Penn Hill
vs Westbourne & West Cliff

Westbourne & West Cliff has the younger population: 18% of residents are aged 15–29, against 14% in Penn Hill. Homes in Penn Hill sold for a median of £457,000, 83% above Westbourne & West Cliff. Westbourne & West Cliff has more green space nearby (12% within 500 m, against 6%).

Penn Hill

241 postcodes

Westbourne & West Cliff

233 postcodes

Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

city average

People

Penn Hill has 11,542 residents in 5,036 households; Westbourne & West Cliff has 10,087 in 5,601. Westbourne & West Cliff has the higher share of residents aged 65 and over: 26%, 6.1 percentage points more than Penn Hill (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole: 22%). Westbourne & West Cliff has the higher share of people living alone: 49%, 19.4 percentage points more than Penn Hill (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole: 33%).

11,542Residents (2021)

10,087Residents (2021)

400,196Residents (2021)

5,036Households

5,601Households

173,842Households

14.4%Aged 15–29

17.8%Aged 15–29

18.2%Aged 15–29

20.1%Aged 65 and over

26.2%Aged 65 and over

21.6%Aged 65 and over

30.0%Living alone

49.4%Living alone

32.5%Living alone

Homes and prices

The most common type of home is detached houses in Penn Hill (48%) and flats in Westbourne & West Cliff (64%). Penn Hill has the higher share of owner-occupied homes: 72%, 25 percentage points more than Westbourne & West Cliff (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole: 63%). Westbourne & West Cliff has the higher share of private renting: 47%, 23.2 percentage points more than Penn Hill (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole: 25%). Over two years, homes sold for a median of £457,000 in Penn Hill and £250,000 in Westbourne & West Cliff, against £339,250 across Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.

£457,000Median sale price

£250,000Median sale price

£339,250Median sale price

71.7%Owner-occupied

46.7%Owner-occupied

62.8%Owner-occupied

23.7%Private renting

46.9%Private renting

25.4%Private renting

4.4%Social renting

5.8%Social renting

11.0%Social renting

47.8%Detached houses

4.5%Detached houses

35.6%Detached houses

12.9%Semi-detached houses

2.3%Semi-detached houses

17.3%Semi-detached houses

6.3%Terraced houses

3.1%Terraced houses

9.9%Terraced houses

22.2%Flats

64.4%Flats

26.8%Flats

Surroundings

Westbourne & West Cliff has the higher share of land within 500 m that is green space: 12%, 5.7 percentage points more than Penn Hill (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole: 14%). A typical postcode has 110 everyday shops and services within a 15-minute walk in Penn Hill, and 162 in Westbourne & West Cliff. The typical postcode is 505 m from the nearest school in Penn Hill and 721 m in Westbourne & West Cliff. The typical postcode is 877 m from the nearest tram stop or railway station in Penn Hill and 1,855 m in Westbourne & West Cliff. Gigabit-capable broadband reaches 77% of premises in Penn Hill and 85% in Westbourne & West Cliff.

5.9%Green space within 500 m

11.6%Green space within 500 m

14.3%Green space within 500 m

110Services within 15 min (median)

162Services within 15 min (median)

89Services within 15 min (median)

505 mNearest school (median)

721 mNearest school (median)

–Nearest school (median)

877 mNearest tram or rail (median)

1.9 kmNearest tram or rail (median)

–Nearest tram or rail (median)

6Postcodes in flood risk areas

0Postcodes in flood risk areas

606Postcodes in flood risk areas

76.8%Gigabit broadband (premises)

85.0%Gigabit broadband (premises)

90.1%Gigabit broadband (premises)

Safety

Over 12 months, police recorded 45 crimes and incidents per 1,000 residents in Penn Hill and 143 in Westbourne & West Cliff, 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.

45Recorded crime per 1,000 residents

143Recorded 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.

Penn Hill

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.

Westbourne & West Cliff

Westbourne & West Cliff is one of 33 wards in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole, home to 10,087 people in 5,601 households (Census 2021). Homes sold for a median of £250,000 over the past two years, 26% below the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole median. On average 12% of the land within 500 metres of a home postcode is green space — 19% below the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole average.

More comparisons.

Penn Hill and Westbourne & West Cliff next to other wards of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole.

Penn Hill vs Parkstone Penn Hill vs Canford Cliffs Penn Hill vs Newtown & Heatherlands Penn Hill vs Alderney & Bourne Valley Westbourne & West Cliff vs Talbot & Branksome Woods Westbourne & West Cliff vs Bournemouth Central Westbourne & West Cliff vs Canford Cliffs All wards of Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole

Penn Hillvs Westbourne & West Cliff