Sopley
Sopley is a village in Dorset, England, with a population of around 308. It has 16 bus stops and the nearest railway station is Christchurch, 3 km away. This page gathers weather, crime, food hygiene, transport, flood risk, house prices, population, deprivation and your local MP for the Sopley area — all from official UK open data.
On deprivation, the Bournemouth, Christchurch an area is around the average in England (IoD2025). The wider council area has around 400,198 residents at roughly 2,469 people per km².
- Council
- Bournemouth, Christchurch an
- County
- Dorset
- Constituency
- Christchurch
- Police force
- Dorset
My Area Score
Good
Ranked 118th of 294 English council areas — better than 60% 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
10°CPartly Cloudy
- Today: 12° / 8° · 28% rain
- Tomorrow: 12° / 8° · Sunny
Source: WeatherAPI
Daylight
Sunrise 07:00Sunset 16:40
9h 40m of daylight today
Next bank holiday: Christmas Day, Fri 25 Dec
Source: sunrise-sunset.org · gov.uk
Air quality
38US AQI · Good
Main pollutant: fine particles (PM2.5)
Source: WAQI · Christchurch Barrack Road, United Kingdom
Air pollution (PM2.5)
- 5.9 µg/m³ average fine-particle (PM2.5) concentration
- 4.4% of adult (30+) deaths estimated attributable to fine-particle pollution
Lower is better for both figures.
Source: OHID Fingertips · 2024
Crime
1 reported · August 2026▼ 50% YoY
- Other crime1
Neighbourhood team: Ringwood and Fordingbridge · Hampshire
Local policing priorities
- Op Forestguard
- Catapult use in Fordingbridge.
Source: data.police.uk (within ~1 mile)
Road safety
677 reported road collisions (2025)
164 killed or seriously injured · 764 casualties · 16.9 collisions per 10,000 residents
Source: DfT reported road collisions (STATS19)
Food hygiene
51 food businesses within 2 miles
- 46 rated 4–5 ★ (38 top)
- 2 rated 0–2 (poor)
Source: Food Standards Agency
Flood risk
Buses & trains
- Nearest station: Christchurch (3.8 km)
- 6 bus stops within ~½ mile
Live trains from Christchurch (3.9 km):
Loading live departures…
Source: OpenStreetMap, National Rail
House prices
Private rents
£1,398 average monthly rent▲ 2.8% YoY
- 1 bed £918
- 2 bed £1,169
- 3 bed £1,456
Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents · to 2026-08
Affordability
9.1× house price to earnings
A typical home costs 9.1 times median annual pay (8.6× for cheaper homes vs lower pay).
Source: ONS house price to workplace earnings ratio · 2025
Property sales
5,298 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
Fuel prices
- Cheapest petrol: 158.9p · Esso (8.2 km)
- Cheapest diesel: 191.9p · Esso (8.2 km)
7 stations within ~8 miles
Source: CMA fuel price scheme
EV charging
48 charging locations within ~8 km
- 18 with rapid charging (50 kW+)
- Fastest nearby: 120 kW
- Nearest: The Fisherman's Haunt (1.6 km)
Source: Open Charge Map
Sport & leisure
- Swimming pools1
- Sports pitches2
- Golf courses1
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Population
400,198 residents in Bournemouth, Christchurch an · 2,469/km²
- Under 16: 16%
- 16–64: 62%
- 65+: 22%
Source: ONS Census 2021 (local authority)
Internal migration
- Moves in from elsewhere in the UK22,521
- Moves out to elsewhere in the UK24,630
- Net moves−2,109
Residential moves between local authorities (counts of moves, not people) · ONS Internal migration, YE Jun 2025
Deprivation
Around the average in England
Ranked 169 of 296 English local authorities (1 = most deprived)
5% of neighbourhoods are in England’s most deprived 10%
Source: English Indices of Deprivation 2025
Council tax
£2,436 a year · Band D, 2026-27
Most homes here are Band C (29% of 190,200)
Source: VOA council-tax stock · MHCLG band levels 2026-27
Schools
117 schools · 54,556 pupils
66 primary · 21 secondary · 30 other
Ofsted: 38 of 41 graded schools rated Good or Outstanding (93%)
100 inspected under Ofsted’s 2024+ framework (graded by area, no single overall grade)
Secondary schools:
- Avonbourne Boys' AcademyOutstanding
- Bournemouth SchoolOutstanding
- Bournemouth School for GirlsOutstanding
- Corfe Hills SchoolGood
- Magna AcademyGood
- The Bishop of Winchester AcademyGood
- The Bourne AcademyGood
- The Grange SchoolGood
- Twynham SchoolGood
- Avonbourne Girls Academy
- Glenmoor Academy
- Highcliffe School
- LeAF Studio
- Oak Academy
- Parkstone Grammar School
- Poole Grammar School
- Poole High School
- St Aldhelm's Academy
- St Edward's Roman Catholic/Church of England School, Poole
- The Cornerstone Academy
- Winton Academy
Source: DfE Get Information about Schools · Ofsted · Bournemouth, Christchurch an
Care & health services
388 CQC-registered services
- Care homes120
- GP practices61
- Dentists85
- Homecare agencies87
- Hospitals & hospices14
CQC ratings: 97% of rated services Good or Outstanding
Source: Care Quality Commission · Dorset
