What it's like to live in Totton

The New Forest district is a strongly owner-occupied area: 74.2% of homes are owned, 14.3% are privately rented and 10.8% are social rented, below the England figure of 17.1%. Council homes make up 6.4% and housing association homes 4.4%. Social housing exists in good numbers in and around Totton, but it is a smaller slice of the market than in many towns.

New Forest District Council is by far the largest social landlord with 5,251 homes, followed by Sovereign Network Group with 1,888, The Swaythling Housing Society with 521, Abri Group with 373 and Vivid Housing with 204.

Average weekly social rents across the district in 2024/25 were £106 for one bed, £127 for two beds and £142 for three beds. The area skews older than England overall, with 29.4% of residents aged 65 and over and 15.3% under 16. At 31 March 2025 the council's housing register held 2,034 households; 465 social homes were let through the council that year and 55 council homes changed hands by mutual exchange.

Totton is well served for schools. Within half a mile or so you have Lydlynch Infant School, Eling Infant School and Nursery, Forest Park School, Abbotswood Junior School and Oakfield Academy, so most families have a few realistic choices close to home. Always check current places and catchment with the council before you commit to a swap.

For older children, Testwood School is around half a mile away and Hounsdown School about a mile, with Redbridge Community School a mile off on the Southampton side. GLADE School and Forest Park School are closer still. Having several secondaries within walking or short bus distance is a real advantage for teenagers.

Outside school hours, Testvale Park and Testwood Recreation Ground are the obvious places to burn off energy, and Redbridge Wharf Park adds a waterside option. Totton Library is a few minutes from the centre, and Totton & Eling Community Centre runs the kind of local activities that help new families settle in quickly.

Totton station is about a third of a mile from the centre, on the line into Southampton and out towards the west. Redbridge station is under a mile away, and Ashurst New Forest, about two and a half miles off, is the gateway stop for the forest itself. Millbrook is also within three miles. Between them, these give you options without needing a car for a trip into the city.

By road, Totton sits close to the main routes between Southampton and the west, which is handy for commuting but means the roads around the town get busy at peak times. Parking in the centre is the usual town-centre juggle.

On foot, the centre is compact. The library, supermarkets, gyms, pharmacies and the community centre are all clustered within about a quarter of a mile, so a lot of everyday errands can be done without transport. Buses serve the town and the surrounding villages, which matters if you are heading somewhere the trains do not reach.

Totton's pleasures are local rather than grand. The Keys, Six Barrels, the Elephant and Castle, The Attic and the Peg and Parrot are all within a few minutes of the centre, so there is a decent choice of places for a pint or a meal out without going into Southampton.

For exercise, Anytime Fitness and Totton Martial Arts and Wellness Centre are both right in town, with Snap Fitness, Southampton Barbell and PureGym within a few miles. Parks are the other half of the picture: Testvale Park on the doorstep, plus Bramtoco Park, Testwood Recreation Ground, Redbridge Wharf Park and Redbridge Pocket Park.

Totton Library sits in the centre, with Lordshill and Shirley libraries a couple of miles away towards Southampton if you want a change. Community centres at Totton & Eling, Hounsdown, Calmore and RISE host much of the town's clubs and classes. And of course the New Forest itself begins just west of town, which is the single biggest draw for anyone who likes walking.

Totton's position shapes its job market. Southampton is close enough to commute to by train or road, which widens the range of work well beyond what a town this size could offer on its own. Locally, the retail, health and community services clustered around the town centre and nearby hospitals are visible employers.

Figures for the wider New Forest council area show 52.9% of adults in work, below the England average of 57.4%. That is largely about age rather than a weak economy: unemployment runs at just 2.1% against 3.5% for England, and unemployment-related benefit claims were 2.3% of working-age people in September 2026, compared with 4% nationally.

In plain terms, work is generally available in the district, but a lot of residents are retired. If you are moving for a job, check how your hours fit with the train times from Totton or Redbridge, especially for shift work where the last service matters.