Canford Cliffs
Encyclopedia
Canford Cliffs is an affluent suburb
of Poole
in Dorset
, England
. The neighbourhood lies on the English Channel
coast midway between Poole and Bournemouth
. To the southwest is Sandbanks
which has some of the highest property values in the world, and together Canford Cliffs and Sandbanks form a parish
, which has the third highest property prices in the world and second highest in the United Kingdom
after London
.
, development began in the 1880s. The land around Haven Road was divided into plots and buildings designed individually. To prevent erosion
of the cliffs, which caused annual falls, a sea wall and promenade was constructed in the 1930s. The area was originally designed to be residential, with a church and village hall but few commercial buildings. The Canford Cliffs Society still works to preserve these goals, and there are few businesses and no industry in the area.
. Canford Cliffs is south of Parkstone
and north of Sandbanks. Canford Cliffs is built around a small hill, with a maximum elevation of 30 metres above sea level
. Canford Cliffs Chine, running southeast towards Sandbanks, is sand
y and flat and the neighbouring waters relatively shallow, making Canford Cliffs a popular site for watersports, especially windsurfing
and parasailing
.
people; in the 2001 Census
, 31.30% of the population was registered as retired, twice the national average, while 44.42% of the population was registered as being over 65, far greater than the national average of 15.89%.
The area is also far more affluent than typical: the area has a type 1 ACORN classification
(affluent mature professionals, large houses), putting it in the top 1.7% of the population. 62.55% of homes are owned outright, while the national average is 21.19%, and less than 0.6% of the population lives in council housing
, only one-twentieth of the national average, 13.21%. 73.26% of the population is in the ABC1 social grade when the national average is 51.91%. 81.66% of households have no dependent children against a national average of 56.58%.
. The bank announced that as a pilot experiment
, the entire branch would be upgraded to a "premium" branch. Although cashpoints
would remain free-of-use outside the branch, all indoor services would be restricted to those with savings of £
50,000, a mortgage
of £ 200,000, or a salary of £ 100,000 and a mortgage of £ 75,000; otherwise the customer must pay £ 19.95 per month or use another branch.
HSBC defended its decision, claiming "not everybody in the world is equal. Some people have higher incomes and need greater services through the bank. These customers demand a better service" and referring to its other branches in the Poole area, which remain free of charge.
However, the move angered many customers and commentators; The Daily Telegraph
quoted one account holder as saying "This is outrageous. It is particularly discriminatory against people who are house rich and cash poor. What happens if you are an elderly person living in a £500,000 house with no mortgage and no £75,000 salary?", while the customer advisory service Money Supermarket
expressed fears that it may be "thin end of the wedge", saying "HSBC has given the green light to other high street providers to look at splitting their customers into first class and cattle class".
Suburb
The word suburb mostly refers to a residential area, either existing as part of a city or as a separate residential community within commuting distance of a city . Some suburbs have a degree of administrative autonomy, and most have lower population density than inner city neighborhoods...
of Poole
Poole
Poole is a large coastal town and seaport in the county of Dorset, on the south coast of England. The town is east of Dorchester, and Bournemouth adjoins Poole to the east. The Borough of Poole was made a unitary authority in 1997, gaining administrative independence from Dorset County Council...
in Dorset
Dorset
Dorset , is a county in South West England on the English Channel coast. The county town is Dorchester which is situated in the south. The Hampshire towns of Bournemouth and Christchurch joined the county with the reorganisation of local government in 1974...
, England
England
England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...
. The neighbourhood lies on the English Channel
English Channel
The English Channel , often referred to simply as the Channel, is an arm of the Atlantic Ocean that separates southern England from northern France, and joins the North Sea to the Atlantic. It is about long and varies in width from at its widest to in the Strait of Dover...
coast midway between Poole and Bournemouth
Bournemouth
Bournemouth is a large coastal resort town in the ceremonial county of Dorset, England. According to the 2001 Census the town has a population of 163,444, making it the largest settlement in Dorset. It is also the largest settlement between Southampton and Plymouth...
. To the southwest is Sandbanks
Sandbanks
Sandbanks is a small peninsula or spit crossing the mouth of Poole Harbour on the English Channel coast at Poole in Dorset, England. It is well-known for the highly regarded Sandbanks Beach and property value; Sandbanks has, by area, the fourth highest land value in the world...
which has some of the highest property values in the world, and together Canford Cliffs and Sandbanks form a parish
Civil parish
In England, a civil parish is a territorial designation and, where they are found, the lowest tier of local government below districts and counties...
, which has the third highest property prices in the world and second highest in the United Kingdom
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
after London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
.
History
Originally part of the estate of Lord WimborneIvor Bertie Guest, 1st Baron Wimborne
Ivor Bertie Guest, 1st Baron Wimborne was a Welsh industrialist.Sir Ivor Bertie Guest was born at Dowlais, near Merthyr Tydfil, the son of Lady Charlotte Guest, translator of the Mabinogion, and Sir John Josiah Guest, owner of the world's largest iron foundry:Dowlais Ironworks...
, development began in the 1880s. The land around Haven Road was divided into plots and buildings designed individually. To prevent erosion
Erosion
Erosion is when materials are removed from the surface and changed into something else. It only works by hydraulic actions and transport of solids in the natural environment, and leads to the deposition of these materials elsewhere...
of the cliffs, which caused annual falls, a sea wall and promenade was constructed in the 1930s. The area was originally designed to be residential, with a church and village hall but few commercial buildings. The Canford Cliffs Society still works to preserve these goals, and there are few businesses and no industry in the area.
