Bearwood & Merley
vs Broadstone

Bearwood & Merley has the younger population: 16% of residents are aged 15–29, against 13% in Broadstone. Homes in Broadstone sold for a median of £495,000, 32% above Bearwood & Merley. Bearwood & Merley has more green space nearby (21% within 500 m, against 18%).

Bearwood & Merley

348 postcodes

Broadstone

236 postcodes

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

city average

People

Bearwood & Merley has 13,618 residents in 5,598 households; Broadstone has 10,287 in 4,270. Broadstone has the higher share of residents aged 65 and over: 32%, 4.2 percentage points more than Bearwood & Merley (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole: 22%). The share of people living alone is about the same in both (24% and 24%).

13,618Residents (2021)

10,287Residents (2021)

400,196Residents (2021)

5,598Households

4,270Households

173,842Households

15.5%Aged 15–29

12.7%Aged 15–29

18.2%Aged 15–29

27.3%Aged 65 and over

31.5%Aged 65 and over

21.6%Aged 65 and over

24.4%Living alone

24.1%Living alone

32.5%Living alone

Homes and prices

In both, detached houses are the most common type of home: 63% of homes in Bearwood & Merley and 82% in Broadstone. Broadstone has the higher share of owner-occupied homes: 91%, 9 percentage points more than Bearwood & Merley (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole: 63%). Bearwood & Merley has the higher share of private renting: 10%, 3.2 percentage points more than Broadstone (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole: 25%). Over two years, homes sold for a median of £375,000 in Bearwood & Merley and £495,000 in Broadstone, against £339,250 across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.

£375,000Median sale price

£495,000Median sale price

£339,250Median sale price

81.8%Owner-occupied

90.8%Owner-occupied

62.8%Owner-occupied

10.1%Private renting

6.9%Private renting

25.4%Private renting

7.6%Social renting

2.1%Social renting

11.0%Social renting

62.8%Detached houses

81.5%Detached houses

35.6%Detached houses

15.6%Semi-detached houses

7.8%Semi-detached houses

17.3%Semi-detached houses

14.3%Terraced houses

1.3%Terraced houses

9.9%Terraced houses

5.7%Flats

7.8%Flats

26.8%Flats

Surroundings

Bearwood & Merley has the higher share of land within 500 m that is green space: 21%, 2.8 percentage points more than Broadstone (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole: 14%). A typical postcode has 33 everyday shops and services within a 15-minute walk in Bearwood & Merley, and 41 in Broadstone. The typical postcode is 568 m from the nearest school in Bearwood & Merley and 439 m in Broadstone. The typical postcode is 5,067 m from the nearest tram stop or railway station in Bearwood & Merley and 4,314 m in Broadstone. Gigabit-capable broadband reaches 84% of premises in Bearwood & Merley and 87% in Broadstone.

21.2%Green space within 500 m

18.4%Green space within 500 m

14.3%Green space within 500 m

33Services within 15 min (median)

41Services within 15 min (median)

89Services within 15 min (median)

568 mNearest school (median)

439 mNearest school (median)

–Nearest school (median)

5.1 kmNearest tram or rail (median)

4.3 kmNearest tram or rail (median)

–Nearest tram or rail (median)

11Postcodes in flood risk areas

0Postcodes in flood risk areas

606Postcodes in flood risk areas

83.8%Gigabit broadband (premises)

87.0%Gigabit broadband (premises)

90.1%Gigabit broadband (premises)

Safety

Over 12 months, police recorded 63 crimes and incidents per 1,000 residents in Bearwood & Merley and 30 in Broadstone, 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.

63Recorded crime per 1,000 residents

30Recorded crime per 1,000 residents

90Recorded crime per 1,000 residents

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.

Bearwood & Merley

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.

Broadstone

Broadstone is one of 33 wards in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, home to 10,287 people in 4,270 households (Census 2021). Homes sold for a median of £495,000 over the past two years, 46% above the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole median. On average 18% of the land within 500 metres of a home postcode is green space — 29% above the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole average.

More comparisons.

Bearwood & Merley and Broadstone next to other wards of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.

Bearwood & Merley vs Kinson Bearwood & Merley vs Canford Heath Bearwood & Merley vs Alderney & Bourne Valley Broadstone vs Creekmoor Broadstone vs Canford Heath Broadstone vs Oakdale All wards of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

Bearwood & Merleyvs Broadstone