AL4 8AP St Albans
Live postcode, introduced January 1980. Ward: Sandridge & Wheathampstead. Region: East of England.
Streets
- Church Street, Wheathampstead: 9 addresses
- St Helen's Close, Wheathampstead: 1 address
Council tax
What each band costs in St Albans in 2026-27: Band D £2,419 a year on average, including the police, fire and any county and parish charges.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £1,613 | £1,882 | £2,150 | £2,419 | £2,957 | £3,494 | £4,032 | £4,838 |
Homes by band in the neighbourhood around this postcode: most are in band D (26% of about 800 homes).
Planning and heritage
- Conservation area: yes, Wheathampstead (council page). Extensions, demolition, some windows and doors, and work on trees need consent.
- Listed buildings within 100 m of this postcode: 19.
- Article 4 direction (removing permitted development rights): none recorded, though not every council has published theirs.
- Tree preservation orders: 2 protected trees within 100 m of this postcode.
- Green belt: no.
Listed buildings
- CHURCH OF ST HELEN, grade I
- 1, CHURCH STREET, grade II
- 36, HIGH STREET, grade II
- 41, HIGH STREET, grade II
- BARN AT REAR OF NO. 45, grade II
- CHEST TOMB IN ST HELEN'S CHURCHYARD 10 METRES SOUTH OF CHANCEL TO THE WILKINS FAMILY, grade II
- CHEST TOMB IN ST HELEN'S CHURCHYARD 15 METRES SOUTH OF CHANCEL TO ELIZABETH HOUSE 1845, grade II
- CHEST TOMB IN ST HELEN'S CHURCHYARD 15 METRES SOUTH OF CHANCEL TO ISAAC HOUSE 1794, grade II
- CHEST TOMB IN ST HELEN'S CHURCHYARD 30 METRES WEST OF WEST END TO REVEREND PRETYMAN, grade II
- CHEST TOMB IN ST HELEN'S CHURCHYARD 5 METRES SOUTH EAST OF CHANCEL TO THE LATTIMORE FAMILY, grade II
- CUNNINGTONS LIGHTING CENTRE; WALNUT TREE, grade II
- GABLE COTTAGE, grade II
- LATIMORE, grade II
- LYCH GATE AT ST HELENS CHURCH, grade II
- ROSEWOOD COTTAGE, grade II
- THE LAURELS, grade II
- THE MALTINGS, grade II
- THE OLD SCHOOL, grade II
- THE SWAN PUBLIC HOUSE, grade II
Flood risk
Rivers, the sea or surface water: in this postcode, 0 addresses are in areas at high risk, 1 at medium risk and 0 at low risk. Each address counts once, at the higher of its rivers-and-sea and surface-water risk.
Rivers and the sea alone: no home is in an area at risk.
High: 3.3% (1 in 30) or more chance of flooding a year. Medium: 1% to 3.3%. Low: 0.1% to 1%. Very low: under 0.1%. The rivers and sea figures allow for flood defences. Counts cover whole postcodes, which can include other streets.
Flood zone for planning: no postcode centre is in flood zone 2 or 3.
Height above sea level
The postcode's 10 addresses are between 88 m and 90 m above sea level (88 m on average).
Broadband
Superfast 100%, ultrafast 100%, gigabit 100% of premises; 0% cannot get 10 Mbit/s. Ofcom Connected Nations, data as at January 2026.
Getting around
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| Railway stations | Harpenden 2.8 million journeys in 2024–25 | 4 km (2.5 miles) |
| Welwyn Garden City 2.5 million journeys in 2024–25 | 6.3 km (3.9 miles) | |
| Welwyn North 387,000 journeys in 2024–25 | 7.2 km (4.5 miles) | |
| Bus stops | 10 stops within 400 m (0.2 miles), 31 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest St Helen's Church Wheathampstead | 60 m |
| Bus or coach station | Bus Station Welwyn Garden City | 6.3 km (3.9 miles) |
| Car parks | 1 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest East Lane Car Park | 220 m |
| EV charging points | Apcoa Charging Station | 4 km (2.5 miles) |
| Airport with scheduled flights | London Luton Airport LTN | 8.7 km (5.4 miles) |
Local services
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| GP surgeries | Elms Medical Practice | 4.1 km (2.5 miles) |
| Pharmacies | 1 pharmacies within 1.6 km (1 mile); nearest Manor Pharmacy | 150 m |
| NHS dentists | 2 practices within 1.6 km (1 mile); nearest Dental Surgery | 150 m |
| Hospital | Harpenden Memorial Hospital | 4.1 km (2.6 miles) |
| Police station | Harpenden Police Station | 4.1 km (2.6 miles) |
| Cash machines | The Cooperative Food Harpenden - Southdown Road | 3.4 km (2.1 miles) |
Parks and green space
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| Park or garden | 8 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest The Bury Green Garden 100 m² | 80 m |
| Largest park within 800 m (0.5 miles) | Unnamed 2.0 ha | 450 m (0.3 miles) |
| Play area | 7 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Unnamed 330 m² | 250 m |
| Playing field | 3 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Rectory Meadow 7,530 m² | 150 m |
| Allotments | 1 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Hitchens Allotments 3.5 ha | 540 m (0.3 miles) |
Within 800 m (0.5 miles): 8 parks and gardens, 3.7 hectares in all.
