Orchard Close Fontmell Magna, Dorset
38 addresses across 2 postcodes (SP7), about 260 m long, classed as a local road. USRN 27601984.
- Sales: 18 recorded sales since 1995; in 2022 the median was £455,000 across 1 sale.
- Prices and rents: A typical home in Dorset cost £328,589 in August 2026 (-0.4% on a year); private rents averaged £1,059 a month.
- Energy: 30 homes have an energy certificate (B: 1, C: 4, D: 21, E: 4).
- Flood: No address on its postcodes is in an area at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers, the sea or surface water.
- Recorded floods: No recorded flood covers the centre of any of its postcodes.
- Radon: An estimated 3 to 5% of homes in the 1 km squares around it are at or above the radon Action Level.
- Gas: No gas meters are recorded on its postcodes: its homes look to be heated without mains gas.
- Council tax: Most homes around it are in council tax band C; Band D in Dorset costs £2,765 a year in 2026-27.
- Broadband: Gigabit broadband is available to 100% of premises.
- Transport: The nearest railway station is Gillingham (Dorset), about 10.6 km (6.6 miles) away in a straight line.
- Air: Background air pollution in 2024 was 3.7 µg/m³ of nitrogen dioxide and 5.6 of PM2.5, within UK legal limits.
- Height: Its addresses are 76 to 80 m above sea level.
- Noise: 2 of its 38 addresses are modelled at 55 dB or more from road traffic.
- Doctors: The nearest GP surgery is Blackmore Vale Partnership, about 8 km (5 miles) away.
- People: About 680 people lived in the census areas around it in 2021; 76% of households owned their home and 38% of adults held a degree or other higher qualification.
- Water: Wessex Water; tap samples in its neighbourhood: 298 mg/l, hard.
- Policing: Dorset Police: 10.0% of the crimes it recorded in 2025/26 had led to a charge or summons (England and Wales 9.3%); it answered 84.2% of 999 calls within 10 seconds (target 90%).
- MP: Simon Hoare, Conservative, MP for North Dorset.
- Council: Beacon ward, Dorset Council: Conservative won its latest election, on 2 May 2024.
- Crime: 4 crimes were recorded within 250 m between September 2025 and August 2026, most often other theft.
- Road safety: No collisions in which someone was hurt were reported on and around it in 2021 to 2025.
£9.99 The Street Dossier Full Report for a home on Orchard Close: its own records, questions to ask the seller and everything on this page, in one PDF. Choose the home
House sales on this street
| Year | Sales | Median price | Lowest | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2022 | 1 | £455,000 | £455,000 | £455,000 |
| 2018 | 1 | £335,000 | £335,000 | £335,000 |
| 2017 | 1 | £400,000 | £400,000 | £400,000 |
| 2014 | 1 | £200,000 | £200,000 | £200,000 |
| 2013 | 1 | £230,000 | £230,000 | £230,000 |
| 2011 | 1 | £202,500 | £202,500 | £202,500 |
| 2010 | 3 | £230,000 | £220,000 | £240,500 |
| 2009 | 1 | £325,000 | £325,000 | £325,000 |
| 2006 | 2 | £219,000 | £205,000 | £233,000 |
| 2005 | 1 | £245,000 | £245,000 | £245,000 |
| 1997 | 2 | £85,250 | £73,000 | £97,500 |
| 1996 | 1 | £83,000 | £83,000 | £83,000 |
| Date | Address | Type | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 Jul 2011 | 2 SP7 0PG | Semi-detached | £202,500 | |
| 28 Mar 2013 | 4 SP7 0PG | Semi-detached | £230,000 | |
