SP7 8AL Dorset
Live postcode, introduced January 1980. Ward: Shaftesbury Town. Region: South West.
Streets
- Parsons Pool, Shaftesbury: 31 addresses
- Unnamed street near Parsons Pool, Shaftesbury: 1 address
Council tax
What each band costs in Dorset in 2026-27: Band D £2,765 a year on average, including the police, fire and any county and parish charges.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £1,843 | £2,151 | £2,458 | £2,765 | £3,379 | £3,994 | £4,608 | £5,530 |
Homes by band in the neighbourhood around this postcode: most are in band B (34% of about 1,120 homes).
Planning and heritage
- Conservation area: yes, Shaftesbury Conservation Area 1. Extensions, demolition, some windows and doors, and work on trees need consent.
- Listed buildings within 100 m of this postcode: 35.
- 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: no.
Listed buildings
- 14, PARSONS POOL, grade II
- 16, HAIMES LANE, grade II
- 17, BELL STREET, grade II
- 19, BELL STREET, grade II
- 2 AND 4, BELL STREET, grade II
- 20, BELL STREET, grade II
- 22 and 24 Bell Street, grade II
- 26, BELL STREET, grade II
- 29, BELL STREET, grade II
- 30 AND 32, BELL STREET, grade II
- 31, BELL STREET, grade II
- 36, BELL STREET, grade II
- 5, MUSTONS LANE, grade II
- 5, PARSONS POOL, grade II
- 6 AND 8, BELL STREET, grade II
- 6, BLEKE STREET, grade II
- 6, HAIMES LANE, grade II
- 7, HAIMES LANE, grade II
- 7, PARSONS POOL, grade II
- 8 AND 10, PARSONS POOL, grade II
- 8-12, VICTORIA STREET, grade II
- 9-13, PARSONS POOL, grade II
- BOUNDARY WALL EXTENDING NORTH EAST FROM NO 32 AS FAR AS NO 36, grade II
- COURT COTTAGE, KINGS COTTAGE AND QUEENS COTTAGE, grade II
- DWARF WALL, RAILINGS AND GATE ENCLOSING GARDEN BEFORE NOS 30 AND 32, grade II
- ENTRANCE TO OLDMARKET PLAYHOUSE AND ARTS CENTRE, grade II
- GARDEN WALL TO NORTH OF NO 10, grade II
- GARDEN WALL WHICH ENCLOSES GARDEN TO NO 13 AND WHICH FLANKS PARSONS POOL AND BLEKE STREET, grade II
- GARRETT MEMORIAL METHODIST CHURCH, grade II
- GROSVENOR HOUSE, grade II
And 5 more.
Brownfield land registered for housing within 1 km (0.6 miles)
- ATS Garage: up to 28 homes, permissioned (380 m)
Flood risk
Rivers, the sea or surface water: in this postcode, 0 addresses are in areas at high risk, 0 at medium risk and 3 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 32 addresses are between 218 m and 219 m above sea level (218 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 | Gillingham (Dorset) 358,000 journeys in 2024–25 | 6.1 km (3.8 miles) |
| Tisbury 191,000 journeys in 2024–25 | 10.2 km (6.3 miles) | |
| Bus stops | 9 stops within 400 m (0.2 miles), 30 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Bell Street Car Park Shaftesbury | 90 m |
| Car parks | 1 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Angel Lane Car Park | 140 m |
| EV charging points | 2 within 1.6 km (1 mile); nearest Be.EV Charging Station | 40 m |
| Airport with scheduled flights | Bournemouth Airport BOH | 35.6 km (22 miles) |
| Nearest large airport | Bristol Airport BRS | 55.3 km (34 miles) |
Local services
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| GP surgeries | Gillingham Medical Practice | 6.1 km (3.8 miles) |
| Pharmacies | 2 pharmacies within 1.6 km (1 mile); nearest Boots | 160 m |
| NHS dentists | 2 practices within 1.6 km (1 mile); nearest Shaftesbury Dental Practice | 150 m |
| Hospital | Westminster Memorial Hospital | 380 m |
| Police station | Dorset Police | 6.3 km (3.9 miles) |
| Cash machines | 1 machines within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest The Southern Co-operative Shaftesbury Beaufoy Close, The Sycamores | 790 m (0.5 miles) |
Parks and green space
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| Park or garden | 4 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest The Park 3.1 ha | 260 m |
| Largest park within 800 m (0.5 miles) | Unnamed 6.3 ha | 380 m |
| Play area | 6 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Unnamed 1,010 m² | 330 m |
| Playing field | 3 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Unnamed 1.8 ha | 270 m |
| Allotments | 4 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Unnamed 1,380 m² | 370 m |
Within 800 m (0.5 miles): 4 parks and gardens, 10 hectares in all.
