Holbury South
New Forest 013 · 4 sub-areas · 5,478 residents
New Forest 013, in the New Forest district of the South East, is home to around 5,500 people and sits firmly on the owner-occupied, family-oriented end of the local spectrum. A typical two-bedroom home lets for around £1,120 a month — broadly in line with the UK national median — though with nearly a third of households in social housing, the private rental market here is more limited than you might expect.
Holbury South is a settled residential pocket of New Forest. The bigger gravitational centre is Bristol, around 185 minutes away by direct train, but most days don't require leaving — local life is what people are here for.
Overview
What's it like to live in Holbury South?
3 parks and 2 playgrounds are within five minutes' walk, so greenspace is reliably close at hand; Crime sits around the national average — neither a notable concern nor a notable selling point; Transport links are limited — a car or e-bike is a practical assumption for most regular trips; rents are roughly in line with the national norm, at around £1,234 a month for a typical home; gigabit broadband is effectively universal.
Generated from the latest May 2026 data · refreshed automatically
Figures are aggregated across 4 sub-areas — population-weighted means for rates, sums for counts. Sources cited beneath each section.
Holbury South in New Forest
Living in Holbury South
New Forest 013 has the feel of a settled, semi-rural community rather than a commuter belt suburb. Over eight in ten households can walk to greenspace within a few minutes, and the nearest green space is, on average, just 200 metres away — that kind of access is genuinely rare in the South East. It's a place where people tend to put down roots: approaching six in ten homes are owner-occupied, and the demographic spread skews noticeably toward families and older residents.
The cost picture is more nuanced than a glance at the headline rent suggests. At around £1,120 a month for a two-bedroom home, private rents sit close to the UK median — but that relative affordability needs to be weighed against salaries. The typical resident earns around £31,300 a year, and with rent consuming an estimated 61% of take-home pay, this is not a place where renting is comfortable on an average wage. Buying looks more accessible in some respects: the median house price is roughly £289,000, and you'd need around 4.6 years to save a deposit at typical local income levels.
Socially, New Forest 013 is one of the more distinctive corners of the district. Around 31% of households are in social housing — well above what you'd typically find in the South East — which shapes the community considerably. The area is notably homogeneous by national standards: around 97% of residents were born in the UK, and the diversity index is very low at 4.4. Degree-level qualifications are held by just under 18% of residents, below the South East average.
For practical purposes, the area is car-dependent. Nearly 70% of residents drive to work, and public transport accounts for under 3% of commute journeys. The nearest mainline rail station is roughly 6 km away — you'll need a car or bike to reach it. Major employment centres are a significant distance away by public transport. Broadband, at least, is excellent: gigabit-capable coverage reaches virtually every home. See the streets and sub-areas below for more.
What you'll need on day one
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Frequently asked
- Is New Forest 013 a nice place to live?
- It depends on what you're after. If you want greenspace, quiet and a settled community feel, it delivers — over 80% of residents can walk to green space within minutes. The trade-off is that it's car-dependent, wages are modest relative to rents, and public transport is very limited. It suits families and older residents more than young professionals relying on commuting.
- What is the rent in New Forest 013?
- A one-bedroom home runs around £860 a month, a two-bedroom around £1,120, and a three-bedroom around £1,380. These are estimates scaled from district-level data using local sale prices. Rents rose around 2.4% in the past year. The private rental market is relatively small here — nearly a third of homes are social housing and almost 60% are owner-occupied.
- Is New Forest 013 safe?
- Yes, relatively. The crime rate is around 65 incidents per 1,000 residents annually, noticeably below the UK national rate of roughly 80 per 1,000. The New Forest district generally records lower crime than urban parts of the South East, and this neighbourhood sits in line with that pattern.
- What's the commute from New Forest 013 to the nearest city centre?
- It's not easy without a car. Only about 3% of residents commute by public transport, and the nearest mainline rail station is around 6 km away — you'll need to drive or cycle to reach it. Around 18% of residents work from home, which partly explains how people manage the distance.
- Who lives in New Forest 013?
- Largely families and older residents. Over-50s make up around two in five of the population, and under-18s account for nearly a quarter. Close to 60% of homes are owner-occupied. The area has a high social housing share at around 31%, and is notably homogeneous — 97% of residents were born in the UK. Degree-level qualifications are held by just under 18% of residents.
- What schools are near New Forest 013?
- There are 17 schools within typical catchment distance. Around 76% are rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is just under 4.4 km away. It's worth checking individual catchment maps carefully, as coverage varies within the neighbourhood.
- How affordable is buying a home in New Forest 013?
- The median house price is around £289,000. At typical local salaries of roughly £31,300 a year, you'd need around 4.6 years to save a deposit — relatively achievable compared to many South East areas, though tighter than the national average. Renting, by contrast, is less comfortable: rent absorbs an estimated 61% of take-home pay at median income.