How many parks and green spaces are in Dorset? 131 public parks
Dorset has 131 public parks among 1,499 green space sites. Green space covers 1.0% of the area: about 65 m² per resident, or 9.1 football pitches for every 1,000 people. More green space per resident than 82% of areas in England and Wales, where the typical area has 31 m².
- Green space per resident
- 65 m²
- More green space than
- 82% of areas
- Football pitches per 1,000 people
- 9.1
Public green space from OS Open Greenspace; golf courses are listed but not counted. Per resident uses Census 2021 population. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. How we calculate this
All house prices in DorsetWhat are the largest parks in Dorset?
Moors Valley Country Park is the largest public park in Dorset, at 585 hectares. These are the 25 largest of 63 named public parks.
| Park | Size |
|---|---|
| Moors Valley Country Park | 585 hectares |
| Lulworth Park | 292 hectares |
| Avon Heath Country Park | 207 hectares |
| Durlston Country Park | 110 hectares |
| Lodmoor Country Park | 106 hectares |
| Corfe Common | 94.9 hectares |
| Mays Wood | 48.4 hectares |
| Stour Park | 15.4 hectares |
| Bytheway Field | 14.8 hectares |
| Dogdean | 11.6 hectares |
| Queen Elizabeth Field | 10.2 hectares |
| The Green | 9.1 hectares |
| Breach Common | 6.8 hectares |
| Washpond Natural Greenspace | 6.6 hectares |
| Nothe Gardens | 6.6 hectares |
| Radipole Park Gardens | 5.9 hectares |
| Centenary Field | 4.5 hectares |
| Pamphill Green | 4 hectares |
| Day's Park | 3.7 hectares |
| Broad Garden | 3.4 hectares |
| Souls Moor and Bere Stream Nature Reserve | 3.4 hectares |
| Quarr Local Nature Reserve | 3.2 hectares |
| The Park | 3.1 hectares |
| Verne Common | 2.9 hectares |
| Langmoor Gardens | 2.7 hectares |
What kinds of green space are there in Dorset?
Public parks and gardens cover the most ground in Dorset: 15 km². Golf courses are shown but left out of the green space total, because most need a membership.
| Type | Area |
|---|---|
| Public parks and gardens | 15 km² · 131 sites |
| Playing fields | 392 hectares · 203 sites |
| Other sports facilities | 253 hectares · 100 sites |
| Churchyards and religious grounds | 118 hectares · 322 sites |
| Allotments and community growing spaces | 97.8 hectares · 172 sites |
| Cemeteries | 94.8 hectares · 104 sites |
| Play spaces | 31.2 hectares · 362 sites |
| Tennis courts | 8 hectares · 54 sites |
| Bowling greens | 5.2 hectares · 22 sites |
| Golf coursesNot counted | 11 km² · 29 sites |
Does Dorset have a lot of green space?
Yes, more than most areas. Dorset has 65 m² of green space per resident, against 31 m² in the typical area of England and Wales and 38 m² across England. More green space per resident than 82% of areas in England and Wales.
| Area | Per resident |
|---|---|
| DorsetThis area | 65 m² per resident |
| England | 38 m² per resident |
| Typical area in England and Wales | 31 m² per resident |
A full-size football pitch is about 7,140 m². 65 m² for every resident adds up to 9.1 football pitches of parks, playing fields and other public green space for every 1,000 people.
Very High means the top fifth of areas in England and Wales. The bands split every area we cover into fifths by green space per resident, from Very Low to Very High.
Which parts of Dorset have the most green space?
Purbeck has the most green space per resident of the 5 areas of Dorset, at about 165 m² per resident. The labels place each area among every area in England and Wales, in fifths from Very Low to Very High.
| Area | Per resident |
|---|---|
| PurbeckVery High | 165 m² per resident |
| East DorsetVery High | 95 m² per resident |
| North DorsetTypical | 36 m² per resident |
| Weymouth and PortlandTypical | 35 m² per resident |
| West DorsetTypical | 34 m² per resident |
What else do people ask about Dorset?
More quick answers on house prices, sales, areas and green space in Dorset.
- What is the average house price in Dorset?
- When did average house prices in Dorset reach their peak?
- How many properties are being sold in Dorset?
- What type of properties are sold in Dorset?
- What price range do most homes sell for in Dorset?
- What is the most expensive (and cheapest) area of Dorset?
- How do Dorset house prices compare with another area?
Where does this data come from?
Price information is from HM Land Registry, location boundaries are from OpenStreetMap, and households and population are from Nomis Census 2021 postcode estimates (21 March 2021). Parks and green space are from OS Open Greenspace. Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2026.
Last updated 6 October 2026 at 23:04 with the latest Land Registry data (August 2026). The Dorset dataset covers 16,936 postcodes.
Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.