New Forest planning approval rate
New Forest council approved 87.6% of planning applications and refused 12.4%, based on 9,442 decisions analysed. Ranked 78th out of 300 councils for strictness.
Last updated: August 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to August 2026
87.6%
overall approval rate
9,442
Decisions analysed
8,270
Approved
1,172
Refused
22
Wards covered
Planning in New Forest? 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. Householder and full planning applications typically have the highest volume.
90.2%
82.4%
87.7%
94.0%
86.1%
67.7%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in New Forest, mined from 9,442 proposal descriptions.
92.3%
83.6%
93.6%
91.8%
90.7%
85.7%
95.6%
94.1%
92.6%
91.0%
65.1%
87.3%
100.0%
66.7%
85.7%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within New Forest. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Lymington
87.7%
Milford & Hordle
87.0%
Ringwood South
85.3%
Fordingbridge, Godshill & Hyde
86.2%
Barton & Becton
89.8%
Pennington
84.9%
Ringwood North & Ellingham
87.2%
Downlands & Forest North
83.1%
Milton
85.3%
Fawley, Blackfield, Calshot & Langley
91.7%
Totton South
91.0%
Marchwood & Eling
90.6%
Dibden & Dibden Purlieu
87.9%
Bransgore, Burley, Sopley & Ringwood Eas
86.9%
Totton Central
89.1%
Totton North
92.7%
Hythe Central
90.9%
Ashley, Bashley & Fernhill
88.9%
Hardley, Holbury & North Blackfield
89.7%
Hythe South
90.5%
Wards in New Forest
Lymington
87.7% approval · 1,072 decisions
Milford & Hordle
87.0% approval · 828 decisions
Ringwood South
85.3% approval · 558 decisions
Fordingbridge, Godshill & Hyde
86.2% approval · 537 decisions
Barton & Becton
89.8% approval · 463 decisions
Pennington
84.9% approval · 444 decisions
Ringwood North & Ellingham
87.2% approval · 414 decisions
Downlands & Forest North
83.1% approval · 391 decisions
Milton
85.3% approval · 380 decisions
Fawley, Blackfield, Calshot & Langley
91.7% approval · 350 decisions
Totton South
91.0% approval · 288 decisions
Marchwood & Eling
90.6% approval · 265 decisions
Dibden & Dibden Purlieu
87.9% approval · 240 decisions
Bransgore, Burley, Sopley & Ringwood Eas
86.9% approval · 236 decisions
Totton Central
89.1% approval · 229 decisions
Totton North
92.7% approval · 191 decisions
Hythe Central
90.9% approval · 99 decisions
Ashley, Bashley & Fernhill
88.9% approval · 90 decisions
Hardley, Holbury & North Blackfield
89.7% approval · 68 decisions
Hythe South
90.5% approval · 63 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in New Forest, showing how the council decides real applications.
Domestic garage and workshop (Lawful Development Certificate that permission is · Milford & Hordle · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Removal of existing conservatory, garage, & attached outbuilding. Convert and ex · Lymington · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Proposed garage · Hardley, Holbury & North Blackfield · Fri 14 Aug 2026
Showing 3 recent comparable decisions. See more in the full report →
What gets approved near your property?
In New Forest, 1 in 8 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
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free planning check for New Forest →
✓ Common refusal reasons in New Forest
✓ Your 10 nearest comparable planning decisions
✓ Appeal success rates
✓ PDF report to share with your architect
Free. Based on 9,442 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in New Forest
What is the planning approval rate in New Forest?
Based on 9,442 planning decisions analysed since 2020, New Forest approved 87.6% of applications and refused 12.4%. The council is ranked 78th out of 300 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in New Forest?
New Forest refuses 12.4% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 8. That is close to the UK average of 11.4%. Out of 9,442 decided applications since 2020, 1,172 were refused. PlanningLens lets you check any postcode to see which applications were refused near a specific property.
Which areas of New Forest have the highest planning approval rates?
The highest approval rates in New Forest are in Totton North (92.7%), Fawley, Blackfield, Calshot & Langley (91.7%), and Totton South (91.0%). Approval rates vary significantly by ward, see the full ward breakdown above.
What types of planning application are most common in New Forest?
The most common planning application types in New Forest are: Full (7,378 decisions, 90.2% approved), Other (601, 82.4%), and Listed Building (579, 87.7%).
How long does a planning application take in New Forest?
Planning applications in New Forest take an average of 10.6 weeks to reach a decision, measured across 9,392 decisions with a recorded timeline. That is slower than 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 decides approximately 1,574 planning applications per year.
How do I check planning applications in New Forest?
You can search planning applications in New Forest directly on the council's official planning portal. PlanningLens also lets you check any postcode against 9,442 historical decisions in New Forest to see what's been approved and refused near a specific property.
How is PlanningLens approval rate data for New Forest calculated?
PlanningLens scrapes New Forest'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.