I'm Alfie Jaques, based in Bournemouth, and I work single-handedly across Bournemouth, Poole and Christchurch, and the surrounding 10-mile radius. That circle also touches Ferndown, Wimborne Minster and nearby East Dorset villages under Dorset Council, and reaches Bransgore and Hinton under New Forest District Council … three separate planning authorities inside one 10-mile radius from BH2. This page is a summary of what changes garden to garden across that area. For the full build detail on each city, see the dedicated guides linked below rather than this page.
What changes between a Sandbanks garden and a Talbot Woods garden?
Mainly three things: how exposed the garden is to salt-laden wind, what the ground is made of, and whether it sits inside a conservation area or has a Tree Preservation Order nearby.
Those three factors don't move together, so a single “coastal vs inland” rule of thumb misses real variation within a few miles. The ground column below is a starting point, not a verdict … British Geological Survey mapping for this area shows sand and clay alternating sharply street by street, which is why the ground gets screened at the address before any footing is set.
| Area | Ground | Wind / salt exposure | Conservation / tree note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Sandbanks, Southbourne, Alum Chine (Bournemouth/Poole coast) | Sandy, free-draining heathland-fringe soil is common here | High … salt-laden wind within roughly a mile of the shoreline | Sandbanks and Branksome Park and Chine Gardens are both on BCP's list of 48 conservation areas |
| Talbot Woods, Charminster (inland Bournemouth) | More London Clay-influenced ground surfaces inland | Lower | Meyrick Park and Talbot Woods is a conservation area; mature tree cover here means a Tree Preservation Order is worth checking before any post goes in |
| Broadstone, Ashley Cross, Canford Cliffs (Poole) | Mixed; clay layers alternate sharply with sand across short distances | Moderate to high near the harbour edge | Poole Park, Ashley Cross and Canford Cliffs Village are all conservation areas |
| Highcliffe, Mudeford, Christchurch Priory area (Christchurch) | Mixed; estuary-influenced ground near Mudeford | High … estuary and coastal exposure | Christchurch Central and Mudeford Quay are conservation areas; listed-building curtilage rules apply around the Priory |
A raised deck on engineered footings is more often the answer on the chine-side and cliff-top gardens (Alum, Middle, Durley and Boscombe chines, West Cliff and East Cliff), which tend to step down a steep gradient rather than sit flat.
Does the same planning rule apply everywhere in the radius?
The national 300mm decking rule and 2.5m pergola boundary rule apply across the whole area, but conservation areas, listed buildings and converted flats narrow what's allowed on top of it, and that varies address by address.
BCP Council alone runs 48 designated conservation areas, which narrow permitted development rights on top of the national rules, and a property converted into flats loses permitted development rights entirely, even for modest decking. The detail for decking sits on the Bournemouth planning permission guide and for pergolas on the pergola planning permission guide … this page doesn't repeat those rules, it flags where they're most likely to bite.
Does flood risk change where a deck can go?
Harbourside gardens close to Poole Harbour and Christchurch Harbour carry a documented tidal flood risk that inland gardens don't, which is relevant to drainage design and ground-contact materials rather than whether a deck can be built at all.
Local coastal flood-and-erosion strategies for Poole Bay/Harbour and Christchurch Bay/Harbour have assessed tidal flood risk to low-lying harbourside properties on a long-run, 100-year horizon. That's a design consideration for a harbourside garden's drainage and ground-contact materials, not a reason a deck can't be built.
One thing this page doesn't confirm
Whether my coverage reaches the Purbeck side of Poole Harbour (Swanage, Studland, Corfe Castle) is not confirmed. That side of the harbour has no road crossing, only the Sandbanks chain ferry, and sits outside the straightforward 10-mile radius by road. UNCONFIRMED. Check with me directly before assuming coverage there.