Merley Drive, Highcliffe, Christchurch, BH23 5BN

People

Gender

In the UK, the overall gender distribution is approximately 49% male and 51% female. However, the area surrounding BH23 5BN, has a female population slightly higher than UK average, with 55.5% of residents being female. Several factors can contribute to this. Women generally live longer than men, resulting in a higher proportion of women in neighborhoods with significant elderly populations. Typically, as people grow older, they tend to relocate from city center addresses to suburban areas, smaller towns, and rural locations. Consequently, these areas often have a higher number of females. A higher female population can also be found in areas with industries that employ more women, such as healthcare, education, and retail.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Female	56.9%	55.5%	-1.4%	51.0%	4.5%
Male	43.1%	44.5%	1.4%	49.0%	-4.5%

Partnership Status

Across the UK, the average relationship status breakdown is roughly 44% married, 38% single, 9% divorced, 6% widowed, and 2% separated.

In the immediate vicinity of BH23 5BN there is a very large concentration of residents that are married - 53.3% of the resident population. In contrast, the average marriage rate across the census is about 44%.

Areas with a high percentage of married residents are typically suburban neighborhoods, towns with good schools and family-friendly amenities, and regions with affordable, spacious housing options. Additionally, such areas can be popular among retirees.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Single	9%	16.4%	7.4%	37.9%	-21.5%
Married: Opposite sex	62.2%	53.3%	-8.9%	44.2%	9.1%
Civil partnership: Same sex	0%	0.5%	0.5%	0.1%	0.4%
Separated	0.4%	2.7%	2.3%	2.2%	0.5%
Divorced	5.8%	11.7%	5.9%	9.1%	2.6%
Widowed	22.7%	15.4%	-7.3%	6.1%	9.3%

Health

Across the UK, the average 48.4% rated their health as Very Good, 33.6% as Good, 12.7% as Fair, 4% as Bad, and 1.2% as Very Bad.

Population age significantly impacts residents' health. Additionally, socioeconomic status plays a crucial role: higher income levels and lower poverty rates are linked to better health outcomes. Affluent areas benefit from higher living standards, access to private healthcare, and healthier lifestyle choices.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Very good health	27.8%	38.9%	11.1%	48.4%	-9.5%
Good health	35.1%	38.2%	3.1%	33.6%	4.6%
Fair health	26.4%	18.2%	-8.2%	12.7%	5.5%
Bad health	7.4%	3%	-4.4%	4.0%	-1.0%
Very bad health	3.3%	1.6%	-1.7%	1.2%	0.4%

Education and Qualifications

During the 2021 census, the educational qualifications of residents across the UK were as follows: 18.2% had no qualifications, 9.6% had 1-4 GCSEs, 13.4% had 5 or more GCSEs and 1-2 A/AS Levels, 16.9% had 2 or more A Levels, 33.8% held a degree (or equivalent), and 5.4% had completed an apprenticeship.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No qualifications	35.3%	15.8%	-19.5%	18.2%	-2.4%
1-4 GCSEs or Equivalent	9.4%	6.7%	-2.7%	9.6%	-2.9%
5 or more GCSEs, an A-Level or 1-2 AS Levels	17.6%	18.4%	0.8%	13.4%	5.0%
Apprenticeship	4.7%	8.3%	3.6%	5.3%	3.0%
HNC, HND or 2+ A Levels	7.6%	14.4%	6.8%	16.9%	-2.5%
Degree or Similar	21.9%	30.2%	8.3%	33.8%	-3.6%
Other	3.6%	6.1%	2.5%	2.8%	3.3%

Culture

Ethnic Group

In this area, the population is predominantly white, with 99.3% identifying as such, significantly higher than the UK average of 81.4%. This indicates a lower level of ethnic diversity compared to the broader UK population.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Chinese	0.3%	0%	-0.3%	0.7%	-0.7%
Other Asian	0.3%	0%	-0.3%	1.6%	-1.6%
Mixed White and Asian	0%	0.5%	0.5%	0.8%	-0.3%
Mixed White and Caribbean	0%	0.2%	0.2%	0.9%	-0.7%
White	99.3%	99.3%	0.0%	81.4%	17.9%

