Getting planning permission in Bournemouth isn’t just about ticking boxes on a form – it’s about understanding how BCP Council, national policy and local politics all interact on your particular site.
Do it well, and planning permission can transform the value of your home, plot or development land. Do it badly, and you can lose years, money and momentum.
This guide walks you through the key steps – and shows where Intelligent Land and the Land Value Accelerator™ (LVA Method™) can tilt the odds in your favour.
- Need hands-on help right now?
- Go straight to our specialist Bournemouth Planning Consultancy page to see how we can manage the process for you.
How to get planning permission in Bournemouth
1. Work out if you actually need planning permission in Bournemouth
Not every project in Bournemouth needs a full planning application. Some extensions, alterations and changes of use fall under permitted development (PD) rights.
BCP Council themselves direct people to the national Planning Portal to check whether permission is required for common householder and smaller commercial projects.
Typical examples that may fall under PD (subject to strict rules) include:
- Modest rear extensions
- Loft conversions within volume limits
- Some changes of use within commercial “use classes”
- Certain forms of prior approval (e.g. office-to-resi under Class MA, in the right locations)
However:
- Bournemouth has Article 4 Directions and local constraints in some areas.
- Flats, listed buildings and conservation areas have stricter limits.
If you get this wrong and build without the right consent, BCP can investigate and take enforcement action.
This is where Intelligent Land can help – we quickly establish whether you’re realistically:
- Within PD (no application needed)
- Within a prior approval route
- Or squarely in full planning permission territory
If you already know you’ll need a full application, it’s usually worth speaking to us early – see our Bournemouth planning consultancy service.
2. Understand the Bournemouth planning policy framework
BCP Council doesn’t make decisions in a vacuum. Every application in Bournemouth is assessed against:
- The Local Plan for the Bournemouth area, plus saved policies and SPDs
- National policy (NPPF and associated guidance)
- Material considerations such as design, amenity, highways, ecology and flood risk
There are separate adopted Local Plans for Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, with a new combined BCP Local Plan in preparation.
Why this matters:
- In housing-short authorities, policy shortfalls can tilt the balance in favour of well-designed schemes.
- In sensitive coastal or townscape areas, character, design and neighbour impact carry huge weight. Recent high-profile refusals around Sandbanks and the wider harbour area show how quickly proposals can be rejected for overdevelopment, poor design or parking and flood risk issues.
At Intelligent Land, our LVA Method™ starts with a policy and evidence review, so we’re designing a strategy that actually fits the Bournemouth context – not just a generic “national” approach.
3. Factor in Biodiversity Net Gain from the start
Since February 2024, most major planning permissions in England must deliver at least 10% Biodiversity Net Gain (BNG), with small sites following from April 2024.
In practice, that means:
- You have to measure existing habitats on site
- Design a scheme that leaves biodiversity at least 10% better off
- Secure that gain for a minimum of 30 years – on site, off site, or through statutory credits
BNG is now a standard part of planning in Bournemouth – not an optional extra. Get it wrong and your application can stall, even if everything else is acceptable.
Intelligent Land treat BNG as part of the value story:
- Can habitat creation be used to justify better layouts and higher values?
- Is part of the site better used for habitat or BNG units, with development concentrated elsewhere?
- Could off-site BNG arrangements make a marginal scheme viable?
Our Bournemouth planning consultancy service bakes this into the strategy from day one.
4. Decide your planning route: PD, prior approval or full planning?
Broadly, you’ve got three planning “routes” in Bournemouth:
1. Permitted development (no application)
- Very small-scale, low-impact changes
- Still subject to limits, so you must check carefully
2. Prior approval (a light-touch application)
- For specific change-of-use or conversion routes allowed nationally
- BCP Council can consider certain impacts (e.g. transport, noise, contamination) but not the full planning balance
3. Full planning or outline planning application
- Needed for most new-build development, material changes and significant intensification
- Assessed against the full development plan and all material considerations
Choosing the wrong route is one of the biggest, quietest destroyers of land value. For example:
- Rushing into a small prior-approval scheme might sterilise the site for a better, fuller redevelopment later.
