New Forest Council approves 87.7% of planning applications, based on 9,108 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. New Forest is closely in line with the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 911 decided applications, New Forest Council approved 88.9% of planning applications in 2025. Across 9,108 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in New Forest is 87.7%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of New Forest council planning portal records · Updated June 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 New Forest.
| Application Type | Approved | Refused | Total | Rate |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Full | 6,444 | 700 | 7,144 | 90.2% |
| Other | 476 | 99 | 575 | 82.8% |
| Listed Building | 484 | 65 | 549 | 88.2% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 314 | 20 | 334 | 94.0% |
| Advertisement | 210 | 30 | 240 | 87.5% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 1 | 172 | 173 | 0.6% |
| Prior Approval | 63 | 30 | 93 | 67.7% |
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lymington | 904 | 123 | 1,027 | 88.0% |
| Milford & Hordle | 686 | 105 | 791 | 86.7% |
| Ringwood South | 461 | 78 | 539 | 85.5% |
| Fordingbridge, Godshill & Hyde | 448 | 72 | 520 | 86.2% |
| Barton & Becton | 404 | 43 | 447 | 90.4% |
| Pennington | 361 | 65 | 426 | 84.7% |
| Ringwood North & Ellingham | 350 | 51 | 401 | 87.3% |
| Downlands & Forest North | 302 | 60 | 362 | 83.4% |
| Milton | 311 | 48 | 359 | 86.6% |
| Fawley, Blackfield, Calshot & Langley | 308 | 27 | 335 | 91.9% |
| Totton South | 254 | 25 | 279 | 91.0% |
| Marchwood & Eling | 225 | 25 | 250 | 90.0% |
| Bransgore, Burley, Sopley & Ringwood Eas | 200 | 28 | 228 | 87.7% |
| Dibden & Dibden Purlieu | 199 | 28 | 227 | 87.7% |
| Totton Central | 198 | 23 | 221 | 89.6% |
| Totton North | 168 | 12 | 180 | 93.3% |
| Hythe Central | 81 | 7 | 88 | 92.0% |
| Ashley, Bashley & Fernhill | 74 | 9 | 83 | 89.2% |
| Hardley, Holbury & North Blackfield | 53 | 6 | 59 | 89.8% |
| Hythe South | 51 | 6 | 57 | 89.5% |
| Ballard | 43 | 1 | 44 | 97.7% |
| Ashurst, Bramshaw, Copythorne & Netley M | 36 | 6 | 42 | 85.7% |
How New Forest’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 10.5pp since 2018.
Bar height reflects approval rate. Colour: green ≥85%, amber ≥70%, red below 70%.
Real residential planning decisions from New Forest council. Each reference links to the council's own planning portal so you can verify the details yourself.
| Reference | Proposal | Decision |
|---|---|---|
| 26/10557 Totton Central | Replacement roof to conservatory (Prior Approval Application) | Refused |
| 26/10475 Hythe South | Single-storey front extension and partial use of garage as family room | Approved |
| 26/10430 Marchwood & Eling | First-floor rear extension; single-storey rear extension | Approved |
| 26/10407 Fordingbridge, Godshill & Hyde | Change of use and extension and alterations to existing building to create x1 dw | Refused |
| 26/10325 Ballard | Single-storey rear extension with roof lantern; extend side porch; side and rear | Approved |
| 26/10316 Dibden & Dibden Purlieu | Two-storey rear extension with fenestration alterations; first floor side extens | Approved |
| 26/10309 Lymington | Internal works including: alterations to joinery and finishes, bookshelf at firs | Refused |
| 25/11121 Lymington | Change of use from vacant drinking establishment to x2 office units (Use Class E | Approved |
| 25/11122 Lymington | Internal alterations associated with change of use from vacant drinking establis | Approved |
| 26/10457 Dibden & Dibden Purlieu | Single-storey side extension & rooflights | 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 New Forest's 9,108 real decisions. Free, emailed in minutes.
Check my postcodeCompare New Forest's planning approval rates with neighbouring areas:
Dig deeper into New Forest'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 New Forest. Enter your postcode to instantly see approval rates for your ward and application type, based on 9,108 real decisions from New Forest 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 New Forest'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 9,108 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in New Forest is 87.7%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.3%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 9,108 planning decisions from New Forest council. 7,992 were approved and 1,116 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in New Forest is 87.7%, 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 New Forest? 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.