CB5 8AQ Cambridge
Live postcode, introduced September 1991. Ward: Market. Region: East of England.
Streets
- Thompson's Lane, Cambridge: 67 addresses
- New Park Street, Cambridge: 4 addresses
- Thompsons Lane, Cambridge: 2 addresses
- Quayside, Cambridge: 1 address
- Unnamed street near Thompson's Lane, Cambridge: 1 address
Council tax
What each band costs in Cambridge in 2026-27: Band D £2,467 a year on average, including the police, fire and any county and parish charges.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £1,645 | £1,919 | £2,193 | £2,467 | £3,015 | £3,563 | £4,112 | £4,934 |
Homes by band in the neighbourhood around this postcode: most are in band G (29% of about 660 homes).
Planning and heritage
- Conservation area: yes, Historic Core (council page). Extensions, demolition, some windows and doors, and work on trees need consent.
- Listed buildings within 100 m of this postcode: 18.
- Article 4 direction (removing permitted development rights): none recorded, though not every council has published theirs.
- Tree preservation orders: 4 protected trees within 100 m of this postcode.
- Green belt: no.
Listed buildings
- MAGDALENE COLLEGE, PEPYS BUILDING, grade I
- 16-18, PORTUGAL PLACE, grade II
- 21-24, BRIDGE STREET, grade II
- 23-27, PORTUGAL PLACE, grade II
- 25 AND 26, BRIDGE STREET, grade II
- 28 AND 29, PORTUGAL PLACE, grade II
- 29, BRIDGE STREET, grade II
- 29, THOMPSON'S LANE, grade II
- 30, BRIDGE STREET, grade II
- 30, THOMPSON'S LANE, grade II
- 31 Thompson's Lane, grade II
- 8, PORTUGAL PLACE, grade II
- 9-14, PORTUGAL PLACE, grade II
- K6 outside the Masters Lodge, St John's College, grade II
- K6 Telephone kiosk on the Quayside pedestrian area, Cambridge, grade II
- MAGDALENE BRIDGE THE GREAT BRIDGE, grade II
- MAGDALENE COLLEGE, BRIGHT'S BUILDING, grade II
- THE OLD VICARAGE, grade II
Brownfield land registered for housing within 1.0 km
- Carlyle Lodge 71A Chesterton Road Cambridge CB4 3AN: up to 6 homes, permissioned (390 m)
- Henry Giles House Chesterton Road, not permissioned (450 m)
- Housing allocation at, Henry Giles House, Chesterton Road, Cambridge, CB4: up to 48 homes, not permissioned (450 m)
- 18 Chesterton Road Cambridge Cambridgeshire: up to 8 homes, permissioned (580 m)
- 121 - 125 Chesterton Road Cambridge Cambridgeshire: up to 19 homes, permissioned (590 m)
- St. Edmund's College, CAMBRIDGE, CB3 0BN, permissioned (730 m)
- 54 - 58, Chesterton Road, CAMBRIDGE, CB4 1EW: up to 8 homes, permissioned (770 m)
- Land Rear Of 5-17 New Square Cambridge Cambridgeshire CB1 1EY: up to 8 homes, permissioned (820 m)
Flood risk
Rivers, the sea or surface water: in this postcode, 0 addresses are in areas at high risk, 0 at medium risk and 10 at low risk. Each address counts once, at the higher of its rivers-and-sea and surface-water risk.
Rivers and the sea alone: of the 30 homes the Environment Agency counts, 0 are in areas at high risk, 0 medium, 7 low and 0 very low.
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 75 addresses are between 5 m and 8 m above sea level (7 m on average).
Broadband
Superfast 43%, ultrafast 43%, gigabit 43% of premises; 0% cannot get 10 Mbit/s. Ofcom Connected Nations, data as at January 2026.