- Submitting a full application without evidence or pre-app can trigger refusal and put a black mark on the planning history.
The Land Value Accelerator™ (LVA Method™) is designed to test these three options:
- What happens to value if you go for prior approval only?
- What if you seek full consent for a denser or alternative scheme?
- What if you bank a policy allocation first, then apply?
This is where Intelligent Land behaves less like a traditional planning consultant and more like a planning + land value strategist.
5. Use pre-application advice strategically
BCP Council offers a pre-application advice service, encouraging early discussions to identify and resolve issues before a formal submission.
Handled well, pre-app can:
- De-risk your application by surfacing key concerns early
- Save money on unnecessary reports or redesign later
- Provide a clearer read on what officers will and won’t support
Handled badly, it can:
- Lock you into an over-cautious officer view
- Put a weak or undercooked idea on record
- Waste months without moving your project forwards
Intelligent Land’s role is to:
- Frame the pre-app questions in a way that opens options instead of closing them
- Prepare concise, well-targeted pre-app material that reflects both planning policy and commercial reality
- Use pre-app feedback as a springboard for Land Value Optimisation, not a verdict carved in stone
You’ll find more on this approach in our dedicated Bournemouth planning consultancy service page.
6. Prepare a robust planning application package
When you’re ready to apply, Bournemouth applications are submitted via the Planning Portal with plans, supporting documents and the correct fee.
BCP’s planning advice note and validation checklists set out what you may need, such as:
- Location and block plans
- Existing and proposed drawings
- Design and Access Statement
- Planning Statement / Planning and Affordable Housing Statement
- Transport, ecology, flood risk, heritage, viability, BNG and other technical reports, depending on the site
Intelligent Land typically:
- Coordinates the full consultant team (highways, ecology, drainage, etc.)
- Writes the planning and value-led narrative around the scheme
- Ensures the package is coherent, not a pile of disconnected reports
That increases your chances not just of validation, but of a positive officer recommendation.
7. Engage with neighbours, councillors and committees
In Bournemouth, as everywhere, planning decisions are about policy + politics.
- Neighbours can comment via the online planning register.
- Ward councillors can call applications to committee, where elected members make the final decision, often in high-profile or controversial cases.
Well-handled engagement can:
- Reduce opposition and objections
- Build a narrative of local benefit (design quality, housing mix, public realm, ecology, BNG, jobs)
- Make it easier for officers and members to support approval
Poor engagement can send even policy-compliant schemes into refusal.
Intelligent Land’s combination of planning expertise and commercial insight means we focus on:
- What really matters to officers and members in Bournemouth’s current climate
- Where you may need to compromise – and where you shouldn’t
- How to keep your land value case intact while answering local concerns
8. Think beyond “getting consent” – optimise value
Most planning permission advisors stop at one question:
“Can we get planning permission?”
At Intelligent Land, we ask a different one:
“What kind of planning permission will maximise the value of this land?”
That’s where the Land Value Accelerator™ (LVA Method™) comes in:
- Review planning permissions – What’s already in place? What’s been refused?
- Undertake research – Technical, legal, BNG, ESG and market context for Bournemouth
- Scenario testing – AI-driven modelling of different layouts, uses and transaction structures
In many cases, this process reveals hidden millions in potential uplift – opportunities that a conventional “submit and hope” planning approach would never expose. This is why we recommend you always use a planning consultant.
Ready to get planning permission in Bournemouth – properly?
If you’re:
- A homeowner planning a significant extension or replacement dwelling
- A developer or investor assembling sites in Bournemouth and Poole
- A landowner considering infill, intensification or full redevelopment
…you don’t just need a consent. You need the right consent, at the right time, on the right terms.
Intelligent Land combines:
- 30 years of planning and development experience
- The Land Value Accelerator™ – Unlocking Hidden Millions
- A “black-box insights, white-glove results” approach to service
So, if you’re serious about getting planning permission in Bournemouth – and turning it into real, bankable value – start by talking to us.
- Visit our Bournemouth Planning Consultancy page
- or get in touch to discuss a focused Land Value Optimisation review of your site.
