37 affordable homes coming to Upton, near Poole, by 2027

Thirty-seven affordable homes are to be built in Upton, the village on the western edge of Poole. Housing association Abri has exchanged contracts with housebuilder Wyatt Homes to take on the homes at the Frenches Grove development, and they are due to be completed in 2027.

The deal was reported by the Bournemouth Echo on Thursday 24 September 2026, and set out in Abri's own announcement. Wyatt Homes markets its wider Upton scheme as Frenches Green.

What kind of homes are being built?

The 37 homes are a mix of one-bedroom flats and maisonettes and two and three-bedroom houses. They will be offered at affordable rent or through shared ownership, so some households will rent and others will buy a share and pay rent on the rest.

According to Abri, every home is designed to reach an EPC rating of band B, with air source heat pumps and solar panels to cut running costs. The affordable homes are being secured through a Section 106 agreement, the planning obligation that requires a share of a private development to be affordable housing.

Jon Tulloch, senior land manager at Abri, said the scheme would give local people and families homes that are affordable both to buy and to rent. Shaun Pettitt, managing director of Wyatt Homes, called them much-needed.

Who will get the homes?

They will be allocated through Dorset Council's housing register, which gives priority to people in the greatest need with a strong local connection. Upton sits just outside the BCP Council boundary, in the area run by Dorset Council, the unitary authority for the rest of the county, which is why its register applies.

Abri says more than 6,000 households are on the social housing waiting list in Dorset. Thirty-seven homes will not shift that figure much on their own, but they add to a pipeline that includes larger proposals such as a possible new village of 1,200 homes elsewhere in the county.

What it means for residents and newcomers

For families on the Dorset register with a connection to Upton, Lytchett or the Poole fringe, this is a scheme to watch in 2027. The Echo's report and Abri's announcement do not say when applications will open, so the register is the place to keep an eye on.

Upton is a quiet, residential corner, best known locally for Upton Country Park, which kept its Green Flag this year. Poole Quay, the harbour and the town centre are a short drive east; the Bournemouth Guide's Poole guide covers what is there.

Anyone moving to the area for work usually needs somewhere to live while they find a permanent home. Our guides to where to stay in Poole and living in Poole short term compare the options, and the Bournemouth Guide's long stays guide covers the first month. Flexiestays has serviced apartments within reach of Poole, and the Help Centre explains what counts as a long stay.