Landmarks
The nearest historic landmark is Church of St Helen, a listed building (Grade I), 90 m north. 49 listed buildings are within 1 km (0.6 miles), 1 of them Grade I.
| Name | What it is | From the postcode's centre |
|---|---|---|
| Church of St Helen | Listed building, Grade I | 90 m north |
| Wheathampstead earthwork incorporating Devils Dyke and the Slad | Scheduled monument | 1.1 km (0.7 miles) south-east |
| Name | What it is | From the postcode's centre |
|---|---|---|
| Rectory Copse | Wood | 170 m north |
| Pearman's Spring | Wood | 1.4 km (0.9 miles) south |
| Ba Wood | Wood | 1.6 km (1 mile) north |
| Little Piggotts Wood | Wood | 1.6 km (1 mile) south-west |
| Kents Dell | Valley | 2.1 km (1.3 miles) south-east |
| The Broadwater | Lake or reservoir | 3.9 km (2.4 miles) east |
Air quality
| Pollutant | Here | UK limit | WHO guideline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) | 8.3 | 40 | 10 |
| Fine particles (PM2.5) | 7.2 | 20 | 5 |
| Particles (PM10) | 12.0 | 40 | 15 |
All three are within the UK legal limits; PM2.5 is above the WHO guideline, as in most towns and cities.
Road, rail and aircraft noise
| Level | Road traffic | Railways | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|
| 55 to 59 | 8 | 0 | 0 |
| Under 55 | 2 | 10 | 10 |
8 of the postcode's 10 addresses are modelled at 55 dB or more from road traffic, above the WHO guidelines.
Climate, daylight and earthquakes
Monthly temperatures and rainfall, sunrise and sunset through the year, and earthquakes recorded nearby since 1970 are much the same across the area, so they are worked out once for St Albans: see them on the St Albans page.
People and work
Who lives here
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Median age | 55 | 40 |
| Children under 15 | 12% | 17% |
| Aged 65 and over | 40% | 18% |
Homes
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Owned (outright or with a mortgage) | 82% | 61% |
| Owned outright | 63% | 33% |
| Shared ownership | 0% | 1% |
| Social rented | 4% | 17% |
| Private rented | 14% | 21% |
Work and commuting
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Adults (16 and over) in work | 48% | 57% |
| Unemployment (of those working or looking for work) | 3% | 6% |
| Retired (of adults) | 43% | 22% |
| Long-term sick or disabled (of adults) | 0% | 4% |
| Work mainly from home (of those in work) | 57% | 32% |
| Travel to work by car or van | 35% | 48% |
| By train, Underground, metro or tram | 3% | 4% |
| By any public transport, including bus | 4% | 8% |
| On foot or by bicycle | 2% | 10% |
| Work within 10 km (6 miles) of home (of those who travel to work) | 67% | 65% |
| Work 30 km (19 miles) or more away | 11% | 8% |
Education and languages
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Degree or other higher qualification, Level 4+ (of adults) | 43% | 34% |
| No qualifications | 14% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship as highest qualification | 7% | 5% |
| Main language English (aged 3 and over) | 98% | 91% |
| Cannot speak English well or at all | 0% | 2% |
Deprivation
The neighbourhood around this postcode is in decile 9 of 10 on the English Indices of Deprivation 2025, where 1 is the most deprived tenth of England's 33,755 neighbourhoods and 10 the least.
The full dossier for this postcode's main street is on Church Street.