East Dorset
At 137 square miles, East Dorset is the smallest of Dorset’s rural districts. With its southern area forming part of the Bournemouth and Poole conurbation, the district has a number of major settlements including Wimborne, Colehill, Ferndown and Ashley Heath.
Ferndown
The largest settlement in East Dorset at approximately 20,000 residents, Ferndown town centre houses a modern shopping complex, large playing fields and leisure facilities. With its large industrial estate area, Ferndown is a centre for employment, with 10,400 employees there and around 1,220 firms, excluding the self-employed.
Ferndown and Uddens Industrial Estates
On the outskirts of Ferndown and nearby to Wimborne lie the Ferndown and Uddens Industrial Estates, forming the largest industrial area in East Dorset and containing a wide range of both small and large businesses. Ferndown Industrial Estate, Uddens Trading Estate and East Dorset Trade Park cover an area of approximately 61.h hectares. Many household names ad major employers are present there, such as Farrow & Ball. A diverse range of industries are also represented covering business services, manufacturing, retail and many more.
Connections
East Dorset has strong links with Poole and Bournemouth – which account for approximately a third and a quarter respectively of employees coming in to the area. East Dorset also has strong ties to Hampshire with Southampton just 40 minutes drive away.
