New Forest
§ This page gives an overview of the New Forest local authority district, bringing together key facts, maps, and data to help you quickly understand the area. One of 361 district profiles on Baseview.
Overview ⁞ The New Forest district encompasses much of the New Forest National Park, a landscape of ancient woodland, heath, and pasture where ponies, cattle, and deer roam freely. Towns such as Lyndhurst, Brockenhurst, and Lymington provide charm, with Lymington noted for its marina and sailing heritage. The coastline along the Solent offers saltmarshes, beaches, and views towards the Isle of Wight. Villages with thatched cottages and historic churches dot the countryside, giving the area a unique rural and coastal blend.
The administrative boundary of New Forest can be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of New Forest.
Key Facts about New Forest
What region is New Forest in? New Forest is in the South East of England, a region within the UK.
What county is New Forest in? New Forest is located in the county of Hampshire.
Is New Forest a city? No, New Forest is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs New Forest? The local authority for this district is: New Forest District Council - responsible for district-level services. Since Hampshire is a two-tier area, county-level services are handled by: Hampshire County Council.
▶ Official website of New Forest District Council 🔗 newforest.gov.uk
Which police force covers New Forest? Policing in New Forest is provided by Hampshire Constabulary 🔗 hampshire.police.uk, which serves 14 local authority districts: Basingstoke and Deane ⁞ East Hampshire ⁞ Eastleigh ⁞ Fareham ⁞ Gosport ⁞ Hart ⁞ Havant ⁞ Isle of Wight ⁞ New Forest ⁞ Portsmouth ⁞ Rushmoor ⁞ Southampton ⁞ Test Valley ⁞ Winchester.
Constituencies in New Forest
A constituency is a specific geographical area that elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the House of Commons. The United Kingdom is divided into 650 parliamentary constituencies. We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK parliamentary constituencies: List of Constituencies.
Wards in New Forest
New Forest is divided into 26 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Ashley, Bashley & Fernhill
- Ashurst, Bramshaw, Copythorne & Netley Marsh
- Ballard
- Barton & Becton
- Bransgore, Burley, Sopley & Ringwood East
- Brockenhurst & Denny Lodge
- Dibden & Dibden Purlieu
- Downlands & Forest North
- Fawley, Blackfield, Calshot & Langley
- Fordingbridge, Godshill & Hyde
- Forest & Solent
- Hardley, Holbury & North Blackfield
- Hythe Central
- Hythe South
- Lymington
- Lyndhurst & Minstead
- Marchwood & Eling
- Milford & Hordle
- Milton
- Pennington
- Ringwood North & Ellingham
- Ringwood South
- Sway
- Totton Central
- Totton North
- Totton South
In the UK, a ward is a subdivision of a local authority area, used mainly for electoral and statistical purposes. Defined by the ONS, wards represent the primary unit for local elections, each returning one or more councillors to the local council. Wards are also used as a key geography for presenting population and census data.
Parishes in New Forest
New Forest is part-parished: 37 civil parishes (listed A-Z below) alongside 1 unparished areas.
- Ashurst and Colbury
- Beaulieu
- Boldre
- Bramshaw
- Bransgore
- Breamore
- Brockenhurst
- Burley
- Copythorne
- Damerham
- Denny Lodge
- East Boldre
- Ellingham, Harbridge and Ibsley
- Exbury and Lepe
- Fawley
- Fordingbridge
- Godshill
- Hale
- Hordle
- Hyde
- Hythe and Dibden
- Lymington and Pennington
- Lyndhurst
- Marchwood
- Martin
- Milford-on-sea
- Minstead
- Netley Marsh
- New Milton
- Ringwood
- Rockbourne
- Sandleheath
- Sopley
- Sway
- Totton and Eling
- Whitsbury
- Woodgreen
A civil parish is the lowest tier of local government in England, used for villages, small towns, and suburbs. They have their own local authority, either a parish council or a parish meeting, which provides local services like managing parks, allotments, and streetlights, and represents the community's views to larger councils.
Built-up Areas in New Forest
New Forest covers 58 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Alderholt *
- Ashley (New Forest)
- Ashley Heath *
- Ashurst
- Barton on Sea *
- Bashley
- Beaulieu
- Blackfield and Langley
- Blackhill *
- Bransgore *
- Breamore
- Brockenhurst
- Burley
- Burley Street
- Cadnam and Bartley
- Christchurch (Bournemouth, Christchurch and Poole) *
- East Boldre
- East Wellow *
- Everton (New Forest)
- Fordingbridge
- Frogham
- Godshill (New Forest)
- Hangersley
- Hightown (New Forest)
- Holbury
- Hordle
- Hyde (New Forest)
- Hythe and Dibden Purlieu
- Keyhaven
- Landford and Nomansland *
- Lymington
- Lyndhurst
- Marchwood
- Martin (New Forest)
- Milford on Sea
- Minstead
- Mount Pleasant
- New Milton
- Ower (Copythorne)
- Ower (Fawley)
- Pilley
- Redlynch and Woodfalls *
- Ringwood
- Rockbourne
- Sandleheath
- Sandy Down
- Sopley *
- Southampton *
- Sway
- Thorney Hill
- Tiptoe
- Totton *
- Verwood *
- Walhampton and Portmore
- West Wellow *
- Woodgreen
- Woodlands
- Wootton (New Forest)
In the UK, a Built-up Area (BUA) is a continuous urban area of at least 20 hectares (0.2 km²), defined by the ONS as land where buildings are generally no more than 200 metres apart, such as towns, cities, or large villages. (Note: A BUA name marked with an asterisk (*) indicates that the area is situated partly in the district of New Forest.)
New Forest compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how New Forest compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
New Forest has 26 electoral wards.
New Forest has a population of 176,116 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
More local statistics and data for New Forest can be found on the ONS statistics for New Forest.