Permission in principle

The permission in principle (PiP) consent route is an alternative way of obtaining planning permission for housing-led development. PiP separates the consideration of matters of principle for proposed development from the technical detail of the development.

The PiP route has two stages:

1. The permission in principle stage establishes whether a site is suitable in principle.
2. The technical details consent stage is when the detailed development proposals are assessed.

Article 5B of the Permission in Principle (Amendment) Order 2017 sets out development that is specifically excluded from a grant of permission in principle. This includes habitats development and Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) development. 

As a result of this, we are unable to accept any applications for Permission in Principle. This is because the area includes and is close to a number of significant environmental designations of international nature conservation importance.

If your development consists of one or more new dwellings in European nature conservation areas within New Forest, you will have to contribute to mitigating the impact of your development.

The New Forest European and Solent Coast European sites include European nature conservation designations such as Special Protection Areas (SPAs) and Special Areas of Conservation (SACs). These locations are detailed below.

New Forest European Sites

• The New Forest SAC.
• The New Forest SPA.
• The New Forest Ramsar site. 

Southampton Water and Solent Cost European Sites

• The Solent Maritime SAC.
• The Solent and Southampton Water SPA.
• The Southampton and Isle of Wight Lagoons SAC.
• The Solent and Southampton Water Ramsar site.
• The River Avon SAC.
• The River Avon SPA.
• The Avon Valley Ramsar site.
• The Dorset Heaths SAC.
• The Dorset Heathlands SPA.
• The Dorset Heathlands Ramsar site.