| 28 Feb 2005 | 20 SP7 0PG | Detached | £245,000 | |
| 3 Oct 1997 | 20 SP7 0PG | Detached | £97,500 | |
| 10 Apr 1996 | 20 SP7 0PG | Detached | £83,000 | |
| 11 Apr 2017 | 20A SP7 0PG | Detached | £400,000 | |
| 10 Sep 2009 | 20A SP7 0PG | Detached | £325,000 | |
| 22 Dec 2014 | 21 SP7 0PG | Detached | £200,000 | |
| 23 May 2006 | 24 SP7 0PG | Semi-detached | £205,000 | |
| 1 Aug 2019 | 25 SP7 0PG | Other | £270,000 | Not a standard sale (repossession, buy-to-let or transfer). |
| 2 Jun 2010 | 25 SP7 0PG | Semi-detached | £230,000 | |
| 27 Jun 2006 | 26 SP7 0PG | Semi-detached | £233,000 | |
| 20 Jun 1997 | 27 SP7 0PG | Semi-detached | £73,000 | |
| 4 Nov 1995 | 27 SP7 0PG | Semi-detached | £65,000 | |
| 1 Sep 2010 | 28 SP7 0PG | Semi-detached | £240,500 | |
| 3 Nov 2022 | 29 SP7 0PG | Semi-detached | £455,000 | |
| 14 Sep 2018 | 29 SP7 0PG | Semi-detached | £335,000 | |
| 11 Feb 2010 | 29 SP7 0PG | Semi-detached | £220,000 |
House prices and rents in Dorset
A typical home in Dorset cost £328,589 in August 2026, 0.4% less than a year before. That is 9% more than five years earlier and 28% more than ten years earlier.
| Home | Typical price, Aug 2026 |
|---|---|
| Detached | £519,998 |
| Semi-detached | £333,127 |
| Terraced | £267,978 |
| Flat or maisonette | £169,474 |
| Bought by a first-time buyer | £257,241 |
Private renters in Dorset paid £1,059 a month on average in September 2026, 4.2% more than a year before. That is 26% more than five years earlier.
| Home | Average rent a month, Sep 2026 |
|---|---|
| One bedroom | £733 |
| Two bedrooms | £969 |
| Three bedrooms | £1,194 |
| Four or more bedrooms | £1,688 |
Energy performance certificates
30 homes with a current certificate; median floor area 54 m². Most common: Bungalow, semi-detached (14); House, semi-detached (8); Bungalow, detached (5). Built: 1950-1966 (20); 1930-1949 (5); 1967-1975 (3). Tenure at assessment: rented (social) (18); owner-occupied (9).
Each home's certificates and sales (30 addresses)
- 1 Orchard Close, Fontmell Magna
- 2 ORCHARD CLOSE, FONTMELL MAGNA
- 4, Orchard Close, Fontmell Magna
- 5 Orchard Close, Fontmell Magna
- 6 Orchard Close, Fontmell Magna
- 7, Orchard Close, Fontmell Magna
- 8 Orchard Close, Fontmell Magna
- 9, Orchard Close, Fontmell Magna
- 10 Orchard Close, Fontmell Magna
- 11, Orchard Close
- 12 Orchard Close, Fontmell Magna
- 13 Orchard Close, Fontmell Magna
- 14 Orchard Close, Fontmell Magna
- 15 Orchard Close, Fontmell Magna
- 16 Orchard Close, Fontmell Magna
- 17, Orchard Close, Fontmell Magna
- 18 Orchard Close, Fontmell Magna
- 19 Orchard Close, Fontmell Magna
- 21 Orchard Close, Fontmell Magna
- 23, Orchard Close, Fontmell Magna
- 25, Orchard Close, Fontmell Magna
- 28, Orchard Close, Fontmell Magna
- 29 Orchard Close, Fontmell Magna
- 30 Orchard Close, Fontmell Magna
- 31 Orchard Close, Fontmell Magna
- 32 Orchard Close, Fontmell Magna
- 33 Orchard Close, Fontmell Magna
- 34 Orchard Close, Fontmell Magna
- 35 Orchard Close, Fontmell Magna
- Rose Cottage, Orchard Close, Fontmell Magna
Gas and electricity use
No gas meters are recorded on the street's postcodes, against 71 electricity meters: it looks to be off the mains gas grid, or almost, with heating from electricity, oil, LPG or solid fuel (16 meters are on Economy 7, the off-peak tariff for storage heaters).
