Canford Heath is a suburb and area of heathland in Poole, Dorset, known for being the largest heathland in Dorset[citation needed], and the largest lowland heath in the UK.[citation needed] It is also the name of the housing development built on the heathland in the 1960s, 1970s and 1980s. The area is split into two wards, and at the 2011 census the combined population of the two wards was 14,079.[1][2]
Historically, Canford Heath was part of the Canford Estate; in the Domesday Book, the manor of Cheneford was held by Edward of Salisbury.[3] Canford Heath was common land.[4] In 1810, it was subdivided among Poole's Proprietors, in response to the 1805 Enclosure Act, which "enabled the enclosure of over 9000 acres of ‘Common Meadows, Heaths, Waste Lands and Commonable Grounds’".[3][5]
In the early 20th century, Canford Heath had many different uses. In 1929, a hillclimb event for the "Motorcycle and Light Car Club" was staged here,[6] and during the Second World War, the heath was used as a munitions storage.[7] In 1938, most of the heath burned in a series of large fires.[8]
In 1944, it was suggested that Canford Heath should be "preserved from business development" after the War,[9] although in 1946, a plan was issued by Professor Abercrombie that suggested the use of Canford Heath as a housing development, in preference to building in the New Forest.[10] In 1947, there was another large heath fire.[11]
Building work began on a housing development in 1963 in South Canford Heath, whilst Parkstone and Poolegrammar schools were relocated to the edge of the heath in 1962 and 1968 respectively, and the first combined school opened in Canford Heath in 1970.[12] The first supermarket on the Heath was Waitrose, which opened in June 1970 sharing its car park with the also recently opened Fighter Pilot (now The Pilot) public house and Canford Heath United Reformed Church. Waitrose closed in 1982 to be replaced by Kwik Save. The current supermarket at Adastral Square is Iceland. Housing development began in 1973 in North Canford Heath, and in 1980, International Supermarket and formerly Somerfield (now Asda) became North Canford Heath's first supermarket.[12]
In 1984, planning permission was given for development of all of Canford Heath, providing that the site did not become a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI).[13] In response, an application was made in 1985 for much of Canford Heath to become a SSSI, due to the rare habitat and wildlife on the heathland.[14][15] The application was accepted in 1988,[14][16] although developers were still permitted to build houses on land not in the SSSI. A report by the Conservation Committee of the British Herpetological Society to the House of Lords in 1988 said that "more than half of Canford, our largest single heath, is being built over with most of its reptiles doomed or already lost",[17] and a 1988 New Scientist article claimed that the SSSI boundary had been drawn around planning permission on the heath granted by Bournemouth Council, and that houses could be built as little as 50 metres away from the SSSI, endangering rare reptiles.[18] In 1991, then Secretary of StateMichael Heseltine revoked planning consent for development on all of Canford Heath.[19] In 2008, planning permission was given to develop homes on a former landfill site not in the SSSI,[20] but plans were later abandoned. The former landfill site is now being restored to heathland.[21]
In 2006, a heath fire started by arsonists caused around 100 people to be evacuated from their homes, and required around 170 firefighters to put out.[22][23] Around 34–45 hectares of heathland burned.[24]
In 2015, another fire spread over 2 ha of heathland, and required 70 firefighters;[25][26] the damage caused could take 15–25 years for the heath to return to its former state.[27]
On 23 April 2022, a large fire broke out on the heath, close to Mannings Heath roundabout. Twenty homes were evacuated,[28] and an area of roughly 16.7 hectares was burnt.[29][30] Dozens of animals were reported killed, and Dorset Wildlife Trust said that it would take 15 years for the heath to be restored.[31] On 25 April, Dorset & Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service investigators said that the fire was started deliberately.[32][33] On 14 May yet another fire broke out on the heath.[34] On 22 May, a third fire broke out. The fire service confirmed that it was once again due to "human intervention".[35]
Canford Heath has grown its own community life with two public houses (The Haymoor and The Pilot), churches, an ASDA supermarket, five schools and a range of social activities for young people. The Tower Park leisure complex is nearby.
In September 2013, Poole Council changed its age of transfer, adopting the primary school system in favour of the previous middle school system.[44] As such, all first and middle schools became infant and junior schools. There are two infant schools in Canford Heath (Ad Astra Infant School and Canford Heath Infant School), two junior schools (Haymoor Junior School and Canford Heath Junior School) and two secondary schools (Magna Academy and Poole Grammar School). Poole Grammar School is a selective all-male school. There is also a special educational needs school (Longspee School & Service).
