Backland Development
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Planning permission for a garden plot in Bournemouth

If you’re weighing up planning for a garden in Bournemouth, two questions come first: is it likely, and what will it cost to find out? The free appraisal answers the first as honestly as a desk review and site visit allow. The second depends on the plot, so our fee and the likely survey costs are set out in writing before any work begins.

We don’t promise outcomes, because planning decisions belong to the council. What we can promise is that you’ll know the main risks, and how we’d tackle each one, before you spend money on an application.

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Architect’s desk with a site plan, floor plan, sections and elevations for a small new house
Planning authority
BCP Council
Postcodes
BH1, BH2, BH3, BH4, BH5
Noon sun, 21 March
About 39°
Shadow from a 5 m eaves line
About 6.1 m
Planning plan
Local Plan
County
Dorset

Before you decide in Bournemouth

Planning histories across BH1, BH2, BH3 and BH4 are public, and they are one of the most useful things we check. Earlier decisions on nearby plots show how BCP Council has applied its policies in practice: what was approved, what was refused and why.

We use that history to shape the design and to support the application where similar schemes have succeeded. Where nearby refusals exist, we read the reasons carefully, because they show exactly which issues the council is likely to raise on your plot.

Section showing noon sun and shadows in Bournemouth: about 39 degrees on 21 March and 16 degrees on 21 December21 m21 Mar, noon: sun 39°, shadow 6.1 m21 Dec, noon: sun 16°, shadow 17.6 mExistingNew home
This section is worked out for the latitude of Bournemouth: around 39° of sun at midday in late March and about 16° at midwinter. It shows why the gap between your house and a new home behind it is about light as well as privacy. Garden assumed to face north.

How we’d take it forward in Bournemouth

To start, send us your Bournemouth address and a few photos of the garden, or give us a call. We check the title, access, constraints and nearby planning history, then talk it through with you. If the plot looks viable, we visit, explain whether an application is worth making and set out our fee and likely survey costs in writing.

  1. Free plot appraisal

    We review the title plan, access, constraints, policy and planning history around your address, then talk it through with you. If the plot looks viable we visit, and tell you plainly whether an application is worth making.

  2. Pre-application advice

    Where policy is tight or the plot unusual, we put a draft scheme to the council’s planners first. Their written response shows which issues to fix before you pay the full application fee.

  3. Submit and manage

    We complete the forms, ownership certificate, drawings and statements, pay the fee on your behalf and submit. During consultation we answer officers’ questions, respond to consultees and agree amendments where they help.

  4. Decision and next steps

    If permission is granted, we explain every condition and what must happen before work starts. If it’s refused, we review the reasons with you and set out the options: amend and resubmit, appeal, or stop.

Worth checking early

  • Specialist surveys can be needed at short notice when a consultee raises an issue, adding cost and time.
  • Neighbours have a formal say during consultation, and the council must weigh any planning objections they raise.
  • Planning is the council’s decision; even a well-prepared application can be refused, and the costs of preparing it aren’t recovered.

Your questions, answered for Bournemouth

Is pre-application advice available in Bournemouth?

Most planning authorities, including BCP Council, offer pre-application advice, usually for a fee, with their own response times. It isn’t compulsory and doesn’t bind the final decision, but for a garden plot with a tight access, strict policy or an earlier refusal, it can show which issues to resolve before you apply formally.

How long will my Bournemouth garden plot application take?

The statutory period for a minor application, such as one or a few new homes, is 8 weeks from validation, in both England and Wales. Many take longer, and the council may ask you to agree an extension in writing. If no decision is made in time and no extension is agreed, you can appeal for non-determination.

How close to neighbours can a new home in Bournemouth be?

It depends on the council’s guidance and the window layout. Many councils use around 21 metres between facing back windows and around 12 to 15 metres between a back window and a blank side wall, but the guide used by BCP Council decides. Screening, levels, roof form and window positions can all change what is acceptable.

What if my Bournemouth garden application is refused?

You can submit a revised application that addresses the reasons for refusal, appeal within 6 months of the decision date, or decide not to go further. Appeals go to the Planning Inspectorate in England or Planning and Environment Decisions Wales. We review the refusal and the officer’s report with you before recommending a route.

Other options in Bournemouth

Garden plot planning near Bournemouth

Find out what your garden could become

Free garden plot appraisal. No cost, no obligation, and a straight answer if it won’t work.

Get my free appraisal 0800 088 6248