| Postcode | Electricity meters | Typical electricity | Gas meters | Typical gas |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP7 0PG | 36 9 Economy 7 | 2,573 kWh | none recorded | |
| SP7 0PF | 35 7 Economy 7 | 4,984 kWh | none recorded |
These are all the homes on each postcode, whatever their size and however many live in them, so they show the kind of homes and heating here rather than what any one home uses. The typical figure is the median: half the homes used less. The district is SP7.
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 street: most are in band C (19% of about 1,030 homes).
Planning and heritage
- Conservation area: yes, Fontmell Magna Conservation Area. Extensions, demolition, some windows and doors, and work on trees need consent.
- Listed buildings on or by this street: 1.
- 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
- BARN COTTAGE AND NO 61, grade II
Energy projects nearby
No wind turbine or waste plant within 5 km (3.1 miles), and no solar farm, battery site or other project of 1 MW or more within 2 km (1.2 miles), of the street's postcodes, operating or planned.
Roadworks
No street works under way, planned or finished in the last three months on this street, in permits up to 31 October 2026.
Flood risk
Rivers, the sea or surface water: in this street's postcodes, 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 on this street is in flood zone 2 or 3.
| Postcode | Planning zone | Addresses at high / medium / low risk | Groundwater |
|---|---|---|---|
| SP7 0PG | not in 2 or 3 | 0 / 0 / 1 | unlikely |
| SP7 0PF | not in 2 or 3 | 0 / 0 / 0 | unlikely |
Recorded floods
No recorded flood covers the centre of any of this street's postcodes.
Recorded floods are where floodwater was seen or surveyed after a flood. Many floods were never mapped, an outline over a postcode's centre does not mean every home in it flooded, and homes outside one may have. Ask the seller whether the home itself has flooded.
Coastal erosion
No projected coastal erosion zone is within 1 km (0.6 miles) of the street's postcodes.
Storm overflows
No storm overflow outlet is within 1 km (0.6 miles) of the street's postcodes.
Coal mining
No postcode centre on the street is in a coalfield: the Mining Remediation Authority records no coal mining risk here.
Radon
The highest radon potential in the 1 km squares around the street's postcodes is 3 to 5%: up to that share of homes there is estimated to be at or above the Action Level of 200 becquerels per cubic metre. At least part of that area is a radon Affected Area, where 1% or more of homes are.
Radon is a natural radioactive gas from the ground that can build up indoors; long exposure raises the risk of lung cancer. A three-month test with two small detectors is the only way to know a home's level, and a high level can usually be brought down with a sump or better ventilation. Homes built here in recent decades should have radon protection under the building regulations (basic protection from 3%, full protection from 10%). UKHSA sells a radon report for a single address from its detailed map at ukradon.org.
Historic landfill
No historic landfill site is within 500 m (0.3 miles) of the street's postcodes.
Height above sea level
The street's 38 addresses are between 76 m and 80 m above sea level (78 m on average).
Broadband
| Postcode | Superfast (30 Mbit/s+) | Ultrafast (300 Mbit/s+) | Gigabit | Below 10 Mbit/s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SP7 0PF | 100% | 100% | 100% | 0% |
| SP7 0PG | 100% | 100% | 100% | 0% |
Water
This street's water is supplied by Wessex Water. The company gives the hardness and quality of the water at an address on its website.
Tap samples taken in its neighbourhood (20 samples, February 2023 to November 2025) had a median hardness of 298 mg/l as calcium carbonate: hard.
