Planning applications in Dorset

Planning in Dorset

Driveways stand out in Dorset. Dorset Council has decided more than 296,000 planning applications since 1980, and driveways and dropped kerbs account for more than 13,000 of them. About 1 in 4 of these was refused, against about 1 in 5 across the areas we cover, and far more often than any other kind of work in Dorset. If you are planning a new driveway or a dropped kerb, look closely at what was approved on nearby streets before you apply.

Across all work, about 1 in 7 applications was refused, about the same as across the areas we cover. Neighbours vary. BCP refuses about 1 in 6, which is more often than Dorset, while East Devon (about 1 in 8) and the New Forest (about 1 in 10) refuse less often.

Home extensions do better than average. Rear extensions come with more than 24,000 applications and are refused about 1 in 12 times. Side extensions are refused about 1 in 10, windows and doors about 1 in 11, and front extensions and porches about 1 in 11. Loft conversions and dormers, with more than 11,000 applications, are refused about 1 in 9, against 1 in 5 across the areas we cover, and solar panels about 1 in 10. Garden rooms and outbuildings are by far the biggest category, with more than 49,000 applications, and are refused about 1 in 7, in line with the council overall and the national picture. Fences, walls and gates are the same, at about 1 in 7.

Over 2023 to 2025, the median householder application took 7.4 weeks, and about three in four of the 4,068 decided were settled within 8 weeks.

Dorset has 310 conservation areas and 9,208 listed buildings. If your home is listed or in a conservation area, expect closer attention to materials, windows and anything visible from the street.

The recent trend is gentle. Dorset received 6,431 applications in 2025, against an average of 6,925 a year in the three years before, and the busiest year on record was 2021 with 8,035. The refusal rate in 2025, about 1 in 9, was lower than the 1 in 8 of the previous three years.

Figures in this section as of 9 October 2026.