Country of Birth

In this area, 91.3% of the population were born in the United Kingdom, which is higher than the UK average of 83.2%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	96.3%	91.3%	-5.0%	83.2%	8.1%
European Union	0.7%	4.7%	4.0%	6.1%	-1.4%
Rest of Europe	0%	0.2%	0.2%	0.8%	-0.6%
Africa	1%	2.4%	1.4%	2.7%	-0.3%
Middle East and Asia	1%	0%	-1.0%	5.6%	-5.6%
The Americas and the Caribbean	0.7%	1.4%	0.7%	1.3%	0.1%
British Overseas	0.3%	0%	-0.3%	0.0%	0.0%

Length of Residence

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Born in the UK	96%	91.1%	-4.9%	83.2%	7.9%
10+ Years	0%	7%	7.0%	9.8%	-2.8%
5-10 Years	0.3%	1.2%	0.9%	2.9%	-1.7%
2-5 Years	0%	0.2%	0.2%	2.2%	-2.0%
Less than 2 years	3.7%	0.5%	-3.2%	1.9%	-1.4%

Passport Held

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	84.7%	76.7%	8.0%
Ireland	2.1%	0.6%	1.5%
Germany	0.2%	0.2%	0.0%
Lithuania	0.5%	0.3%	0.2%
Poland	0.5%	1.3%	-0.8%
Other EU countries	0.9%	1.5%	-0.6%
Other Europe	0.7%	0.2%	0.5%
Central and South America	0.2%	0.2%	0.0%
No passport held	10.1%	13.5%	-3.4%

Religion

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No religion	29.6%	37.2%	-7.6%
Christian	65%	46.2%	18.8%
Buddhist	0.7%	0.5%	0.2%
Jewish	0.2%	0.5%	-0.3%
Other religion	0.2%	0.6%	-0.4%
Not answered	4.3%	6.0%	-1.7%

Safety

Is Merley Drive Street dangerous?

Over the last 12 months, the overall crime rate around Merley Drive was 79.1 per 1,000 residents, which is 173.5% higher than the Highcliffe & Walkford average. The most reported crime type was Shoplifting.

Merley Drive has the 2nd highest crime rate of 45 local areas in Highcliffe & Walkford and the 379th highest crime rate of 1,191 local areas in Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole .

Violent and sexual offences accounted for around 16.8 crimes per 1,000 residents and have been falling year on year. Over the last decade, overall crime has risen by about 103.3%.

🔎 See full breakdown of local crime, hotspots & trends

Affluence

Household Income

Households in this area have a slightly higher level of wealth to the average household in England and Wales. 61% of analyzed areas in England and Wales have lower average household annual income than this area.

Average Household Income
£47,900

Income Rank
7/10

Household Income in BH23 5BN, Local Authority and Region

Deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) - 2/10 (very low )
Indices of multiple deprivation (IMD) is used to classify the relative deprivation (a measure of poverty) of the area. It considers the following domains:
Income Deprivation Domain - 2/10 (very low )
The Income Deprivation Domain measures the percentage of people in the population who are experiencing poverty due to having a low income. It includes both those who are unemployed and those who are employed but earn very little (and who satisfy the respective means tests).
Employment Deprivation Domain - 5/10 (average )
The Employment Deprivation Domain measures the proportion of the working-age population in an area involuntarily excluded from the labour market. This includes people who would like to work but are unable to do so due to unemployment, sickness or disability, or caring responsibilities.
Education, Skills and Training Domain - 4/10 (below average )
The Education, Skills, and Training Deprivation Domain measures the lack of education and skills in a local area. It has two parts: one for children and young people, and one for adults. The part for children and young people looks at their school achievements ('flow'), while the part for adults looks at the number of adults without qualifications ('stock').
Health Deprivation and Disability Domain - 3/10 (low )
The Health Deprivation and Disability Domain measures the risk of early death and poor quality of life due to bad physical or mental health. It looks at illness, disability, and early death, but not at behaviors or environments that might affect future health.
Crime Domain - 2/10 (very low )
The Crime Domain measures the risk of people and property being victims of crime in a local area.
Barriers to Housing and Services Domain - 5/10 (average )
The Barriers to Housing and Services Domain measures how easy or hard it is to access housing and local services. It has two parts: one looks at how close local services are, and the other looks at issues like how affordable housing is.
Living Environment Deprivation Domain - 1/10 (very low )
The Living Environment Deprivation Domain measures the quality of the local environment. It has two parts: the "indoors" part looks at housing quality, and the "outdoors" part looks at air quality and road traffic accidents.
Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) - 1/10 (very low )
The Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) measures how many children aged 0 to 15 live in low-income families. It is part of the Income Deprivation Domain, which looks at how many people in an area have low incomes. This includes both those who are unemployed and those who work but earn very little (and who satisfy the respective means tests).
Income Deprivation Affecting Older People Index (IDAOPI) - 1/10 (very low )
The Income Deprivation Affecting Older People Index (IDAOPI) measures the percentage of people aged 60 or older who have low income. It is part of the Income Deprivation Domain, which looks at how many people in an area have low income, including both unemployed people and those with low-paying jobs (and who satisfy the respective means tests).

