Selling land or property in Christchurch

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)

River Avon phosphates

The River Avon is a protected Special Area of Conservation. Following Natural England's advice in March 2022, BCP Council will only approve new homes or tourist units in the Christchurch catchment if the applicant shows suitable measures to deal with the extra phosphate, either through their own measures or by buying credits. Replacement homes that don't increase the number of dwellings aren't affected. It's a real cost on some Christchurch sites, so we check it first.

Homes within 13.8 kilometres of the New Forest's protected sites, which includes Christchurch, also pay a New Forest recreational mitigation contribution, and new homes here pay the Christchurch Community Infrastructure Levy.

Sources: Submit a planning application: nutrient and phosphate requirements (BCP Council) · Developer contributions, including heathland mitigation (BCP Council) · Christchurch Community Infrastructure Levy (BCP Council)

Flood risk and Green Belt

Low-lying parts of Christchurch around the harbour and the Stour and Avon are at flood risk and have more detailed flood studies; conservation areas include Mudeford Quay, Stanpit and Fisherman's Bank, and Burton. Countryside around the town is in the South East Dorset Green Belt, where new building is tightly controlled, although national policy allows some development on 'grey belt' land that meets strict tests.

Sources: Strategic Flood Risk Assessment (BCP Council) · Conservation areas (BCP Council) · Green Belt (BCP Council) · NPPF chapter 13: protecting Green Belt land (GOV.UK)

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)