BCP Council has officially started work on a new Local Plan that will determine the future of housing, job creation, and infrastructure across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole for the 15-year period between 2028 and 2044. This move follows the formal withdrawal of a previous draft plan in June 2025, which was ended after Planning Inspectors recommended against moving forward following public hearings held earlier that year.
The council aims to complete the new Local Plan within 30 months, adhering to the government’s updated planning regulations. This new framework has a target for adoption by December 2028 or January 2029. Under current government requirements, the local authority must plan to meet a mandatory housing target of approximately 2,958 homes per year for the region.
According to BCP Council, the initiative seeks to set out how the area will grow by identifying specific locations for new homes, businesses, and essential facilities. While the previous plan was withdrawn, officials confirmed that technical evidence, research, and public feedback gathered during that process remains valuable and will be used to help inform the new proposals.
The council is set to discuss the specific process and the proposed timetable for the new plan at a Cabinet meeting on 27 May 2026. Following this meeting, members of the public will be invited to participate in a formal consultation process to share their views, which is scheduled to launch later in 2026.
Further details regarding the policy background and progress of this initiative can be found through the local planning policy portal. The development of this document is being overseen by the council’s planning and transport teams to ensure compliance with the latest national standards.
Information regarding the initial project scope and the upcoming cabinet agenda is also available in the public reports pack presented to the Overview and Scrutiny Board earlier this month.
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