Dorset Local Information
Practical local information for the Dorset Council area: house prices town by town, trains to London, roadworks, days out and planning, each one linked back to the official source.
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Dorset bin collection days: no bank holiday changes
Dorset collects on every bank holiday, including Monday 31 August. Only Christmas and New Year move. Garden waste is £74, and four tips need a booking.
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Parking in Dorset: 70p for 30 minutes, free after 6pm
Most Dorset Council car parks charge 8am to 6pm and nothing after. Weymouth seafront bays cost £7.30 overnight, and Portland's Chesil charges round the clock.
Local Info
Dorset council tax 2026/27: £2,625.43 before your parish
Band D is £2,625.43 before any parish precept. Sturminster Newton adds £303.52 on top, 28 parishes add nothing, and two percentages on the council's page do not match its own figures.
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Dorset house prices: £326,381 average, town by town
The Dorset average is £326,381, still 7.3% below its 2022 peak. Our read of 5,528 sales gives medians for 19 towns, from Portland to St Leonards.
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Dorset trains to London: 2h07 Gillingham, 2h51 Weymouth
Gillingham reaches Waterloo in 2h07 and costs £8,212 a year. Weymouth takes 2h51 and costs £10,260. Times, fares and first trains for every Dorset station.
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Dorset Roadworks: A35 Shut Nightly to 5 September
The A35 shuts 8pm to 6am between Stinsford and Bere Regis every weeknight until 5 September, and a 12-week job at a Weymouth junction starts on 7 September.
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Things to do in Dorset: free Durdle Door, £15 car park
What 10 Dorset days out cost a family of four, from free at Maiden Castle to £77.50 on the Swanage Railway. Every price checked at the venue in August 2026.
Local Info
Dorset planning: 2.53 years of housing land, not 5
Dorset can show 2.53 years of housing land against the five required, and its Local Plan will not be adopted until 2029. Consultation opens 21 September.