New Forest Council approves 87.6% of planning applications, based on 9,419 real decisions analysed from the council’s public planning portal. The national average across all councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. New Forest sits 1.0 percentage points below the national average.
According to PlanningLens analysis of 944 decided applications, New Forest Council approved 88.1% of planning applications in 2025. Across 9,419 decisions analysed since January 2020, the overall approval rate in New Forest is 87.6%; the national average across UK councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%.
Source: PlanningLens (planninglens.co.uk) analysis of New Forest council planning portal records · Updated August 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 | 6,639 | 723 | 7,362 | 90.2% |
| Other | 493 | 106 | 599 | 82.3% |
| Listed Building | 506 | 71 | 577 | 87.7% |
| Discharge of Conditions | 329 | 21 | 350 | 94.0% |
| Advertisement | 216 | 35 | 251 | 86.1% |
| Certificate of Lawfulness | 1 | 183 | 184 | 0.5% |
| Prior Approval | 65 | 31 | 96 | 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 | 938 | 132 | 1,070 | 87.7% |
| Milford & Hordle | 717 | 107 | 824 | 87.0% |
| Ringwood South | 474 | 82 | 556 | 85.3% |
| Fordingbridge, Godshill & Hyde | 463 | 74 | 537 | 86.2% |
| Barton & Becton | 415 | 47 | 462 | 89.8% |
| Pennington | 375 | 67 | 442 | 84.8% |
| Ringwood North & Ellingham | 361 | 53 | 414 | 87.2% |
| Downlands & Forest North | 322 | 66 | 388 | 83.0% |
| Milton | 324 | 56 | 380 | 85.3% |
| Fawley, Blackfield, Calshot & Langley | 320 | 29 | 349 | 91.7% |
| Totton South | 262 | 26 | 288 | 91.0% |
| Marchwood & Eling | 239 | 25 | 264 | 90.5% |
| Dibden & Dibden Purlieu | 210 | 29 | 239 | 87.9% |
| Bransgore, Burley, Sopley & Ringwood Eas | 205 | 31 | 236 | 86.9% |
| Totton Central | 203 | 25 | 228 | 89.0% |
| Totton North | 176 | 14 | 190 | 92.6% |
| Hythe Central | 89 | 9 | 98 | 90.8% |
| Ashley, Bashley & Fernhill | 80 | 10 | 90 | 88.9% |
| Hardley, Holbury & North Blackfield | 60 | 6 | 66 | 90.9% |
| Hythe South | 57 | 6 | 63 | 90.5% |
| Ballard | 47 | 1 | 48 | 97.9% |
| Ashurst, Bramshaw, Copythorne & Netley M | 37 | 7 | 44 | 84.1% |
How New Forest’s planning approval rate has changed year by year, up 7.7pp 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 26/10077 Hardley, Holbury & North Blackfield | Change of use from general industrial (Use Class B2) to leisure (Use Class E(d)) | Approved |
| 26/10510 Pennington | Replacement roof and raised eaves in association with new first floor; side and | Approved |
| 26/10498 Ballard | New roof; single-storey front, rear and side extensions; swimming pool & pool pl | Approved |
| 26/10481 Fordingbridge, Godshill & Hyde | x2 like for like replacement windows on front elevation and x1 window on rear el | Approved |
| 26/10566 Hardley, Holbury & North Blackfield | Detached garage | Approved |
| 26/10571 Dibden & Dibden Purlieu | Single storey extension & fenestration alteration | Approved |
| 26/10552 Milford & Hordle | Repairs to the heritage windows; west gable wall; roof and damp ingress; replace | Approved |
| 26/10485 Milton | Relocation and reduction in height of boundary fence behind existing south bound | Approved |
| 26/10551 Milford & Hordle | Single-storey rear extension following demolition of existing conservatory | Approved |
| 26/10400 Milford & Hordle | Erect building to house indoor pool, gym and ancillary accomodation within mezza | 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 9,419 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 9,419 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 9,419 planning decisions, the overall approval rate in New Forest is 87.6%. The national average across councils tracked by PlanningLens is 88.6%. Rates vary significantly by ward and application type.
PlanningLens has analysed 9,419 planning decisions from New Forest council. 8,249 were approved and 1,170 were refused. These figures cover decisions from January 2020 to the present.
The average approval rate in New Forest is 87.6%, 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.