TheSouth East Dorset conurbation (also known as theSouth Dorset conurbation,[1]Poole-Bournemouthurban area[2] andBournemouth urban area) is a multi-centredconurbation on the south coast ofDorset in England.
The main population centres areBournemouth,Christchurch, andPoole which are served by the singleunitary authority ofBournemouth, Christchurch and Poole. However, the urbanised area spreads into the area of theDorset unitary authority and into theNew Forest District as far east asBarton on Sea. There are a number of satellite towns peripheral to the urban centres, including (listed clockwise)Wareham,Verwood, andRingwood (Hampshire). The urban area is generally surrounded by agreen belt.
In 2006, theSouth West EnglandRegional Development Agency and theHighways Agency, which maintains England'strunk roads, defined a South East Dorset Conurbation with over 400,000 people.[3][4] The term has also been applied to the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole boroughs, excluding the surrounding towns, for example, in their 2006 JointLocal Transport Plan.[5] The conurbation is the largest urban area in Britain with no part havingcity status.[6]
The 2011 census gave a population of 466,626 for the conurbation, defined by theOffice for National Statistics as the Bournemouth/Poole Built-up Area, and divided it into six main parts: Bournemouth,Ferndown,Wimborne Minster, Christchurch,New Milton, and Poole.[7]
The population of the conurbation increased significantly between the 2001 and 2011 censuses, mainly because the towns of Ferndown and Wimborne Minster became part of it. The population for the conurbation according to the 2001 and 1991 censuses was 383,713 and 358,321, respectively.[8]
There are a number of nearby towns and villages that are separated from the conurbation by narrow gaps. They include:
The conurbation is served by a number of main roads. TheM27 motorway feeds theM3 to London and ends on the eastern edge of the New Forest nearSouthampton, but extends west as theA31trunk road. The A31 serves as a bypass for the conurbation, north of Poole and Bournemouth but south of many of the satellite towns, and is dual carriageway for most of its length. To the west the A31 merges with the A35 atBere Regis where they continue west toDorchester andExeter. The A35 runs through the centres of the main towns in the conurbation. TheA338 is the main arterial route in Bournemouth, running as a dual carriageway from Bournemouth town centre to the A31, and as a single carriageway north toSalisbury. TheA350 is Poole town centre's main artery, running north alongHoles Bay to the A35, and as a single carriageway toBath andBristol. TheA337 runs east to Lymington and the New Forest.
The conurbation is served by theSouth West Main Line which runs from London toWeymouth viaWinchester,Southampton andDorchester. There are stations atNew Milton,Hinton Admiral,Christchurch,Pokesdown,Bournemouth,Branksome,Parkstone,Poole,Hamworthy andHolton Heath. TheSomerset and Dorset Joint Railway to Bath had its southern terminus here, until its closure in 1966 under theBeeching Axe.
The conurbation's bus services are almost entirely provided bymorebus.
The Port of Poole has regularroll-on/roll-off ferry connections toCherbourg in France, andGijon andSantander in Spain. High-speed car ferries operate to the Channel Islands, Cherbourg andSt. Malo, and a regular all-freight service to the Channel Islands.Bournemouth Airport is about 4 miles (6 km) north of Bournemouth town centre;Ryanair,[9]Jet2 andTUI Airways[10] are the main operators.