New Forest planning approval rate
New Forest council approved 87.7% of planning applications and refused 12.3%, based on 9,108 decisions analysed. Ranked 82nd out of 284 councils for strictness.
Last updated: June 2026 · Based on decisions from January 2020 to present
87.7%
overall approval rate
9,108
Decisions analysed
7,992
Approved
1,116
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%
82.8%
88.2%
94.0%
87.5%
67.7%
Approval rate by project type
These rates are based on what homeowners are actually building in New Forest, mined from 9,108 proposal descriptions.
92.4%
83.6%
93.5%
92.0%
90.5%
86.0%
95.6%
94.0%
92.4%
90.9%
63.6%
88.5%
100.0%
71.4%
84.6%
Approval rate by ward
Planning outcomes vary significantly by ward within New Forest. Click any ward for detailed statistics.
Lymington
88.0%
Milford & Hordle
86.7%
Ringwood South
85.5%
Fordingbridge, Godshill & Hyde
86.2%
Barton & Becton
90.4%
Pennington
84.7%
Ringwood North & Ellingham
87.3%
Downlands & Forest North
83.4%
Milton
86.6%
Fawley, Blackfield, Calshot & Langley
91.9%
Totton South
91.0%
Marchwood & Eling
90.0%
Bransgore, Burley, Sopley & Ringwood Eas
87.7%
Dibden & Dibden Purlieu
87.7%
Totton Central
89.6%
Totton North
93.3%
Hythe Central
92.0%
Ashley, Bashley & Fernhill
89.2%
Hardley, Holbury & North Blackfield
89.8%
Hythe South
89.5%
Wards in New Forest
Lymington
88.0% approval · 1,027 decisions
Milford & Hordle
86.7% approval · 791 decisions
Ringwood South
85.5% approval · 539 decisions
Fordingbridge, Godshill & Hyde
86.2% approval · 520 decisions
Barton & Becton
90.4% approval · 447 decisions
Pennington
84.7% approval · 426 decisions
Ringwood North & Ellingham
87.3% approval · 401 decisions
Downlands & Forest North
83.4% approval · 362 decisions
Milton
86.6% approval · 359 decisions
Fawley, Blackfield, Calshot & Langley
91.9% approval · 335 decisions
Totton South
91.0% approval · 279 decisions
Marchwood & Eling
90.0% approval · 250 decisions
Bransgore, Burley, Sopley & Ringwood Eas
87.7% approval · 228 decisions
Dibden & Dibden Purlieu
87.7% approval · 227 decisions
Totton Central
89.6% approval · 221 decisions
Totton North
93.3% approval · 180 decisions
Hythe Central
92.0% approval · 88 decisions
Ashley, Bashley & Fernhill
89.2% approval · 83 decisions
Hardley, Holbury & North Blackfield
89.8% approval · 59 decisions
Hythe South
89.5% approval · 57 decisions
Recent comparable decisions
The most recent residential planning decisions in New Forest, showing how the council decides real applications.
Replacement roof to conservatory (Prior Approval Application) · Totton Central · Mon 22 Jun 2026
Single-storey front extension and partial use of garage as family room · Hythe South · Mon 22 Jun 2026
First-floor rear extension; single-storey rear extension · Marchwood & Eling · Mon 22 Jun 2026
Showing 3 of 200 comparable decisions. See all 200 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 9,108 decisions.
Compare with nearby councils
Frequently asked questions about planning in New Forest
What is the planning approval rate in New Forest?
Based on 9,108 planning decisions analysed since 2020, New Forest approved 87.7% of applications and refused 12.3%. The council is ranked 82nd out of 284 UK councils for approval rate.
How many planning applications are refused in New Forest?
New Forest refuses 12.3% of planning applications, roughly 1 in 8. That is close to the UK average of 11.7%. Out of 9,108 decided applications since 2020, 1,116 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 (93.3%), Hythe Central (92.0%), and Fawley, Blackfield, Calshot & Langley (91.9%). 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 (7,144 decisions, 90.2% approved), Other (575, 82.8%), and Listed Building (549, 88.2%).
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 9,062 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 1,518 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 9,108 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.