Ribbon development around older houses
Woodlands grew mainly as ribbon development along its main roads, mixing older brick-and-slate cottages from the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries with some larger Edwardian houses. Woodlands House, built in the first decade of the twentieth century, was commissioned by a major local employer of the period.
Woodlands Lodge, originally an eighteenth-century hunting lodge, later became a hotel — one of a handful of buildings in the village with a history that predates the surrounding residential development.
Inside the National Park boundary
Because Woodlands sits within the National Park, the New Forest National Park Authority handles planning applications here rather than New Forest District Council. Permitted development allowances for outbuildings including garden rooms can be tighter inside the Park, so it's worth checking directly with the Park Authority.
Close to Lyndhurst, a different feel to Totton
Sitting only a few miles northeast of Lyndhurst, Woodlands has a more open, wooded feel than the suburban streets of Totton further east, which changes what a typical garden here tends to look like.
Frequently asked questions
Is Woodlands inside the New Forest National Park?+
Yes — Woodlands sits within the National Park boundary, so the New Forest National Park Authority is the local planning authority here.
Which parish is Woodlands part of?+
Woodlands is part of the civil parish of Netley Marsh, though it's a distinct village a few miles from Netley Marsh itself.
Nearby areas
Services
Useful local links
- Test Valley Borough Council — Planning Permission and Pre-Application Advice — The local planning authority for Romsey and most of the surrounding villages covered by this site.
- New Forest District Council — Planning Guidance for Householders — Covers Totton, Testwood and Calmore for planning purposes.
- Southampton City Council — Planning Permission — The separate unitary authority covering the city of Southampton.
- New Forest National Park Authority — Planning — The local planning authority for land within the New Forest National Park, including Copythorne and Newbridge.
- Planning Portal — Outbuildings — National guidance on permitted development for garden buildings.