Planning Permission and Strategy in Bournemouth

Planning and building around Bournemouth

Bournemouth (BH1) anchors our coverage of Dorset, which takes in 3 other places. The nearest other places we cover are Christchurch (4 miles), Poole (5 miles) and New Milton (10 miles). Bournemouth is part of England’s South West region.

Projects we can take on around Bournemouth include fields that need a masterplan before an application, plots where access or drainage is the sticking point and land with an expired or ageing consent. In England, where Bournemouth sits, planning decisions are made by the local planning authority, usually the district, borough, city or unitary council (or a national park authority).

Send us the site address near Bournemouth and we will tell you what we think the planning route is.

How we work in Bournemouth

The right application route

Outline, full or another route the rules allow in that nation. We explain why we chose it and what each route means for timing, cost and risk.

Nothing to pay upfront

Where we promote land, we fund the planning work. They are only recovered from the sale proceeds if the land sells with planning permission.

Policy first

We start with the development plan, national policy and the planning history of the site, so the strategy rests on what the council will actually test the application against.

Your legal fees covered

On option and promotion agreements we pay your reasonable legal fees, with the amount agreed in the heads of terms before you instruct a solicitor.

Planning in Bournemouth: the English rules

Whether a field or large garden could take homes depends mostly on the council's Local Plan and national policy. Under the National Planning Policy Framework, plans define settlement boundaries, and land just outside Bournemouth may still come forward if it is allocated, previously developed or meets evidenced unmet housing need. Smaller housing schemes can also use Permission in Principle, an England-only route that settles location, use and amount first. Our free appraisal explains which route suits your land.

In England, applications are judged against the National Planning Policy Framework and the council's Local Plan. Most applications must also deliver biodiversity net gain, and larger schemes usually involve a Section 106 agreement and, where a council charges it, the Community Infrastructure Levy. Permission in principle is an extra route available only in England.

Key rules in Bournemouth
Local planning document	Local Plan
In-principle consent	Outline planning permission, with reserved matters approved later
Land registration	HM Land Registry
How a sale becomes binding	A land sale becomes legally binding on exchange of contracts and finishes on completion, after which the buyer registers the title with HM Land Registry.

Questions about Planning Permission and Strategy in Bournemouth

What happens if planning permission is refused?

You can usually appeal, submit a revised application that deals with the reasons for refusal, or wait for planning policy to change. The right choice depends on the reasons given. We review the decision notice, take specialist advice where needed and explain the options. Under a promotion agreement, further planning work is funded by us on the terms set out in the agreement.

How do I find out if my land could get planning permission?

Start with the council's development plan, which shows where new homes are supported, and the planning history of the site and its surroundings. Access, flood risk, ecology and heritage also matter. Our free site appraisal reviews these factors and tells you plainly whether we think the land has prospects, and which route to planning would suit it.

How long does it take to get planning permission?

It varies with the size of the scheme, the council's workload and whether a legal agreement is needed. Small schemes usually move faster than major applications, which have longer statutory periods and often need a planning obligation. Pre-application advice and good survey work add time at the start but often save time later. We give you a realistic view for your site.

Can you guarantee planning permission?

No. Nobody can guarantee planning permission, because the decision rests with the planning authority or, on appeal, an independent appeal body. What we can do is choose sites with genuine prospects, prepare a thorough application and deal with likely objections before they arise. If we think a site is unlikely to succeed, we will tell you.

Can you manage a site in Bournemouth from planning to build?

On land we take forward ourselves in Bournemouth and elsewhere in Dorset, including Christchurch, Poole and Weymouth, we manage planning, design and construction. Tell us about the site and we will explain how we would approach it.