Soft water is under 50 mg/l, moderately soft 50 to 100, slightly hard 100 to 150, moderately hard 150 to 200, hard 200 to 300 and very hard over 300. Hard water is safe to drink; it leaves limescale in kettles, showers and boilers and needs more soap. Water companies take samples at randomly chosen taps across each supply zone, so a home near the edge of a zone can be supplied differently.
Getting around
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| Railway stations | Gillingham (Dorset) 358,000 journeys in 2024–25 | 10.6 km (6.6 miles) |
| Tisbury 191,000 journeys in 2024–25 | 14.6 km (9.1 miles) | |
| Bus stops | 3 stops within 400 m (0.2 miles), 5 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest St Andrews School Fontmell Magna | 270 m |
| EV charging points | Be.EV Charging Station | 6.1 km (3.8 miles) |
| Airport with scheduled flights | Bournemouth Airport BOH | 31.5 km (20 miles) |
| Nearest large airport | Bristol Airport BRS | 60.1 km (37 miles) |
Local services
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| GP surgeries | Blackmore Vale Partnership Good Jan 2025 | 8 km (5 miles) |
| Pharmacies | Shaftesbury Pharmacy | 5.7 km (3.5 miles) |
| NHS dentists | Shaftesbury Dental Practice | 6.2 km (3.9 miles) |
| Hospital | Westminster Memorial Hospital | 5.8 km (3.6 miles) |
| Care homes | Millbrook House Good Jun 2026 | 5 km (3.1 miles) |
| Police station | Sturminster Newton Police Station | 8.3 km (5.1 miles) |
Parks and green space
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| Play area | 1 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Unnamed 340 m² | 190 m |
| Playing field | 1 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Unnamed 3,840 m² | 330 m |
| Allotments | Unnamed 550 m² | 860 m (0.5 miles) |
Landmarks
The nearest historic landmark is Church of St Andrew, a listed building (Grade II*), 220 m east. 32 listed buildings are within 1 km (0.6 miles), 1 of them Grade II*.
| Name | What it is | From the middle of the street |
|---|---|---|
| Church of St Andrew | Listed building, Grade II* | 220 m east |
| Medieval strip lynchets 450m south of Springhead Farm | Scheduled monument | 1.2 km (0.7 miles) east |
| Name | What it is | From the middle of the street |
|---|---|---|
| Brookland Wood | Wood | 310 m west |
| Hatch Covert | Wood | 370 m north-west |
| Parson's Copse | Wood | 540 m (0.3 miles) north-west |
| Elbury Hill | Hill | 1.1 km (0.7 miles) north |
| Combe Bottom | Valley | 1.5 km (0.9 miles) south-east |
| Mill Pond | Lake or reservoir | 3.9 km (2.4 miles) north |
Air quality
| Pollutant | Here | UK limit | WHO guideline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) | 3.7 | 40 | 10 |
| Fine particles (PM2.5) | 5.6 | 20 | 5 |
| Particles (PM10) | 10.2 | 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 | 2 | 0 |
| Under 55 | 36 | 38 |
2 of the street's 38 addresses are modelled at 55 dB or more from road traffic, above the WHO guidelines.
Climate, daylight and earthquakes
Monthly temperatures and rainfall, sunrise and sunset through the year, and earthquakes recorded nearby since 1970 are much the same across the area, so they are worked out once for Dorset: see them on the Dorset page.
Nearest schools
| School | Phase | Ages | Distance | Inspection | Exam results |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Andrew's Church of England Primary School | Primary | 4–11 | 310 m | No overall grade (Sep 2024, graded inspection without an overall judgement): Quality of education: Good; Behaviour and attitudes: Good; Personal development: Good; Leadership and management: Good | 80% at the expected standard in reading, writing and maths, 0% at the higher standard (2024; 70% in 2023) |
Exam results are from the Department for Education's school performance tables (Explore Education Statistics, Open Government Licence), for all pupils at each school. The middle school in England had 63% at the expected standard at the end of primary school (2025), Attainment 8 of 46.0 at GCSE (2026) and an A level average of C+ (2025). Attainment 8 adds up a pupil's grades in eight GCSEs, with English and maths counted twice (90 is the most), averaged over the school's pupils. Progress 8 compares pupils with others who had the same results at the end of primary school; it is not published for GCSEs in 2025 and 2026, as those pupils sat no primary tests during the pandemic. Small year groups swing from year to year, and figures for very small ones are withheld.
