Ferndown | Posted on June 24th, 2026 | return to news

Designs revealed for Ferndown high street’s new look

Following a public consultation and feedback from residents, Dorset Council has revealed the final design for an update to the look of Victoria Road.

Victoria Road in Ferndown is set for a makeover.

Following extensive feedback from residents and businesses during a public consultation in autumn 2025, Dorset Council has revealed the updated, final design for improvements to the street.

The redesign is aimed at creating a more welcoming and attractive town centre, based on what residents would like it to look like in the future. The changes will help to improve safety and prevent parking on the footways.

Among the changes to the road are:

Kerbside plant beds, constructed into the footway, along the edge of the road with heritage-style bollards, to discourage footway parking.
Nine large built-in planters (two with benches) for ornamental trees along the length of Victoria Road.
Seating areas along both sides of the road, with integrated planting.
New street furniture, including benches, cycle stands and litter bins, in a matching heritage style.
These changes aim to soften the street scene, add greenery and provide more places to sit and meet, while keeping the road accessible.
The updated designs also include provisions for short-stay parking, which was raised as a key concern by residents. The new designs feature:
Up to eight short-stay parking spaces in two marked bays on Princes Road, helping to support local businesses.
A new on-road loading bay on Victoria Road.
New double yellow lines and loading restrictions to prevent obstruction of the road and accesses.
Retaining the existing two taxi rank bays on Princes Road.

Cllr Jon Andrews, Dorset Council Cabinet member for Place Services, said: “Victoria Road is at the heart of Ferndown, and these improvements are about making it a welcoming place to spend time, meet friends and support local businesses.

“The designs reflect what residents and businesses told us, and it’s great to see the project moving forward. Thank you to everyone for being so engaged.”

The Mayor of Ferndown, Cllr Lawrence Wilson, said: “Ferndown Town Council is delighted that the final designs have been completed. The project team has tailored the scheme to match as closely as possible to the responses in the consultation.

“This will provide us with a town centre we can all be proud of. We look forward to continuing to work with Dorset Council to improve our community.”

Cllr Hannah Hobbs-Chell, who sits on both Dorset Council and Ferndown Town Council, said: “It has been a long journey, but we are finally seeing the fruits of our commitment and labour in delivering a modern, sustainable, nature-sensitive and fit-for-purpose high street. Trees, designed within specific tree specialist self-watering planters, new benches and street furniture, and an innovative green system to support pedestrian safety by using in-ground raised planting beds to eliminate the need for extensive bollards and increase the foliage cover, have all been carefully designed by the Dorset Council teams, under what are considerable physical constraints at this site.

“This is and will very much continue to be a partnership project, and I am grateful to colleagues and officers at Dorset Council, the current Dorset Council administration and the cabinet lead, Cllr Jon Andrews, Ferndown Town Council, and to the public for all the feedback, enthusiasm, patience, expertise, time and dedication. I can’t wait to see spades in the ground in the autumn.”

The updated designs can be viewed in person at the Barrington Centre until 31 July, or online via Ferndown Town Council’s website: https://www.ferndown.gov.uk/improvements-to-victoria-road.