Geography
Canford Cliffs is located along the eastern edge of Poole HarbourPoole Harbour
Poole Harbour is a large natural harbour in Dorset, southern England, with the town of Poole on its shores. The harbour is a drowned valley formed at the end of the last ice age and is the estuary of several rivers, the largest being the Frome. The harbour has a long history of human settlement...
. Canford Cliffs is south of Parkstone
Parkstone
Parkstone is an area of Poole, Dorset. It is divided into 'Lower' and 'Upper' Parkstone. Upper Parkstone - "Up-on-'ill" as it used to be known in local parlance - is so-called because it is largely on higher ground slightly to the north of the lower-lying area of Lower Parkstone - "The Village" -...
and north of Sandbanks. Canford Cliffs is built around a small hill, with a maximum elevation of 30 metres above sea level
Sea level
Mean sea level is a measure of the average height of the ocean's surface ; used as a standard in reckoning land elevation...
. Canford Cliffs Chine, running southeast towards Sandbanks, is sand
Sand
Sand is a naturally occurring granular material composed of finely divided rock and mineral particles.The composition of sand is highly variable, depending on the local rock sources and conditions, but the most common constituent of sand in inland continental settings and non-tropical coastal...
y and flat and the neighbouring waters relatively shallow, making Canford Cliffs a popular site for watersports, especially windsurfing
Windsurfing
Windsurfing or sailboarding is a surface water sport that combines elements of surfing and sailing. It consists of a board usually two to four metres long, powered by the orthogonal effect of the wind on a sail. The rig is connected to the board by a free-rotating universal joint and comprises a...
and parasailing
Parasailing
Parasailing, also known as parascending, or "parakiting" is a recreational kiting activity where a person is towed behind a vehicle while attached to a specially designed canopy wing that reminds one of a parachute, known as a parasail wing...
.
Demographics
Canford Cliffs has a significant population of retiredRetirement
Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely. A person may also semi-retire by reducing work hours.Many people choose to retire when they are eligible for private or public pension benefits, although some are forced to retire when physical conditions don't allow the person to...
people; in the 2001 Census
United Kingdom Census 2001
A nationwide census, known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday, 29 April 2001. This was the 20th UK Census and recorded a resident population of 58,789,194....
, 31.30% of the population was registered as retired, twice the national average, while 44.42% of the population was registered as being over 65, far greater than the national average of 15.89%.
The area is also far more affluent than typical: the area has a type 1 ACORN classification
ACORN (demographics)
ACORN is a geodemographic information system categorising all United Kingdom postcodes into various types based upon census data and other information such as lifestyle surveys....
(affluent mature professionals, large houses), putting it in the top 1.7% of the population. 62.55% of homes are owned outright, while the national average is 21.19%, and less than 0.6% of the population lives in council housing
Council house
A council house, otherwise known as a local authority house, is a form of public or social housing. The term is used primarily in the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland. Council houses were built and operated by local councils to supply uncrowded, well-built homes on secure tenancies at...
, only one-twentieth of the national average, 13.21%. 73.26% of the population is in the ABC1 social grade when the national average is 51.91%. 81.66% of households have no dependent children against a national average of 56.58%.
Banking controversy
The area is home to the Canford Cliffs branch of HSBCHSBC Bank (Europe)
HSBC Bank plc is one of the four major clearing banks in the United Kingdom and is a wholly owned subsidiary of HSBC Holdings. The business ranges from the traditional High Street roles of personal finance and commercial banking, to private banking, consumer finance as well as corporate and...
. The bank announced that as a pilot experiment
Pilot (experiment)
A pilot experiment, also called a pilot study, is a small scale preliminary study conducted in order to evaluate feasibility, time, cost, adverse events, and effect size in an attempt to predict an appropriate sample size and improve upon the study design prior to performance of a full-scale...
, the entire branch would be upgraded to a "premium" branch. Although cashpoints
Automated teller machine
An automated teller machine or automatic teller machine, also known as a Cashpoint , cash machine or sometimes a hole in the wall in British English, is a computerised telecommunications device that provides the clients of a financial institution with access to financial transactions in a public...
would remain free-of-use outside the branch, all indoor services would be restricted to those with savings of £
Pound sterling
The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
50,000, a mortgage
Mortgage loan
A mortgage loan is a loan secured by real property through the use of a mortgage note which evidences the existence of the loan and the encumbrance of that realty through the granting of a mortgage which secures the loan...
of £ 200,000, or a salary of £ 100,000 and a mortgage of £ 75,000; otherwise the customer must pay £ 19.95 per month or use another branch.
HSBC defended its decision, claiming "not everybody in the world is equal. Some people have higher incomes and need greater services through the bank. These customers demand a better service" and referring to its other branches in the Poole area, which remain free of charge.
However, the move angered many customers and commentators; The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph
The Daily Telegraph is a daily morning broadsheet newspaper distributed throughout the United Kingdom and internationally. The newspaper was founded by Arthur B...
quoted one account holder as saying "This is outrageous. It is particularly discriminatory against people who are house rich and cash poor. What happens if you are an elderly person living in a £500,000 house with no mortgage and no £75,000 salary?", while the customer advisory service Money Supermarket
Money Supermarket
Moneysupermarket.com Group PLC is a British price comparison website-based business specialising in financial services. The website enables consumers to compare prices on a range of products, including mortgages, credit cards and loans...
expressed fears that it may be "thin end of the wedge", saying "HSBC has given the green light to other high street providers to look at splitting their customers into first class and cattle class".