.8%), and Chalk Valleys (97.4%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in Dorset?
The most common planning application types in Dorset are: Other (8,267 decisions, 92.4% approved).
How long does a planning application take in Dorset?
Most planning applications in Dorset are decided within 8 weeks for householder applications and 13 weeks for major developments, the statutory targets set by central government. With 8,267 decisions analysed since 2020, Dorset processes approximately 1,378 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in Dorset?
You can search planning applications in Dorset directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 8,267 historical decisions in Dorset to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for Dorset calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes Dorset'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.