Poole approves nearly 9 in 10 planning applications, at a rate that matches the national average.
BCP Council received 2,064 planning applications in the Poole area in 2025, up 3% on the 2,001 submitted in 2024. Of the 3,729 applications decided across 2024 and 2025, 87.1% were approved and 12.9% were refused, about 1 in 8. The project mix closely tracks the national pattern, with home extensions the top category at 23.2% of applications, and no single type standing out significantly above the norm.
The year in one line
Poole submitted 2,064 planning applications in 2025, up 3% on the year before; 87.1% were approved, 12.9% refused, both figures tracking the national average closely, with extensions the dominant project type.
What Poole Is Building
Extensions lead a mix that mirrors the country.
Home extensions were the most common project submitted to BCP Council in 2025, at 23.2% of all applications, below the national share of 29.1%. Demolition, dormers, loft conversions and outbuildings followed. No single project type stands out as unusually common in Poole compared with the national average. This is the application mix of a town whose building work sits firmly within the national pattern.
Applications submitted to BCP Council in the Poole area, 2024-2025 pooled, by project type.
Close to the norm
No project type in Poole clears the bar for a genuine stand-out against the national average. Home extensions, dormers and loft conversions all run within a few points of their national shares.
The council verdict
A verdict in line with the country.
BCP Council approved 87.1% of the applications it decided across 2024 and 2025, and refused 12.9%, about 1 in 8. Both figures sit close to the national rates of 87.6% approved and 12.4% refused. Retrospective applications, where work was carried out before consent was sought, came to 3.1% of all submissions, below the 3.7% national share.
About 1 in 8 Poole applications was turned down.
of decided applications were approved by BCP Council, against the national rate of 87.6%. Refusals ran at 12.9%, about 1 in 8, close to the national norm of 12.4%.
Poole vs The National Norm
A town whose mix tracks the country closely.
Set Poole's application mix against the national average and the picture is one of close alignment. Home extensions, dormers and garage conversions all run below their national shares. Retrospective applications, where work is done first and consent sought after, sit at 3.1% of all submissions, below the 3.7% national share. Change-of-use-to-residential applications also run below the national norm. Listed-building works are rare in Poole at 0.5%, against a national share of 2.4%.
of Poole applications are retrospective, built first and asked later, below the 3.7% national share. The town is no more inclined to skip consent than the rest of the country.
Each bar is Poole's share of applications; the marker is the national share. Applications submitted to BCP Council, 2024-2025 pooled.
Meanwhile, the market
Prices held up alongside the building work.
Permission may track the national rate here, but buying remains costly: the average Poole home sold for well above the country at large in the latest full year.
Poole's planning data tells a steady story. BCP Council approved 87.1% of applications across 2024 and 2025, refused 12.9%, and saw 2,064 submissions in 2025 alone, up 3% on the year before. No category stands out as unusually common; the mix tracks the national pattern across every project type. For anyone planning work here, the picture is straightforward: a council in line with the country and a rising volume of activity.
Where the numbers come from
Planning Data
Applications submitted to BCP Council in the Poole area in 2025 (volume) and across 2024-2025 pooled (rates and shares), classified from each application's published description. Shares are each category as a percentage of all applications.
Decision Rates
Approval rate is approvals as a share of approvals plus refusals, computed over the 2024-2025 pooled window. The national benchmarks are computed the same way across all decided applications in England and Wales.
Sales Data
HM Land Registry Price Paid Data for the Poole post town, the latest full year's completions, with growth measured against the previous year.
The Real Applications
Open the planning applications behind the numbers.
These are real applications submitted to BCP Council in the Poole area, from extensions and outbuildings to retrospective work and a handful of refusals. Open any one to see its full record.
15 Mellstock Road BH15 3DN
A single-storey rear extension approved in the BCP area, the type of project that makes up the largest share of Poole applications.
See this property's full record111 Pilsdon Drive BH17 9HT
Permission was granted for a single-storey rear extension and a first-floor side extension over the garage.
See this property's full record1 Rockley Road BH15 4EY
A side extension with the garage relocated was turned down, one of the roughly 1 in 8 applications the council refused.
See this property's full record24 Cassel Avenue BH13 6JD
A single-storey rear extension with rear cladding and altered patio doors was refused.
See this property's full record1 Dover Close BH13 6EA
A retrospective application for a car port already built was approved, part of Poole's 3.1% retrospective share, below the national 3.7%.
See this property's full record2 Pearce Avenue BH14 8EQ
Permission was granted to erect an ancillary garden room outbuilding to the rear.
See this property's full recordCurious about a home in Poole?
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