Nurseries and childcare
1 nursery, pre-school or club within 1.5 km (0.9 miles), the nearest 140 m from the middle of the street.
| Provider | Kind | Places | Latest inspection | Distance |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fontmell Magna Under Fives SP7 0PF | Full day care | 32 | Outstanding (Nov 2022, overall grade under the previous framework) | 140 m |
Ofsted also registers 115 childminders and 23 home childcarers (nannies) in Dorset. It does not publish their addresses, so they cannot be shown here; the council's family information service lists those taking children.
Food hygiene ratings nearby
| Business | Type | Distance | Rating | Rated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fontmell Magna Under Fives SP7 0PF | Hospitals/Childcare/Caring Premises | 140 m | Exempt | |
| Fontmell Village Shop and Hillarnias Tearoom SP7 0NY | Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 290 m | 5 Very good | 23 Sep 2025 |
| The Fontmell SP7 0PA | Pub/bar/nightclub | 390 m | 5 Very good | 17 Apr 2024 |
Crime within 250 m
| Category | Crimes |
|---|---|
| Other theft | 1 |
| Criminal damage and arson | 1 |
| Anti-social behaviour | 1 |
| Violence and sexual offences | 1 |
Most of these are attached to: On or near West View (2); On or near Elbury View (1); On or near Orchard Close (1).
Policing
This street is policed by Dorset Police. Of the 47,260 crimes it recorded in 2025/26 (April to March), 10.0% had led to someone being charged or summonsed to court, against 9.3% across England and Wales.
In the 12 months November 2025 to October 2026 it answered 84.2% of its 143,012 999 calls within 10 seconds, against a national target of 90% and 89.6% across England and Wales.
| Outcome | Dorset Police | England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Charged or summonsed | 10.0% | 9.3% |
| Dealt with out of court (caution, community resolution, penalty notice) | 4.4% | 4.4% |
| Closed with no suspect identified | 39.1% | 37.8% |
| Closed: the victim did not support further action | 23.7% | 25.4% |
| Closed: suspect identified, but not enough evidence | 13.3% | 15.1% |
| Other outcomes (not in the public interest, transferred elsewhere) | 6.0% | 3.9% |
| No outcome yet (still under investigation) | 3.5% | 4.0% |
Each crime is counted under the outcome it had been given when the figures were taken, a few months after the year ended, so some recorded late in the year were still being investigated. Forces differ in the crimes they deal with (a city force has more shoplifting and fewer rural thefts), which changes these shares, so a difference from England and Wales is not by itself a measure of how well a force investigates. Fraud is not included: it is recorded nationally.
Road safety
No collisions in which someone was hurt were reported on and around the street in 2021 to 2025.
Only collisions in which someone was hurt and which the police were told about are here: damage-only collisions and near misses are not, and some injuries are never reported. Positions are recorded by the police, usually to within a few metres. Each year's figures are published the following September.
Traffic on nearby roads
No traffic count point is within 500 m (0.3 miles) of the street's postcodes. The Department for Transport counts every motorway and A road and only a sample of minor roads, so a quiet residential street usually has none.