Landmarks
The nearest historic landmark is The Grosvenor Arms Hotel, a listed building (Grade II*), 180 m south-west. 265 listed buildings are within 1 km (0.6 miles), 2 of them Grade I and 4 of them Grade II*.
| Name | What it is | From the postcode's centre |
|---|---|---|
| The Grosvenor Arms Hotel | Listed building, Grade II* | 180 m south-west |
| Church of St Peter | Listed building, Grade II* | 180 m south |
| Park Wall | Listed building, Grade I | 250 m south |
| Abbey precinct wall on Gold Hill | Scheduled monument | 260 m south |
| The Remains of Shaftesbury Abbey | Listed building, Grade I | 280 m south-west |
| Shaftesbury Abbey | Scheduled monument | 300 m south-west |
| Fishponds S of Layton Lane | Scheduled monument | 490 m (0.3 miles) south |
| Name | What it is | From the postcode's centre |
|---|---|---|
| Pensbury Plantation | Wood | 440 m (0.3 miles) north |
| Castle Hill | Hill | 680 m (0.4 miles) south-west |
| Quoits Copse | Wood | 760 m (0.5 miles) north |
| Latchmore Pond | Lake or reservoir | 1.5 km (0.9 miles) north-west |
| Wincombe Bottom | Valley | 2 km (1.2 miles) north-east |
| Britmore Bog | Wetland | 4.4 km (2.7 miles) north-east |
Air quality
| Pollutant | Here | UK limit | WHO guideline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) | 5.3 | 40 | 10 |
| Fine particles (PM2.5) | 5.8 | 20 | 5 |
| Particles (PM10) | 9.5 | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 55 to 59 | 7 | 0 |
| Under 55 | 25 | 32 |
7 of the postcode's 32 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 | 50 | 40 |
| Children under 15 | 8% | 17% |
| Aged 65 and over | 25% | 18% |
Homes
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Owned (outright or with a mortgage) | 33% | 61% |
| Owned outright | 24% | 33% |
| Shared ownership | under 1% | 1% |
| Social rented | 18% | 17% |
| Private rented | 48% | 21% |
Work and commuting
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Adults (16 and over) in work | 59% | 57% |
| Unemployment (of those working or looking for work) | 5% | 6% |
| Retired (of adults) | 26% | 22% |
| Long-term sick or disabled (of adults) | 4% | 4% |
| Work mainly from home (of those in work) | 27% | 32% |
| Travel to work by car or van | 43% | 48% |
| By train, Underground, metro or tram | under 1% | 4% |
| By any public transport, including bus | under 1% | 8% |
| On foot or by bicycle | 30% | 10% |
| Work within 10 km (6 miles) of home (of those who travel to work) | 60% | 65% |
| Work 30 km (19 miles) or more away | 8% | 8% |
Education and languages
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Degree or other higher qualification, Level 4+ (of adults) | 31% | 34% |
| No qualifications | 17% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship as highest qualification | 4% | 5% |
| Main language English (aged 3 and over) | 90% | 91% |
| Cannot speak English well or at all | 3% | 2% |
Deprivation
The neighbourhood around this postcode is in decile 4 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 Parsons Pool.