With over half the county designated as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty and three-quarters of its coastline as a World Heritage Site, it's hard to imagine a more idyllic part of the world to call home than Dorset. Bordering Devon, Somerset, Wiltshire and Hampshire, Dorset has long been an alternative choice for South West holidaymakers and those looking to settle down with all the benefits of the English Channel coast.
While much of the county is rural, the main settlements are Dorchester, Weymouth, Poole and Bournemouth. There is a lot of development going on at present in and around these areas.
The county town is Dorchester and it is the only key Dorset settlement inland. A market town, Dorchester lies on the River Frome and is the home to Poundbury, the Prince of Wales' utopian English village. The community is expected to be complete by 2025 and Persimmon Homes are involved in building the properties alongside C.G. Fry & Son Ltd and Morrish Builders.
Weymouth and Poole are both holiday coastal destinations and the former is where our Green Home of the Month in this edition is located. Located halfway along the Jurassic Coast, Weymouth esplanade was redeveloped for the 2012 Olympic Games and sailing took place off the coast here. With a varied events programme in both towns, residents have plenty to keep them occupied along with gorgeous coast and countryside to explore. Poole is a cross-channel port and both towns have a direct train line to London Waterloo.
Previously the happiest place in the UK, Bournemouth has in the past been considered predominantly a retirement community however there has been rapid development over the last decade. It is the largest settlement in Dorset and a range of developers are working in the area to cater for the growing number of young professionals and families who choose to live, or want a holiday home, in the pretty coastal town.
Affordable
£127,999
Fairwood Place is a Barratt Homes development in Verwood, near the border with Hampshire, which contains a selection of one- and two-bedroom apartments. This one-bedroom apartment is on the second-floor, has its own parking space and combined living and dining area.
Family
£205,000
Magnolia Mews from Taylor Wimpey is a new development in the village of Crossways with one-, two- and three-bedroom homes . Plot 1 the ‘Elm' is a three-bedroom terraced house with two-bathrooms, two allocated parking spaces and a private garden.
Luxury
£3.995million
Planning permission has been granted for this new home set in a 1.1 acre plot in one of Dorset's most exclusive areas, Martello Road in Branksome Park in Poole. Privately developed and being sold by UK Sotherbys International Realty, this property will come with its own gym.