Heritage & planning
- In a conservation area (Sopley)
- Within the Green Belt
- 28 listed buildings within ~1.5 km
Source: planning.data.gov.uk (England)
Planning decisions
561 applications decided
82.9% granted · 465 granted, 96 refused
Source: MHCLG planning statistics (PS2) · 2026 Q2
Your MP
Sir Desmond Swayne
Conservative
New Forest West
Recent votes:
- NoWithdrawal Agreement (Windsor Framework and Governance) (Amendment) Regulations 2026
- NoDraft Code of Practice on Access and Unfair Practices During the Recognition and Derecognition Process
- NoNorthern Ireland Troubles Bill: Third Reading
- AyeNorthern Ireland Troubles Bill Committee: New Clause 12
Source: UK Parliament
Council control
Liberal Democrat / Independent coalition
- Lab 8
- Con 9
- LD 27
- Grn 5
- Ref 3
- Oth 23
Source: Open Council Data UK (CC BY-SA)
Amenities nearby
- Schools2
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Local businesses
18,475 active business enterprises in the area
Source: ONS UK Business Counts (2026)
Jobs
2 jobs advertised
e.g. Delivery Rider - Scooter, Delivery Rider - Car
Source: Adzuna
Local economy
£729 median full-time weekly pay
3.3% of residents aged 16–64 claim unemployment-related benefits
£26,164 disposable income per head (2024)
Source: ONS / Nomis (claimant count · ASHE) · ONS regional GDHI
Energy efficiency
46% of homes rated EPC C or above
Most common band: D · 215,334 certificates
9.2% of households were in fuel poverty (2023)
Source: MHCLG EPC statistics · DESNZ sub-regional fuel poverty
Grid electricity
58% low-carbon electricity
Gas 37% · Wind 33% · Biomass 16% · Nuclear 10%
168 gCO₂/kWh · moderate intensity
Latest estimate for South England · National Grid ESO
Health
Life expectancy: 85 yrs women · 81 yrs men
Healthy life expectancy: 61.5 women · 61.4 men
65% of adults overweight or obese
Source: OHID Fingertips · 2025
Wellbeing
- Life satisfaction7.6
- Feeling worthwhile7.7
- Happiness yesterday7.4
- Anxiety yesterday (lower is better)3.1
Average rating out of 10 · ONS personal well-being 2022-23
Health services
8 GP surgeries · 10 pharmacies in BH23
- Highcliffe Medical Centre
- Christchurch Medical Practice
- Farmhouse Surgery
Source: NHS Organisation Data Service
Local petitions
Open UK Parliament petitions most signed in New Forest West:
- Remove sentence reductions for guilty pleas in controlling and coercive cases558 local signatures · 105,832 nationwide
- Hold a UK-wide briefing on climate and nature risks236 local signatures · 127,144 nationwide
- Ban on sale of disposable BBQs187 local signatures · 22,327 nationwide
- Protect legal right to support for children with SEND169 local signatures · 111,357 nationwide
- Remove the grey belt planning rules147 local signatures · 12,329 nationwide
Source: petition.parliament.uk · as of 2026-10-05
Notable places nearby
Sopley · 0.2 kmSopley is a village and civil parish in the New Forest National Park in Hampshire, England. The village lies on the old main road from Christchurch to Ringwood, on the east bank of the River Avon. The parish extends e…
- Moorlands College · 0.5 km
Moorlands College is an Evangelical Christian training college with a campus in Sopley Dorset, and a regional Centre in Devon. All degree courses are validated by the University of Gloucestershire. The college is non…
RAF Sopley · 0.9 kmRoyal Air Force Sopley or more simply RAF Sopley is a former Royal Air Force Second World War Radar station, codenamed Starlight, near the village of Sopley, Hampshire, England. The radar station was opened in Decembe…
RAF Winkton · 1.0 kmRoyal Air Force Winkton, or more simply RAF Winkton, is a former Royal Air Force Advanced landing ground previously in Hampshire but now, due to County boundary changes, in Dorset, England. The airfield is located app…
1958 BOAC Bristol Britannia crash · 1.1 kmG-AOVD was a Bristol Britannia 312 operated by BOAC which crashed near Christchurch, Dorset, in the south of England on Christmas Eve 1958, killing two of the five crew and all seven passengers.
Winkton, Dorset · 1.2 kmWinkton is a hamlet to the north of Christchurch in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole district in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. Together with the village of Burton, it is in the civil parish of Burto…
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA)
Nearby towns
Compare Bournemouth, Christchurch an with nearby areas
Frequently asked questions
- Where is Sopley?
- Sopley is a town in Dorset, England, in the Bournemouth, Christchurch an local authority.
- What is the population of Sopley?
- Sopley has an approximate settlement population of 308.
- How deprived is Sopley?
- The Bournemouth, Christchurch an local authority, which includes Sopley, is around the average in England on the IoD2025.