BH21 3DH Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole
Live postcode, introduced January 1980. Ward: Bearwood & Merley. Region: South West.
Streets
- Willett Road, Merley: 11 addresses
- A31, Wimborne Minster: 2 addresses
- B3078, Alderholt: 1 address
- Willett Road, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole: 1 address
Council tax
What each band costs in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole in 2026-27: Band D £2,436 a year on average, including the police, fire and any county and parish charges.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £1,624 | £1,894 | £2,165 | £2,436 | £2,977 | £3,518 | £4,059 | £4,871 |
Homes by band in the neighbourhood around this postcode: most are in band E (44% of about 630 homes).
Planning and heritage
- Conservation area: yes, Ashington (council page). Extensions, demolition, some windows and doors, and work on trees need consent.
- Listed buildings within 100 m of this postcode: none.
- Article 4 direction (removing permitted development rights): none recorded, though not every council has published theirs.
- Tree preservation orders: none recorded, though not every council has published theirs.
- Green belt: yes, Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.
Flood risk
Rivers, the sea or surface water: in this postcode, 0 addresses are in areas at high risk, 0 at medium risk and 1 at low risk. Each address counts once, at the higher of its rivers-and-sea and surface-water risk.
Rivers and the sea alone: no home is in an area at risk.
High: 3.3% (1 in 30) or more chance of flooding a year. Medium: 1% to 3.3%. Low: 0.1% to 1%. Very low: under 0.1%. The rivers and sea figures allow for flood defences. Counts cover whole postcodes, which can include other streets.
Flood zone for planning: no postcode centre is in flood zone 2 or 3.
Height above sea level
The postcode's 15 addresses are between 19 m and 24 m above sea level (22 m on average).
Broadband
Superfast 100%, ultrafast 100%, gigabit 100% of premises; 0% cannot get 10 Mbit/s. Ofcom Connected Nations, data as at January 2026.
Getting around
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| Railway stations | Hamworthy 145,000 journeys in 2024–25 | 7.4 km |
| Poole 965,000 journeys in 2024–25 | 7.9 km | |
| Parkstone (Dorset) 229,000 journeys in 2024–25 | 8.2 km | |
| Bus stops | 0 stops within 400 m, 2 within 800 m; nearest Lake Gates Lambs Green | 660 m |
| Bus or coach station | Bus Station Poole | 8.1 km |
| Ferry terminal | Poole Quay Ferry Landing | 8.8 km |
| Car parks | High Street Car Park | 1.3 km |
| EV charging points | 8 within 1.6 km; nearest Be.EV Charging Station | 1.1 km |
| Airport with scheduled flights | Bournemouth Airport BOH | 11.1 km |
| Nearest large airport | Bristol Airport BRS | 82.9 km |
Local services
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| GP surgeries | 1 practices within 1.6 km; nearest The Quarter Jack Surgery | 1.3 km |
| Pharmacies | 1 pharmacies within 1.6 km; nearest The Quarter Jack Pharmacy | 1.3 km |
| NHS dentists | 3 practices within 1.6 km; nearest Gensmile, Cornmarket Dental | 1.1 km |
| Hospital | Wimborne Community Hospital | 1.3 km |
| Police station | Dorset Police | 1.5 km |
| Cash machines | ATM | 2.1 km |
Parks and green space
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| Park or garden | Unnamed 4.9 ha | 900 m |
| Play area | Unnamed 390 m² | 1.2 km |
| Playing field | Unnamed 3.2 ha | 1.0 km |
| Allotments | Unnamed 1.3 ha | 900 m |
Landmarks
The nearest historic landmark is Roman camp, forts and a vexillation fortress 240m north of Lake Farm, a scheduled monument, 390 m north-west. 10 listed buildings are within 1.0 km, 3 of them Grade I.
| Name | What it is | From the postcode's centre |
|---|---|---|
| Roman camp, forts and a vexillation fortress 240m north of Lake Farm | Scheduled monument | 390 m north-west |
| Roman camp, forts and a vexillation fortress 240m north of Lake Farm | Scheduled monument | 390 m north-west |
| Mound on The Leaze | Scheduled monument | 610 m north-east |
| Merley House | Listed building, Grade I | 840 m south-east |
| Julian's Bridge | Listed building, Grade I | 870 m north |
| Dean's Court | Listed building, Grade I | 1.0 km north-east |
| Name | What it is | From the postcode's centre |
|---|---|---|
| Dirty Lane Coppice | Wood | 430 m south-east |
| Dawson's Hole | Lake or reservoir | 650 m east |
| The Shrubbery | Wood | 800 m south-east |
| Holland's Hill Coppice | Wood | 940 m south |
| Little Pamphill | Hill | 1.6 km north-west |
| The Bog | Wetland | 4.6 km east |
Air quality
| Pollutant | Here | UK limit | WHO guideline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) | 5.8 | 40 | 10 |
| Fine particles (PM2.5) | 5.6 | 20 | 5 |
| Particles (PM10) | 9.1 | 40 | 15 |
All three are within the UK legal limits; PM2.5 is above the WHO guideline, as in most towns and cities.
Road and rail noise
| Level | Road traffic | Railways |
|---|---|---|
| 65 to 69 | 2 | 0 |
| 60 to 64 | 1 | 0 |
| 55 to 59 | 1 | 0 |
| Under 55 | 11 | 15 |
4 of the postcode's 15 addresses are modelled at 55 dB or more from road traffic, above the WHO guidelines.
People and work
Who lives here
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Median age | 56 | 40 |
| Children under 15 | 8% | 17% |
| Aged 65 and over | 35% | 18% |
Homes
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Owned (outright or with a mortgage) | 90% | 61% |
| Owned outright | 59% | 33% |
| Shared ownership | 0% | 1% |
| Social rented | 2% | 17% |
| Private rented | 8% | 21% |
Work and commuting
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Adults (16 and over) in work | 50% | 57% |
| Unemployment (of those working or looking for work) | 9% | 6% |
| Retired (of adults) | 36% | 22% |
| Long-term sick or disabled (of adults) | 1% | 4% |
| Work mainly from home (of those in work) | 35% | 32% |
| Travel to work by car or van | 58% | 48% |
| By train, Underground, metro or tram | 0% | 4% |
| By any public transport, including bus | 0% | 8% |
| On foot or by bicycle | 7% | 10% |
| Work within 10 km of home (of those who travel to work) | 68% | 65% |
| Work 30 km or more away | 13% | 8% |
Education and languages
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Degree or other higher qualification, Level 4+ (of adults) | 27% | 34% |
| No qualifications | 13% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship as highest qualification | 7% | 5% |
| Main language English (aged 3 and over) | 100% | 91% |
| Cannot speak English well or at all | 0% | 2% |
Deprivation
The neighbourhood around this postcode is in decile 10 of 10 on the English Indices of Deprivation 2025, where 1 is the most deprived tenth of England's 33,755 neighbourhoods and 10 the least.
The full dossier for this postcode's main street is on Willett Road.