People and work
Who lives here
| Around this street | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Median age | 59 | 40 |
| Children under 15 | 10% | 17% |
| Aged 65 and over | 38% | 18% |
Homes
| Around this street | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Owned (outright or with a mortgage) | 76% | 61% |
| Owned outright | 55% | 33% |
| Shared ownership | under 1% | 1% |
| Social rented | 12% | 17% |
| Private rented | 12% | 21% |
Work and commuting
| Around this street | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Adults (16 and over) in work | 48% | 57% |
| Unemployment (of those working or looking for work) | 1% | 6% |
| Retired (of adults) | 39% | 22% |
| Long-term sick or disabled (of adults) | 3% | 4% |
| Work mainly from home (of those in work) | 39% | 32% |
| Travel to work by car or van | 54% | 48% |
| By train, Underground, metro or tram | 0% | 4% |
| By any public transport, including bus | 0% | 8% |
| On foot or by bicycle | 5% | 10% |
| Work within 10 km (6 miles) of home (of those who travel to work) | 43% | 65% |
| Work 30 km (19 miles) or more away | 21% | 8% |
Education and languages
| Around this street | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Degree or other higher qualification, Level 4+ (of adults) | 38% | 34% |
| No qualifications | 13% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship as highest qualification | 6% | 5% |
| Main language English (aged 3 and over) | 98% | 91% |
| Cannot speak English well or at all | 0% | 2% |
Deprivation
The neighbourhood around this street 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.
Politics
This street is in the North Dorset constituency. Its MP is Simon Hoare, Conservative.
| Candidate | Party | Votes | Share | Change |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Simon Hoare (elected) | Conservative | 18,208 | 36.7% | -27.1 |
| Gary Jackson | Liberal Democrat | 16,619 | 33.5% | +13.1 |
| Ash Leaning | Reform UK | 7,894 | 15.9% | |
| James Coldwell | Labour | 4,370 | 8.8% | -3.1 |
| Ken Huggins | Green Party | 2,082 | 4.2% | +0.2 |
| Si Adams | Independent | 317 | 0.6% | |
| Jeff Taylor | UK Independence Party | 119 | 0.2% | |
| Daniel Woodruffe | Social Democratic Party | 74 | 0.2% |
Conservative hold, with a majority of 1,589 votes (3.2%). 49,683 valid votes from an electorate of 72,690, a turnout of 68.6%.
Change is in percentage points of the vote on 2019, recalculated for the 2024 boundaries (the notional result), so it compares like with like where the constituency changed shape; it is blank where the party or candidate did not stand in 2019.
Council: Beacon ward, Dorset Council
This street is in this ward. Its latest election was on 2 May 2024.
| Candidate | Party | Votes |
|---|---|---|
| Jane Somper (elected) | Conservative | 898 |
| Claire Elizabeth Reed | Liberal Democrat | 307 |
| Gillian Clare Cross | Labour | 133 |
| Sheila Healy | Green Party | 125 |
Turnout 38%.
Councils elect all their members every four years or a third of them in three years out of four, so the members for a ward can come from more than one election; a councillor may have changed party since being elected.
What has changed
- Energy certificates New energy certificate: band D, house, semi-detached (lodged 26 October 2026) found 2 November 2026
Postcodes on this street
Nearby streets
Elbury View · West View · West Street · Church Close · Church Street · St Andrews View · Lurmer Street · The Knapp · Old Crown Road · The Knapp
What this page cannot tell you
- Whether a particular house is at risk of flooding, subsiding or anything else: the flood map is a model of areas and there is no property-level data here.
- What a home is worth now: sales are historic prices for the homes that happened to sell.
- How safe the street is: crime points are moved to anonymised locations and many crimes are never reported; road collisions count only those in which someone was hurt and the police were told.
- Whether you would get a place at a school: distances are straight lines, not catchments.
- Who lives on the street now: census figures describe the small areas around it in March 2021, during a lockdown.
- How long a journey takes or how often anything runs: transport distances are straight lines to the nearest stops.
- Whether a GP practice is taking new patients, or a dentist new NHS patients.
- How loud a home is inside, or noise from industry, neighbours or smaller airfields: noise figures are models of road, rail and air traffic outside.
How each figure on this page is matched to the street and worked out: methodology.