Elmwood Architectural Services works across Dorset and the neighbouring parts of Hampshire, Wiltshire and south Somerset. The map below shows the area we cover — it stretches from Weymouth and Sherborne in the west across to the New Forest, Southampton and Salisbury in the east, and down to the Isle of Purbeck coast.
Wherever your project sits inside that area, the process is the same: an initial conversation, a site visit, and a design worked up around your plot, your budget and the planning rules that actually apply to it.
The shaded area shows where we regularly work. Just outside it? Get in touch anyway — we often travel further for the right project.
Dorset
Most of our work is in Dorset. Planning applications here are decided by one of two authorities — BCP Council covers Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, and Dorset Council covers everywhere else in the county, including Purbeck, North Dorset and West Dorset. Which one you fall under changes the local plan policies your design has to satisfy, so it is worth knowing at the outset.
- Bournemouth
- Poole
- Christchurch
- Wimborne Minster
- Ferndown
- Broadstone
- West Moors
- Verwood
- Wareham
- Corfe Castle
- Swanage
- Wool
- Bere Regis
- Puddletown
- Dorchester
- Weymouth
- Blandford Forum
- Sturminster Newton
- Shaftesbury
- Gillingham
- Sherborne
- Cranborne
- Alderholt
Hampshire and the New Forest
East of the county boundary we work throughout south-west Hampshire. Applications are handled by New Forest District Council, Southampton City Council, Test Valley Borough Council, Eastleigh Borough Council or Winchester City Council depending on where you are. Properties inside the New Forest National Park are dealt with separately by the New Forest National Park Authority, which applies its own, tighter, design policies.
- Ringwood
- Fordingbridge
- New Milton
- Milford on Sea
- Lymington
- Brockenhurst
- Lyndhurst
- Burley
- Totton
- Southampton
- Romsey
- Eastleigh
- Winchester
Wiltshire and South Somerset
To the north we cover the Salisbury area and the villages along the Wiltshire and Dorset border, along with a short reach into south Somerset around Wincanton and Yeovil. Applications are decided by Wiltshire Council or Somerset Council.
- Salisbury
- Wilton
- Downton
- Amesbury
- Tisbury
- Mere
- Wincanton
- Yeovil
Designations that affect what you can build
Several protected landscapes overlap the area we cover, and they change what a planning officer will accept. Before we draw anything, we check which apply to your address:
- Dorset National Landscape (formerly the Dorset AONB) covers a large part of the county, including much of Purbeck and the chalk downland.
- Cranborne Chase National Landscape runs across the Dorset, Wiltshire and Hampshire border country, and is also an International Dark Sky Reserve — which brings external lighting into scope.
- The New Forest National Park has its own planning authority and its own policies on extensions, outbuildings and materials.
- Conservation areas and listed buildings exist in almost every town on this page, and add a further layer of consent.
None of these rule a project out. They do mean the design needs to answer the right questions from the start, which is far cheaper than answering them after a refusal.
Just outside the area?
The shaded area on the map is where we work as a matter of course. If you are a little beyond it, get in touch anyway — tell us where the site is and what you have in mind, and we will give you a straight answer about whether we are the right practice for the job.
Frequently asked questions
Which council will decide my planning application?
It depends on the address. Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole come under BCP Council; the rest of Dorset comes under Dorset Council. In Hampshire it will usually be New Forest District Council, and properties inside the National Park boundary go to the New Forest National Park Authority instead. Salisbury and the surrounding villages are Wiltshire Council. We confirm the correct authority and its current local plan policies before starting design work.
Do you work outside the area shown on the map?
Often, yes. The map shows where we work regularly rather than a hard boundary. If your site is beyond it, send us the details and we will tell you quickly whether it is something we can take on.
Does where I live change how long planning takes?
The statutory determination period is the same everywhere — eight weeks for a householder application, thirteen for a major one — but authorities differ in how quickly they validate applications and how heavily they are loaded at any given time. Sites in a National Landscape, National Park or conservation area also attract more consultation, which can add time. We factor the local picture into the programme we give you.
How do I find out whether my property is in a protected area?
Your local authority publishes an interactive policy map showing conservation areas, National Landscape and National Park boundaries, and listed buildings. We check this as part of the initial feasibility work, so you will know what applies before any drawings are produced.