SP8 5AU Dorset
Live postcode, introduced January 1980. Ward: Gillingham. Region: South West.
Streets
- Forge Lane, Bourton: 3 addresses
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 C (21% of about 980 homes).
Planning and heritage
- Conservation area: no postcode centre in this postcode is in one.
- 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: no.
Flood risk
No address in this postcode is in an area at high, medium or low risk of flooding from rivers, the sea or surface water. The rest are in areas at very low risk: less than a 0.1% (1 in 1,000) chance a year.
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 3 addresses are between 143 m and 145 m above sea level (144 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 |
| Bruton 53,000 journeys in 2024–25 | 9.7 km | |
| Templecombe 92,000 journeys in 2024–25 | 11.2 km | |
| Bus stops | 1 stop within 400 m, 6 within 800 m; nearest White Lion Cross Bourton | 390 m |
| EV charging points | PoGo Charge | 3.7 km |
| Airport with scheduled flights | Bristol Airport BRS | 43.6 km |
Local services
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| GP surgeries | 1 practices within 1.6 km; nearest Silton Surgery | 640 m |
| Pharmacies | Mere Pharmacy | 3.7 km |
| NHS dentists | Mere Dental Practice | 4.1 km |
| Hospital | Wincanton Community Hospital | 7.4 km |
| Police station | Mere Police Station | 4.2 km |
| Cash machines | The Southern Co-Operative Mere The Square, The Square Cashzone | 3.7 km |
Parks and green space
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| Park or garden | 1 within 800 m; nearest Zeals Green 740 m² | 580 m |
| Play area | 1 within 800 m; nearest Unnamed 720 m² | 590 m |
| Playing field | Unnamed 9,800 m² | 1.1 km |
| Allotments | Unnamed 3,140 m² | 940 m |
Within 800 m: 1 park or garden, 0.1 hectares in all.
Landmarks
The nearest historic landmark is Church of St Martin, a listed building (Grade II*), 600 m north-east. 23 listed buildings are within 1.0 km, 1 of them Grade II*.
| Name | What it is | From the postcode's centre |
|---|---|---|
| Church of St Martin | Listed building, Grade II* | 600 m north-east |
| Orchard Castle | Scheduled monument | 1.1 km north-west |
| Pen Pits quern quarries SE of Hart Hill | Scheduled monument | 1.1 km west |
| Pen Pits quern quarries N of Combe Bottom | Scheduled monument | 1.3 km north-west |
| Name | What it is | From the postcode's centre |
|---|---|---|
| Factory Pond | Lake or reservoir | 380 m west |
| Corner Copse | Wood | 580 m west |
| Combe Bottom | Valley | 1.2 km north-west |
| Bagmore Wood | Wood | 1.3 km east |
| Hart Hill | Hill | 1.4 km west |
| Little Marsh | Wetland | 3.4 km south-east |
Air quality
| Pollutant | Here | UK limit | WHO guideline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) | 4.0 | 40 | 10 |
| Fine particles (PM2.5) | 5.6 | 20 | 5 |
| Particles (PM10) | 9.7 | 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
Noise figures are still being loaded.
People and work
Who lives here
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Median age | 58 | 40 |
| Children under 15 | 13% | 17% |
| Aged 65 and over | 39% | 18% |
Homes
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Owned (outright or with a mortgage) | 88% | 61% |
| Owned outright | 57% | 33% |
| Shared ownership | under 1% | 1% |
| Social rented | 5% | 17% |
| Private rented | 7% | 21% |
Work and commuting
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Adults (16 and over) in work | 48% | 57% |
| Unemployment (of those working or looking for work) | 2% | 6% |
| Retired (of adults) | 42% | 22% |
| Long-term sick or disabled (of adults) | 2% | 4% |
| Work mainly from home (of those in work) | 42% | 32% |
| Travel to work by car or van | 53% | 48% |
| By train, Underground, metro or tram | under 1% | 4% |
| By any public transport, including bus | under 1% | 8% |
| On foot or by bicycle | 3% | 10% |
| Work within 10 km of home (of those who travel to work) | 55% | 65% |
| Work 30 km or more away | 18% | 8% |
Education and languages
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Degree or other higher qualification, Level 4+ (of adults) | 40% | 34% |
| No qualifications | 10% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship as highest qualification | 10% | 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 6 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 Forge Lane.