Alderney & Bourne Valley
vs Bearwood & Merley
Alderney & Bourne Valley has the younger population: 16% of residents are aged 15–29, against 16% in Bearwood & Merley. Homes in Bearwood & Merley sold for a median of £375,000, 15% above Alderney & Bourne Valley. Bearwood & Merley has more green space nearby (21% within 500 m, against 19%).
People
Alderney & Bourne Valley has 16,374 residents in 6,525 households; Bearwood & Merley has 13,618 in 5,598. Bearwood & Merley has the higher share of residents aged 65 and over: 27%, 8.7 percentage points more than Alderney & Bourne Valley (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole: 22%). The share of people living alone is about the same in both (24% and 24%).
Homes and prices
In both, detached houses are the most common type of home: 39% of homes in Alderney & Bourne Valley and 63% in Bearwood & Merley. Bearwood & Merley has the higher share of owner-occupied homes: 82%, 13.7 percentage points more than Alderney & Bourne Valley (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole: 63%). Alderney & Bourne Valley has the higher share of private renting: 16%, 6.2 percentage points more than Bearwood & Merley (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole: 25%). Over two years, homes sold for a median of £325,000 in Alderney & Bourne Valley and £375,000 in Bearwood & Merley, against £339,250 across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.
Surroundings
Bearwood & Merley has the higher share of land within 500 m that is green space: 21%, 2 percentage points more than Alderney & Bourne Valley (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole: 14%). A typical postcode has 65 everyday shops and services within a 15-minute walk in Alderney & Bourne Valley, and 33 in Bearwood & Merley. The typical postcode is 496 m from the nearest school in Alderney & Bourne Valley and 568 m in Bearwood & Merley. The typical postcode is 1,512 m from the nearest tram stop or railway station in Alderney & Bourne Valley and 5,067 m in Bearwood & Merley. Gigabit-capable broadband reaches 95% of premises in Alderney & Bourne Valley and 84% in Bearwood & Merley.
Safety
Over 12 months, police recorded 81 crimes and incidents per 1,000 residents in Alderney & Bourne Valley and 63 in Bearwood & Merley, against 90 across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. Police.uk records crimes by approximate location, not by where victims or offenders live. Busy streets, shops, stations and nightlife record more. Figures are counts, not a measure of personal risk.
Sources: Census 2021 (ONS) · HM Land Registry Price Paid Data · official school registers · © OpenStreetMap contributors · Environment Agency · data.police.uk, 12 months to Aug 2026 · Ofcom Connected Nations
In brief.
Each ward in a few lines, from its own page.
Alderney & Bourne Valley is one of 33 wards in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, home to 16,374 people in 6,525 households (Census 2021). Homes sold for a median of £325,000 over the past two years, 4% below the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole median. On average 19% of the land within 500 metres of a home postcode is green space — 34% above the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole average.
Bearwood & Merley is one of 33 wards in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, home to 13,618 people in 5,598 households (Census 2021). Homes sold for a median of £375,000 over the past two years, 11% above the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole median. On average 21% of the land within 500 metres of a home postcode is green space — 48% above the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole average.
More comparisons.
Alderney & Bourne Valley and Bearwood & Merley next to other wards of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.