Property Prices

Average property prices on Merley Drive are based on 45 property sales since the beginning of 1995. Estimated property prices are calculated by adjusting the last sale price by current House Price Index for Christchurch.
StreetScan downloads house price data directly from the HM Land Registry and uses it to create these statistics.

House Prices for Merley Drive, Highcliffe, Christchurch, BH23 5BN

Estimated Average Property Prices for BH23 5BN

Average Price
£642,651

Semi-Detached
no sales

Terraced
no sales

Detached
£642,651

Flats/Maisonettes
no sales

Other
no sales

Estimated Average Property Prices for Merley Drive

Average Price
£601,768

Semi-Detached
£795,347

Terraced
no sales

Detached
£592,764

Flats/Maisonettes
no sales

Other
no sales

Property Prices Comparison

Latest Property Sales on Merley DriveStreet

Address	Sale Price	Sale Date	Price Estimate 2025
4 Merley Drive, Christchurch, Bournemouth, Christchurch And Poole Detached, an established residential building	£815,000	2024-03-19	£826,504
27 Merley Drive, Christchurch, Bournemouth, Christchurch And Poole Detached, an established residential building	£685,000	2023-11-30	£679,904
8 Merley Drive, Christchurch, Bournemouth, Christchurch And Poole Detached, an established residential building	£646,000	2022-12-16	£599,765
21 Merley Drive, Christchurch, Bournemouth, Christchurch And Poole Detached, an established residential building	£625,000	2022-02-23	£637,282
3 Merley Drive, Christchurch, Bournemouth, Christchurch And Poole Detached, an established residential building	£532,000	2021-10-26	£570,480

View All Property Sales and Other Statistics for BH23 5BN

Employment

BH23 5BN area has a low unemployment rate. According to Census 2021, 1% residents of this area were unemployed, while the average in the UK was 4.83%. A low level of unemployment in an area indicates a strong job market, where most people who are seeking work can find employment. This generally reflects a healthy economy in the area.

The percentage of retired residents living in BH23 5BN area is much higher than the country's average. According to Census 2011, 54% residents of this area were retired, while the average in the UK was 14%.

Economic Activity

Retired	202
Full-Time Employee	72
Part-Time Employee	36
Self-Employed	29
Looking after home or family	16
Student (economically inactive)	6
Other	4
Unemployed	4
Long-Term Sick or disabled	3
Full-Time Student (with or without job)	2

Employment Industry

Construction	14
Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles	13
Accommodation and food service activities	9
Education	7
Human health and social work activities	7
Manufacturing	6
Administrative and support service activities	5
Information and communication	4
Real estate activities	4
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	3
Financial and insurance activities	3
Transport and storage	3
Other	3
Professional, scientific and technical activities	2

