New Forest National Park planning approval rate
New Forest National Park council approved 90.3% of planning applications and refused 9.7%, based on 12,811 decisions analysed. Ranked 130th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
90.3%
overall approval rate
Planning in New Forest National Park?
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 New Forest National Park. 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 New Forest National Park, mined from 12,811 proposal descriptions.
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within New Forest National Park. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Wards in New Forest National Park
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in New Forest National Park, showing how the council decides real applications.
Two-storey rear extension; side porch; roof re-tile; door and window alterations · · 2026-08-13
Extensions to outbuilding · · 2026-08-13
Alterations to doors, windows and roof of building to facilitate change of use f · · 2026-08-11
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In New Forest National Park, 1 in 10 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 New Forest National Park
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for New Forest National Park →
Free. Based on 12,811 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in New Forest National Park
What is the planning approval rate in New Forest National Park?
Based on 12,811 planning decisions analysed since 2020, New Forest National Park approved 90.3% of applications and refused 9.7%. The council is ranked 130th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in New Forest National Park?
New Forest National Park refuses 9.7% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 10. That is lower than the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 12,811 decided applications since 2020, 1,241 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of New Forest National Park have the highest planning approval rates?
Approval rates in New Forest National Park vary by ward, see the ward breakdown above for detailed figures for each area.
What types of planning application are most common in New Forest National Park?
The most common planning application types in New Forest National Park are: Full (7,764 decisions, 88.4% approved), Trees (1,949, 98.5%), and Discharge of Conditions (845, 93.5%).
How long does a planning application take in New Forest National Park?
Planning applications in New Forest National Park take an average of 7.9 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 4,864 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. New Forest National Park decides approximately 2,135 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in New Forest National Park?
You can search planning applications in New Forest National Park directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 12,811 historical decisions in New Forest National Park to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for New Forest National Park calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes New Forest National Park'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.