Forest of Dean
Forest of Dean is a town or village in Gloucestershire, England. It has around 17 restaurants and cafés, 1 pharmacy, 2 GP surgeries, 62 bus stops, and the nearest railway station is Parkend, 7.3 km away. Covers 46 towns with local open-data for the whole authority.
On deprivation, Forest of Dean is around the average in England (IoD2025). It is home to around 87,004 residents at roughly 165 people per km².
My Area Score
Good
Ranked 112th of 294 English council areas — better than 62% of them.
A percentile blend of eight open measures (100 = best in England); bars show this area’s England-wide percentile on each. See the rankings · methodology
Weather
8°CPatchy rain nearby
- Today: 9° / 7° · 36% rain
- Tomorrow: 10° / 6° · Overcast
Source: WeatherAPI
Daylight
Sunrise 07:09Sunset 16:37
9h 27m of daylight today
Next bank holiday: Christmas Day, Fri 25 Dec
Source: sunrise-sunset.org · gov.uk
Air quality
25US AQI · Good
Main pollutant: fine particles (PM2.5)
Source: WAQI · Chepstow A48, United Kingdom
Air pollution (PM2.5)
- 5.7 µg/m³ average fine-particle (PM2.5) concentration
- 4.3% of adult (30+) deaths estimated attributable to fine-particle pollution
Lower is better for both figures.
Source: OHID Fingertips · 2024
Crime
Road safety
103 reported road collisions (2025)
33 killed or seriously injured · 149 casualties · 11.8 collisions per 10,000 residents
Source: DfT reported road collisions (STATS19)
Food hygiene
83 food businesses within 2 miles
- 73 rated 4–5 ★ (68 top)
- 1 rated 0–2 (poor)
Source: Food Standards Agency
Flood risk
Buses & trains
- Nearest station: Parkend (7.3 km)
- 62 bus stops within ~½ mile
Live trains from Lydney (12.5 km):
Loading live departures…
Source: OpenStreetMap, National Rail
House prices
£296,807 average▲ 1.1% YoY
Across Forest of Dean · to 2026-08
Source: UK House Price Index (HM Land Registry)
Private rents
£828 average monthly rent▼ 0.1% YoY
- 1 bed £594
- 2 bed £800
- 3 bed £960
Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents · to 2026-08
Affordability
8.2× house price to earnings
A typical home costs 8.2 times median annual pay (7.9× for cheaper homes vs lower pay).
Source: ONS house price to workplace earnings ratio · 2025
Property sales
1,055 property sales in the last 12 months
12 months to May 2026
A busier or quieter market is not by itself good or bad. Monthly counts are small and volatile, so only the annual total is shown.
Source: HM Land Registry UK HPI, 12 months to 2026-05
EV charging
5 charging locations within ~8 km
- 2 with rapid charging (50 kW+)
- Fastest nearby: 120 kW
- Nearest: Tesco Superstore-Cinderford (0.7 km)
Source: Open Charge Map
Sport & leisure
- Sports centres1
- Gyms2
- Swimming pools1
- Sports pitches10
- Playgrounds8
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Population
87,004 residents in Forest of Dean · 165/km²
- Under 16: 16%
- 16–64: 59%
- 65+: 25%
Source: ONS Census 2021 (local authority)
Internal migration
- Moves in from elsewhere in the UK5,395
- Moves out to elsewhere in the UK5,084
- Net moves+311
Residential moves between local authorities (counts of moves, not people) · ONS Internal migration, YE Jun 2025
Deprivation
Around the average in England
Ranked 121 of 296 English local authorities (1 = most deprived)
Source: English Indices of Deprivation 2025
Council tax
£2,443 a year · Band D, 2026-27
Most homes here are Band B (25% of 40,980)
Source: VOA council-tax stock · MHCLG band levels 2026-27
Schools
55 schools · 10,867 pupils
45 primary · 6 secondary · 4 other
Ofsted: 23 of 28 graded schools rated Good or Outstanding (82%)
52 inspected under Ofsted’s 2024+ framework (graded by area, no single overall grade)
Secondary schools:
- Five Acres High SchoolGood
- The Dean AcademyGood
- SGS Forest High SchoolRequires improvement
- Dene Magna and Sixth Form
- Newent Community School and Sixth Form Centre
- Wyedean School and Sixth Form Centre
Source: DfE Get Information about Schools · Ofsted · Forest of Dean
Care & health services
687 CQC-registered services
- Care homes200
- GP practices96
- Dentists142
- Homecare agencies182
- Hospitals & hospices31
CQC ratings: 92% of rated services Good or Outstanding · 2 Inadequate
Source: Care Quality Commission · Gloucestershire
Heritage & planning
- Not in the Green Belt
- 11 listed buildings within ~1.5 km
Source: planning.data.gov.uk (England)
Planning decisions
118 applications decided
92.4% granted · 109 granted, 9 refused
Source: MHCLG planning statistics (PS2) · 2026 Q2
Your MP
Matt Bishop
Labour
Forest of Dean
