Selling land or property in Bournemouth

The local plan

BCP Council is preparing a new local plan for the whole Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole area, covering 2029 to 2044, under the government's new plan-making system. Its 'plan content and evidence' consultation runs from 9 November to 21 December 2026, with submission planned for August 2028 and adoption indicated for April 2029.

Until then, applications are decided using the existing local plans for each former borough (for example the Poole Local Plan 2018 and the Christchurch and East Dorset Core Strategy 2014) together with the National Planning Policy Framework, which was updated in August 2026. Since 31 October 2026 most householder and minor applications are decided by council officers rather than a committee.

Sources: BCP Local Plan timetable (BCP Council) · Local plan for the Poole area, incl. Poole Harbour nitrogen (BCP Council) · Local plan for the Christchurch area (BCP Council)

Dorset heathlands: the 400 m and 5 km zones

Much of the area sits close to protected heathland. Under the Dorset Heathlands Planning Framework 2020–2025, agreed by BCP and Dorset councils, residential development within 400 metres of the heaths is strictly controlled, and in practice new homes there are rarely allowed. Between 400 metres and 5 kilometres, new homes pay towards mitigation: heathland projects funded through the Community Infrastructure Levy, and a per-home access management contribution secured by a planning obligation.

For a garden plot or small site, this is one of the first things we check: a site inside 400 metres is very unlikely to get permission for a new home, while one further out can usually go ahead with the standard contributions.

Sources: Dorset Heathlands Planning Framework (Dorset Council) · Developer contributions, including heathland mitigation (BCP Council)

Conservation areas and trees

BCP Council has 48 conservation areas, several in Bournemouth's leafier suburbs, such as Meyrick Park and Talbot Woods and Westbourne. In a conservation area, design is scrutinised more closely and you must give the council six weeks' written notice before working on most trees. Many trees elsewhere are protected by Tree Preservation Orders, which the council maps online.

Mature trees are often what decides how a Bournemouth garden plot can be laid out, so we check protections early.

Sources: Conservation areas (BCP Council) · Trees in conservation areas (BCP Council)

Flood risk

BCP's Strategic Flood Risk Assessment covers the whole area, with more detailed studies for parts of Christchurch and Poole. Individual sites in Bournemouth can still be affected by surface water, so we check the government flood map for every site.

Sources: Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (BCP Council) · Flood map for planning (GOV.UK)