Schools

Primary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Highcliffe St Mark Primary School Greenways , Highcliffe BH23 5AZ	3out of 4	202 yd	Foundation school	No	Mixed	More About School
St Joseph's Catholic Primary School, Christchurch Dorset Road , Somerford BH23 3DA	3out of 4	3,160 yd	Voluntary aided school	No	Mixed	More About School
New Milton Junior School Old Milton Road , BH25 6DS	3out of 4	3,408 yd	Community school	No	Mixed	More About School
New Milton Infant School Lymington Road , BH25 6PZ	4out of 4	3,430 yd	Community school	No	Mixed	More About School
Mudeford Junior School Mudeford Lane , Mudeford BH23 3HP	4out of 4	3,791 yd	Community school	No	Mixed	More About School

Secondary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Highcliffe School Parkside , Highcliffe BH23 4QD	3out of 4	1,369 yd	Academy converter	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
The Arnewood School Gore Road , BH25 6RS	3out of 4	3,234 yd	Academy converter	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
The Grange School Redvers Road , BH23 3AU	1out of 4	3,949 yd	Academy sponsor led	No	Mixed	More About School

Not applicable

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
The Eaglewood School Culver Road , BH25 6SY	3out of 4	2,912 yd	Free schools alternative provision	No	Mixed	More About School
Durlston Court School Becton Lane , Barton-on-Sea BH25 7AQ	- not rated	3,777 yd	Other independent school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Ballard School Fernhill Lane , BH25 5SU	- not rated	4,141 yd	Other independent school	Yes	Mixed	More About School

School statistics for this postcode are based on Ofsted rankings.

Food and Drink

Restaurants, Cafes, Canteens

Business Name	Address	Distance
Gifted Cafe	316 Lymington Road	319 yd
Catz Pyjamas	318 Lymington Road	333 yd
Similan Thai	251 Lymington Road	336 yd
Bistro My Way Ltd	253 Lymington Road	340 yd
Tides Cafe	330-332 Lymington Road	368 yd

Pubs, Bars, Nightclubs

Business Name	Address	Distance
The Globe Inn	266 Lymington Road	294 yd
The Governor	364 Lymington Road	368 yd
Highcliffe Sports & Social Club	387 Lymington Road	512 yd
The Amberwood	154 Ringwood Road	987 yd

Takeaway, Sandwich Shops

Business Name	Address	Distance
Chinatown Takeaway	249 Lymington Road	336 yd
Honeymoon Chinese Takeaway	360 Lymington Road	368 yd
The Catch Fish and Chips	331 Lymington Road	442 yd
Top Chef	Unit 3, Highcliffe Corner, 399 Lymington Road	553 yd
Arowana	106 Ringwood Road	914 yd

Supermarkets, Hypermarkets

Business Name	Address	Distance
Co-op	309-311 Lymington Road	399 yd
Tesco	Lymington Road	484 yd
Walkford Stores	110 Ringwood Road	909 yd

Sport

Facility Name	Sport Objects	Distance
Highcliffe St Mark Primary School GREENWAYS	grass pitches, swimming pool	315 yd
Highcliffe Recreation Ground BEACON DRIVE	grass pitches	398 yd
St Marks Church Hall HINTON WOOD AVENUE		612 yd
Greystone House WATERFORD ROAD		815 yd

Broadband

Technology Aviability

Percentage of premises that have Superfast Broadband (30Mbit/s or greater) coverage from fixed broadband	100.0%
Percentage of premises that have Ultrafast Broadband (100Mbit/s or greater) coverage from fixed broadband	100.0%
Percentage of premises that have Ultrafast Broadband (300Mbit/s or greater) coverage from fixed broadband	100.0%
Percentage of premises that have coverage from a Gigabit capable service from fixed broadband	100.0%

Speed Aviability

Percentage of premises unable to receive 2Mbit/s	0.0%
Percentage of premises unable to receive 5Mbit/s	0.0%
Percentage of premises unable to receive 10Mbit/s	0.0%
Percentage of premises unable to receive 30Mbit/s	0.0%

Download Speed

Median download speed	32.4 Mbit/s
Average download speed	69 Mbit/s
Minimum download speed	350 Mbit/s
Maximum download speed	350 Mbit/s

Upload Speed

Median upload speed	6.6 Mbit/s
Average upload speed	9.1 Mbit/s
Maximum upload speed	35 Mbit/s

Broadband statistics are based on Ofcom's Communications Market Report (CMR) 2022.