Purbeck is a 156 square mile beautiful district in South Dorset comprising of several towns and villages, the largest being Wareham, Swanage, Lychett Matravers, Lychett Minster, Wool and Upton. The population of Purbeck is around 45,000 and there has been little population growth over the last 15 years. PEAT’s activities are concentrated in Wareham and Swanage, where most members reside, but we hope one day to cover the whole area.
The Dorset County Council Purbeck in Profile publication in 2010 outlined some interesting facts about Purbeck.
Housing
House prices in Purbeck are 14.5% higher than the national average and 11 times the average wage (£22,880) of people living in the district. A contributing factor is that around 7% (and many think this is a conservative estimate) of homes are either second homes or holiday homes – the highest in Dorset. Of 1,401 dwellings built in Purbeck over the last 10 years only 213 were ‘affordable’. The high house prices result in young people in the area moving away as they cannot afford to buy. Also, whilst housing is taken up as second homes there are plans in the Core Strategy to build new homes. We need to reduce the number of second homes and make way for low impact developments that are affordable and kinder to the environment.
Public transport
Currently only 3.5% of Purbeck residents get to work by public transport even though almost 16% of households in Purbeck do not have a car. There are currently train stations in Wareham, Wool, Moreton, Hamworthy and Upton but currently no rail service in major Purbeck towns of Swanage, Corfe and Bere Regis. The bus service is also unsatisfactory with only 34% of households with access to an hourly bus service. We need better public transport for Purbeck to reduce the use of cars and improve access to facilities for people living in rural areas.
Community
In Purbeck 68% of villages have no general store. Since 2005, three rural Post Offices and one urban one at Sandford near Wareham, together with two rural petrol stations have closed. Strong communities need local facilities such as schools, post offices, locally owned shops, libraries and community centres and should be protected.
The natural environment
Just over 28% of the area of Purbeck is covered by nature designations such as Special Protection Areas and Sites of Nature Conservation Interest and 57% of the district is designated as an ‘Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty’. The amount of protection for Purbeck’s landscape reduces development but can also be a hinderance to renewable energy targets; some residents feel for example that wind farms spoil the view – others of us feel they enhance it!
Environment
47% of all domestic waste generated in the district (including the Household Recycling Centres) is recycled. 100% of river water in Purbeck is rated as good in terms of biology and 95% in terms of chemistry. No areas in the district have significant air quality issues. We’re very lucky to have a clean environment in Purbeck – let’s hope it stays that way!
