Have your say on the draft Christchurch Neighbourhood Plan
People who live, work, run a business — or simply care about the area — are being invited to comment on the Christchurch Draft Neighbourhood Plan, as BCP Council launches a six-week public consultation running from 20 July to 6 September 2026.
The draft plan has been prepared by Christchurch Town Council and shaped by years of community engagement with residents, businesses, schools, community organisations and statutory consultees. This consultation is a key step before the plan is reviewed by an independent examiner.
What the draft plan covers
The draft Neighbourhood Plan sets out a locally-led vision for the future of the Christchurch Neighbourhood Area and includes policies focused on:
- Meeting local housing and employment needs
- High-quality design standards, including shopfront design, local heritage assets and important views
- The town centre, shops and services — including protecting against the loss of public car parks
- Promoting walking, cycling and traffic management
- Protecting Local Green Spaces and improving biodiversity
- Supporting development on strategic sites
Built on years of local feedback
The plan reflects views gathered through extensive consultation since 2021. An initial scoping consultation received more than 1,280 responses, followed by public events, school engagement projects, town centre consultations and formal stakeholder engagement.
Feedback has highlighted how much residents value Christchurch’s historic character, waterfront, green spaces and unique identity — while also raising concerns around:
- Traffic congestion and parking
- Housing affordability
- Climate change and biodiversity
- The future vitality of the town centre
What happens next?
This consultation is part of the statutory neighbourhood planning process. After it closes, the plan will move to independent examination, where the examiner will review all comments and check whether the plan meets legal requirements and basic conditions.
The examiner will then produce a report which may recommend modifications to allow the plan to proceed to a local referendum. The examiner’s report and the plan will then be considered by Cabinet before it can progress.
“Help shape the future of Christchurch”
BCP Council Leader Cllr Millie Earl said the plan sets out a community-led vision for how Christchurch can evolve while protecting what makes it special — and encouraged residents, businesses and stakeholders to take part before the plan moves forward.
How to take part
You can share your views by visiting:
haveyoursay.bcpcouncil.gov.uk/np-christchurch
Consultation documents are available to view and download online, and paper copies can be requested from any BCP library.
