Bournemouth, Christchurch, Political, Poole | Posted on May 26th, 2026 | return to news
New Local Plan on the agenda for BCP Council
People will have the chance to put forward their views on how Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole will shape up in the future.
How should Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole look in the future?
Later this year, local people will have the chance to put forward their views in a public consultation leading up to the Local Plan, which will cover the period 2028/29–2043/44.
The Plan will look at housing, jobs, transport, green spaces and community facilities. Once in place, it will guide planning decisions and help ensure development happens in the right places for residents, with the infrastructure and services people need in the local area. This includes supporting the regeneration of town centres and high streets; protecting valuable habitats, species and recreation areas; and securing infrastructure alongside growth.
The new Local Plan follows the withdrawal of the previous plan in 2025. Evidence, technical work and feedback gathered during that work remain valuable and will be used to inform the new plan.
The council is now taking a fresh approach, following a new national planning system, with a clear timetable and set stages. The plan must be completed within 30 months, with opportunities for people to have their say throughout.
Cllr Millie Earl, leader of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole (BCP) Council, said: “Having an up-to-date Local Plan gives us control over how our area grows, allows us to plan properly for homes, jobs and infrastructure, and prevents unplanned or speculative development.
“We know how important future growth is to our residents and businesses, and this is a real opportunity to put in place a Local Plan that reflects what local people need and focuses on delivering the right development in the right places.
“Our priority now is to get the foundations right — setting a clear timetable, updating our evidence and starting early engagement so people can help shape the plan from the outset.
“The mandatory housing targets set by Government are challenging, but unless we rise to that challenge, we risk losing control over development altogether.”
The process and proposed timetable for preparing the new BCP Local Plan is now set to be discussed at Cabinet on 27 May.
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