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Decision times · South West

How long planning decisions take in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

61 days.

In the year to December 2026, the median planning application decided by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole took 61 days from submission to decision — 5 days beyond the eight week target. That is measured across 3,834 decisions where the council published both dates.

This council carries a figure but no rank

Not ranked yet: our records do not yet pass the historical coverage, monthly continuity, missing-date and refresh checks for this window. The figure above is still what the published dates say; it is left out of the league table so it cannot distort the ranking. See the methodology.

61 days
Median decision 5 days beyond the eight week target
41%
Within eight weeks 86% within thirteen
107 days
Nine in ten decided by The wait to budget for

How Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole compares

Year to December 2026

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole takes longer than the country as a whole: 4 days above the national median of 57 days. Nationally 49% of applications are decided within eight weeks; here it is 41%.

The average here is 66 days, longer than the median because a handful of applications take very much longer than the rest. For planning around, 107 days is the more useful number: nine applications in ten were decided inside it.

  1. Within eight weeks the statutory target 1,569 41%
  2. Eight to thirteen weeks the major development band 1,728 45%
  3. Over thirteen weeks commonly an agreed extension 537 14%

By type of application

Year to December 2026 · types with at least ten decisions

The headline median mixes every kind of application together. A householder extension and an outline application for a housing site are not the same job, and the difference between them is usually larger than the difference between two councils.

  1. Prior approval 74 decided 42 days
  2. Amendments 249 decided 55 days
  3. Lawful development 301 decided 56 days
  4. Householder 801 decided 57 days
  5. Trees 1,717 decided 60 days
  6. Advertising 92 decided 62 days
  7. Full applications 519 decided 87 days
  8. Conditions 26 decided 88 days
  9. Heritage and listed buildings 27 decided 98 days
  10. Outline 16 decided 98 days

How these types compare nationally

What Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole decides

Year to December 2026

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole issued 3,834 decisions in the year to December 2026. Of the clear-cut outcomes, 88% were approvals: 3,139 granted against 443 refused. Split decisions, withdrawals and other outcomes sit outside that percentage rather than being counted as either.

Speed and approval rate are separate things. A council that refuses quickly is not doing the same job as one that negotiates an approval slowly, and neither figure alone says which served the applicant better.

Common questions

How long does a planning decision take in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole?

The median planning application decided by Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole in the year to December 2026 took 61 days from submission to decision, 5 days beyond the eight week target. That is measured across 3,834 decisions where the council published both a start date and a decision date.

Does Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole meet the eight week target?

41% of the 3,834 decisions Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole made in the year to December 2026 came within eight weeks of the application being received, and 86% within thirteen weeks. Nine in ten were decided within 107 days. Councils can agree an extension of time with an applicant, so a decision past eight weeks is not necessarily a missed deadline.

Is Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole faster or slower than average?

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole is slower than average: its median of 61 days is 4 days above the national median of 57 days.

What proportion of applications does Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole approve?

88% of the clear-cut outcomes Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole issued in the year to December 2026 were approvals: 3,139 granted against 443 refused. Split decisions, withdrawals and other outcomes are excluded from that percentage.

Cite these figures

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Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole planning decision times, year to December 2026: median 61 days from application to decision (5 days beyond the eight week target), across 3,834 decisions with both dates published. 41% were decided within the eight week statutory target, 86% within thirteen weeks; nine in ten within 107 days. 88% of clear-cut outcomes were approvals. Source: PlanIndex, planindex.co.uk.

Or take the data itself: this council's history (CSV) or the full league table (CSV).

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<p>Data: <a href="https://planindex.co.uk/planning-decision-times/bournemouth-christchurch-and-poole">Planning decision times, from PlanIndex</a></p>