Getting around
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| Railway stations | Cambridge 11 million journeys in 2024–25 | 2.2 km |
| Cambridge North 1.5 million journeys in 2024–25 | 3.2 km | |
| Shelford (Cambs) 222,000 journeys in 2024–25 | 7.0 km | |
| Bus stops | 12 stops within 400 m, 60 within 800 m; nearest Bridge Street Cambridge | 100 m |
| Bus or coach station | Drummer St Bus Station Cambridge | 640 m |
| Car parks | 2 within 800 m; nearest Park Street Car Park | 130 m |
| EV charging points | 10 within 1.6 km; nearest Connected Kerb Charging Stations | 140 m |
| Airport with scheduled flights | London Stansted Airport STN | 37.0 km |
Local services
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| GP surgeries | 8 practices within 1.6 km; nearest Bridge Street Medical Centre | 260 m |
| Pharmacies | 7 pharmacies within 1.6 km; nearest Superdrug Pharmacy | 400 m |
| NHS dentists | 15 practices within 1.6 km; nearest Victoria Bridge Dental Practice | 690 m |
| Hospital | Nuffeild Health Cambridge Hospital | 2.3 km |
| Police station | Parkside Police Station | 1.1 km |
| Cash machines | 4 machines within 800 m; nearest Britannia Building Society | 480 m |
Parks and green space
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| Park or garden | 6 within 800 m; nearest Jesus Green 12 ha | 140 m |
| Largest park within 800 m | Midsummer Common 14 ha | 610 m |
| Play area | 4 within 800 m; nearest Jesus Green Skate Park 350 m² | 440 m |
| Playing field | Unnamed 1.8 ha | 950 m |
| Allotments | 1 within 800 m; nearest Unnamed 2,330 m² | 650 m |
Within 800 m: 6 parks and gardens, 34 hectares in all.
Landmarks
The nearest historic landmark is Magdalene College, Pepys Building, a listed building (Grade I), 100 m north-west. 525 listed buildings are within 1.0 km, 55 of them Grade I and 30 of them Grade II*.
| Name | What it is | From the postcode's centre |
|---|---|---|
| Magdalene College, Pepys Building | Listed building, Grade I | 100 m north-west |
| Church of St Clement | Listed building, Grade II* | 110 m south |
| Magdalene College, the Buildings Surrounding First Court | Listed building, Grade I | 130 m west |
| Magdalene College, Benson Court | Listed building, Grade II* | 160 m west |
| St John's College | Registered park or garden, Grade II* | 310 m south-west |
| Cambridge Castle mound | Scheduled monument | 330 m north-west |
| Trinity College | Registered park or garden, Grade II | 500 m south-west |
| Hobson's Conduit | Scheduled monument | 1.4 km south |
| Chesterton Abbey | Scheduled monument | 1.7 km north-east |
| Name | What it is | From the postcode's centre |
|---|---|---|
| Castle Hill | Hill | 310 m north-west |
| The Grove | Wood | 840 m south |
| The Backs | Lake or reservoir | 880 m south |
| Mill Pit | Lake or reservoir | 1.0 km south |
| Chesterton Fen | Wetland | 4.0 km north-east |
| Giants Grave | Valley | 4.7 km south-east |
Air quality
| Pollutant | Here | UK limit | WHO guideline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) | 10.3 | 40 | 10 |
| Fine particles (PM2.5) | 7.3 | 20 | 5 |
| Particles (PM10) | 12.0 | 40 | 15 |
All three are within the UK legal limits; nitrogen dioxide and PM2.5 are above the WHO guideline, as in most towns and cities.
Road and rail noise
| Level | Road traffic | Railways |
|---|---|---|
| 55 to 59 | 30 | 0 |
| Under 55 | 45 | 75 |
30 of the postcode's 75 addresses are modelled at 55 dB or more from road traffic, above the WHO guidelines.
People and work
Who lives here
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Median age | 22 | 40 |
| Children under 15 | 1% | 17% |
| Aged 65 and over | 1% | 18% |
Homes
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Owned (outright or with a mortgage) | 14% | 61% |
| Owned outright | 6% | 33% |
| Shared ownership | 0% | 1% |
| Social rented | 9% | 17% |
| Private rented | 77% | 21% |
Work and commuting
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Adults (16 and over) in work | 16% | 57% |
| Unemployment (of those working or looking for work) | 6% | 6% |
| Retired (of adults) | under 1% | 22% |
| Long-term sick or disabled (of adults) | under 1% | 4% |
| Work mainly from home (of those in work) | 64% | 32% |
| Travel to work by car or van | 9% | 48% |
| By train, Underground, metro or tram | 2% | 4% |
| By any public transport, including bus | 4% | 8% |
| On foot or by bicycle | 21% | 10% |
| Work within 10 km of home (of those who travel to work) | 83% | 65% |
| Work 30 km or more away | 11% | 8% |
Education and languages
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Degree or other higher qualification, Level 4+ (of adults) | 27% | 34% |
| No qualifications | under 1% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship as highest qualification | under 1% | 5% |
| Main language English (aged 3 and over) | 86% | 91% |
| Cannot speak English well or at all | under 1% | 2% |
Deprivation
The neighbourhood around this postcode is in decile 7 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 Thompson's Lane.