Politics
For the purpose of local elections, Canford Heath consisted of two wards, Canford Heath East and Canford Heath West, each of which elect two councillors. At the 2015 council election, Canford Heath East elected two Liberal Democrat councillors, and Canford Heath West elected two Conservative councillors.[45]
Poole is a coastal town and seaport on the south coast of England in the Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole unitary authority area in Dorset, England. The town is 21 miles (34 km) east of Dorchester and adjoins Bournemouth to the east. Since 1 April 2019, the local authority is Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council. The town had an estimated population of 151,500 making it the second-largest town in the ceremonial county of Dorset. Together with Bournemouth and Christchurch, the conurbation has a total population of nearly 400,000.
Ferndown is a town and civil parish in Dorset in southern England, immediately to the north of Bournemouth and Poole. The parish, which until 1972 was called Hampreston, includes the communities of Hampreston, Longham, Stapehill and Trickett's Cross. At the 2011 Census, the population of the parish was 26,559, making Ferndown the largest inland town in Dorset in terms of population, being larger than Dorchester.
Dorset Wildlife Trust (DWT) is a wildlife trust covering the county of Dorset, United Kingdom. The trust was founded in 1961 as Dorset Naturalists' Trust, to protect and conserve the wildlife and natural habitats of the county.
Upton is a town in south-east Dorset, England. Upton is to the east of Holton Heath and Upton Heath, and to the north of the Poole suburb of Hamworthy. It is the second largest town in the Purbeck Hills.
Mid Dorset and North Poole is a constituency represented in the House of Commons of the UK Parliament since 2015 by Michael Tomlinson, a Conservative.
Branksome is a suburb of Poole in Dorset, England. The area consists of residential properties and also a number of commercial and industrial areas.
Bearwood is a suburb of Poole, Dorset, England.
Green Island is an island in Poole Harbour in the English county of Dorset. It lies in the central south part of the harbour, south of Brownsea Island and Furzey Island. The island is an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB), Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI), and Special Protection Area (SPA).
Wilts & Dorset is a bus and coach operator providing services in East Dorset, South Wiltshire, and West Hampshire. It operates services under the morebus brand around Bournemouth and Poole, and under the Salisbury Reds brand around Salisbury and Amesbury. It is part of Go South Coast, a subsidiary of the Go-Ahead Group.
Alderney is a suburb of the town of Poole in Dorset, England with a population of 11,196, increasing to 11,423 at the 2011 Census. Alderney is south of Wallisdown and west of Alder Hills.
Upton Heath is one of the largest remaining fragments of a heath that once stretched across central southern England from Dorchester to Christchurch and beyond. It is now confined to an area immediately west of Upton and Poole, much of which is protected. From the Heath there are views across Poole Harbour, Corfe Castle and the Isle of Purbeck.
Parley Common is a Site of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) on the edge of Ferndown in Dorset, England. The majority land owner is the Canford Estate, but among the other owners are the Diocese of Salisbury, Dorset County Council, East Dorset District Council and a few private individuals. Most of the site is managed by the Amphibian and Reptile Conservation Trust (ARC); East Dorset Countryside Management Service manage the area owned by East Dorset District Council and Dorset Countryside manage the area owned by Dorset County Council. The site was notified as an SSSI in 1983.
The following were mayors of Poole, Dorset, England:
Talbot Woods is an area of Bournemouth, Dorset. Talbot Woods is south of Talbot Village.
Canford Heath is a ward in Poole, Dorset. Since 2019, the ward has elected 3 councillors to Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council.
Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole Council is a unitary authority in Dorset, England. It was formed in April 2019, with the inaugural elections held in May of that year. The council is made up of 76 councillors from 33 wards, elected for a four-year term, with the next elections due take place in 2027.
The 2020 Wareham Forest fire was a forest fire in Wareham Forest, Dorset, in May 2020. It destroyed over 220 Hectares of the forest, and was described "one of the most devastating fires in Dorset, in living memory" by Dorset and Wiltshire Fire and Rescue Service.
The 2022 United Kingdom heatwaves were part of several heatwaves across Europe and North Africa. The United Kingdom experienced three heatwaves; the first was for three days in June, the second for three days in July, and the third for six days in August. These were periods of unusually hot weather caused by rising high pressure up from the European continent. There were also more grass fires and wildfires than average, and in August a drought was declared in many regions.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply. Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.
