Littlemoor & Preston
vs Melcombe Regis
Melcombe Regis has the younger population: 16% of residents are aged 15–29, against 13% in Littlemoor & Preston. Homes in Littlemoor & Preston sold for a median of £320,000, 75% above Melcombe Regis. Littlemoor & Preston has more green space nearby (29% within 500 m, against 4%).
People
Littlemoor & Preston has 9,864 residents in 4,626 households; Melcombe Regis has 4,628 in 2,604. Littlemoor & Preston has the higher share of residents aged 65 and over: 32%, 6.8 percentage points more than Melcombe Regis (Dorset: 30%). Melcombe Regis has the higher share of people living alone: 53%, 21.6 percentage points more than Littlemoor & Preston (Dorset: 31%).
Homes and prices
The most common type of home is detached houses in Littlemoor & Preston (39%) and flats in Melcombe Regis (40%). Littlemoor & Preston has the higher share of owner-occupied homes: 71%, 27.7 percentage points more than Melcombe Regis (Dorset: 70%). Melcombe Regis has the higher share of private renting: 50%, 36.5 percentage points more than Littlemoor & Preston (Dorset: 16%). Over two years, homes sold for a median of £320,000 in Littlemoor & Preston and £182,500 in Melcombe Regis, against £345,000 across Dorset.
Surroundings
Littlemoor & Preston has the higher share of land within 500 m that is green space: 29%, 25.1 percentage points more than Melcombe Regis (Dorset: 26%). A typical postcode has 35 everyday shops and services within a 15-minute walk in Littlemoor & Preston, and 207 in Melcombe Regis. The typical postcode is 761 m from the nearest school in Littlemoor & Preston and 949 m in Melcombe Regis. The typical postcode is 1,675 m from the nearest tram stop or railway station in Littlemoor & Preston and 502 m in Melcombe Regis. Gigabit-capable broadband reaches 84% of premises in Littlemoor & Preston and 33% in Melcombe Regis.
Safety
Over 12 months, police recorded 53 crimes and incidents per 1,000 residents in Littlemoor & Preston and 437 in Melcombe Regis, against 56 across Dorset. 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.
Littlemoor & Preston is one of 52 wards in Dorset, home to 9,864 people in 4,626 households (Census 2021). Homes sold for a median of £320,000 over the past two years, 7% below the Dorset median. On average 29% of the land within 500 metres of a home postcode is green space — 9% above the Dorset average.
Melcombe Regis is one of 52 wards in Dorset, home to 4,628 people in 2,604 households (Census 2021). Homes sold for a median of £182,500 over the past two years, 47% below the Dorset median. On average 4% of the land within 500 metres of a home postcode is green space — 86% below the Dorset average.
More comparisons.
Littlemoor & Preston and Melcombe Regis next to other wards of Dorset.