Recent votes:
- AyeBudget Resolution No. 86: High value council tax surcharge
- AyeBudget Resolution No. 76: Rates of alcohol duty
- AyeBudget Resolution No. 55: Value added tax (electric vehicle charging)
- AyeBudget Resolution No. 15: Charges in connection with employment visas
Source: UK Parliament
Council control
Green (minority)
- Lab 4
- Con 6
- LD 1
- Grn 15
- Ref 1
- Oth 11
Source: Open Council Data UK (CC BY-SA)
Amenities nearby
- Schools5
- GPs & clinics3
- Pharmacies1
- Supermarkets2
- Parks & greens72
- Restaurants & cafés19
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Local businesses
4,195 active business enterprises in the area
Source: ONS UK Business Counts (2026)
Local economy
£833 median full-time weekly pay
2.6% of residents aged 16–64 claim unemployment-related benefits
£22,925 disposable income per head (2024)
Source: ONS / Nomis (claimant count · ASHE) · ONS regional GDHI
Energy efficiency
38% of homes rated EPC C or above
Most common band: D · 39,298 certificates
12.3% of households were in fuel poverty (2023)
Source: MHCLG EPC statistics · DESNZ sub-regional fuel poverty
Grid electricity
50% low-carbon electricity
Gas 46% · Wind 29% · Nuclear 18% · Imports 4%
186 gCO₂/kWh · high intensity
Latest estimate for West Midlands · National Grid ESO
Health
Life expectancy: 83.7 yrs women · 81 yrs men
Healthy life expectancy (Gloucestershire): 63.4 women · 63.4 men
72% of adults overweight or obese
Source: OHID Fingertips · 2025
Wellbeing
- Life satisfaction7.2
- Feeling worthwhile7.9
- Happiness yesterday7.0
- Anxiety yesterday (lower is better)4.1
Average rating out of 10 · ONS personal well-being 2022-23
Health services
6 GP surgeries · 3 pharmacies in GL14
- Forest Health Care
- Dockham Surgery
- Working Age Adults - Colliers Court
Source: NHS Organisation Data Service
Local petitions
Open UK Parliament petitions most signed in Forest of Dean:
- Hold a UK-wide briefing on climate and nature risks365 local signatures · 127,144 nationwide
- Remove sentence reductions for guilty pleas in controlling and coercive cases200 local signatures · 105,832 nationwide
- Review the law on unfit to plead & reform it to protect victims & public safety183 local signatures · 12,590 nationwide
- Support the Ceramics Industry and protect British manufacturing jobs and skills179 local signatures · 111,154 nationwide
- End the mandatory fortification of white flour with folic acid immediately177 local signatures · 76,640 nationwide
Source: petition.parliament.uk · as of 2026-10-05
Notable places nearby
Cinderford New railway station · 0.2 kmCinderford New railway station was a railway station that was opened by the former Severn and Wye Railway to serve the mining town of Cinderford.
- Bilson Halt railway station · 0.6 km
Bilson Halt railway station is a disused railway station opened on the former Bullo Pill Railway, later known as the Great Western Railway Forest of Dean Branch.
- Cinderford Canal · 0.6 km
The Cinderford Canal was a private canal, opened in about 1797, in Gloucestershire, England, which was used to provide coke and water to Cinderford Ironworks.
Cinderford · 0.7 kmCinderford is a town and civil parish on the eastern fringe of the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire, England. The population was 8,777 at the 2021 Census.
Laymoor Quag · 0.8 kmLaymoor Quag is a 3.5-hectare (8.6-acre) nature reserve within the Forest of Dean in Gloucestershire. The site is listed in the 'Forest of Dean Local Plan Review' as a Key Wildlife Site (KWS).
Cinderford Town A.F.C. · 0.9 kmCinderford Town Association Football Club is a football club based in Cinderford in Gloucestershire, England. Affiliated to the Gloucestershire County FA, they are currently members of the Hellenic League Premier Divi…
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA)
Towns in Forest of Dean
- Alvington
- Aylburton
- Beachley
- Berry Hill
- Blakeney (Forest of Dean)
- Botloe's Green
- Bream
- Broadwell and Coalway
- Bromesberrow Heath
- Cinderford
- Clearwell
- Clifford's Mesne
- Coleford (Forest of Dean)
- Corse
- Drybrook
- Dymock
- Gorsley Common
- Hartpury
- Huntley
- Littledean
- Longhope
- Lower Redbrook
- Lydney
- May Hill Village
- Milkwall
- Mitcheldean
- Moor End
- Newent
- Newnham (Forest of Dean)
- Northwood Green
- Pope's Hill
- Redmarley D'Abitot
- Rodley
- Ruardean
- Ruardean Woodside
- Ruspidge
- Sling
- St Briavels
- Symonds Yat West
- The Scarr
- Tibberton (Forest of Dean)
- Tutshill and Sedbury
- Welsh Bicknor
- Woodcroft
- Woolaston
- Yorkley and Whitecroft