Newtown & Heatherlands
vs Penn Hill
Newtown & Heatherlands has the younger population: 17% of residents are aged 15–29, against 14% in Penn Hill. Homes in Penn Hill sold for a median of £457,000, 47% above Newtown & Heatherlands. Newtown & Heatherlands has more green space nearby (6% within 500 m, against 6%).
People
Newtown & Heatherlands has 17,711 residents in 7,551 households; Penn Hill has 11,542 in 5,036. Penn Hill has the higher share of residents aged 65 and over: 20%, 3.3 percentage points more than Newtown & Heatherlands (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole: 22%). The share of people living alone is about the same in both (30% and 30%).
Homes and prices
In both, detached houses are the most common type of home: 34% of homes in Newtown & Heatherlands and 48% in Penn Hill. Penn Hill has the higher share of owner-occupied homes: 72%, 8.5 percentage points more than Newtown & Heatherlands (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole: 63%). Penn Hill has the higher share of private renting: 24%, 1.5 percentage points more than Newtown & Heatherlands (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole: 25%). Over two years, homes sold for a median of £310,000 in Newtown & Heatherlands and £457,000 in Penn Hill, against £339,250 across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.
Surroundings
The share of land within 500 m that is green space is about the same in both (6% and 6%). A typical postcode has 102 everyday shops and services within a 15-minute walk in Newtown & Heatherlands, and 110 in Penn Hill. The typical postcode is 528 m from the nearest school in Newtown & Heatherlands and 505 m in Penn Hill. The typical postcode is 1,345 m from the nearest tram stop or railway station in Newtown & Heatherlands and 877 m in Penn Hill. Gigabit-capable broadband reaches 93% of premises in Newtown & Heatherlands and 77% in Penn Hill.
Safety
Over 12 months, police recorded 81 crimes and incidents per 1,000 residents in Newtown & Heatherlands and 45 in Penn Hill, 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.
Newtown & Heatherlands is one of 33 wards in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, home to 17,711 people in 7,551 households (Census 2021). Homes sold for a median of £310,000 over the past two years, 9% below the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole median. On average 6% of the land within 500 metres of a home postcode is green space — 55% below the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole average.
Penn Hill is one of 33 wards in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, home to 11,542 people in 5,036 households (Census 2021). Homes sold for a median of £457,000 over the past two years, 35% above the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole median. On average 6% of the land within 500 metres of a home postcode is green space — 59% below the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole average.
More comparisons.
Newtown & Heatherlands and Penn Hill next to other wards of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.