CO1 2PY Colchester
Live postcode, introduced January 1980. Ward: Castle. Region: East of England.
Streets
Council tax
What each band costs in Colchester in 2026-27: Band D £2,283 a year on average, including the police, fire and any county and parish charges.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £1,522 | £1,776 | £2,029 | £2,283 | £2,790 | £3,297 | £3,805 | £4,566 |
Homes by band in the neighbourhood around this postcode: most are in band B (38% of about 820 homes).
Planning and heritage
- Conservation area: yes, COLCHESTER AREA 1. Extensions, demolition, some windows and doors, and work on trees need consent.
- Listed buildings within 100 m of this postcode: 3.
- Article 4 direction (removing permitted development rights): none recorded, though not every council has published theirs.
- Tree preservation orders: none recorded, though not every council has published theirs.
- Green belt: no.
Listed buildings
- RUINS OF PRIORY CHURCH OF ST BOTOLPH, grade I
- 33 AND 35, QUEEN STREET, grade II
- CHURCH OF ST BOTOLPH, grade II
Brownfield land registered for housing within 1.0 km
- 23 ST JULIAN GROVE, not permissioned (70 m)
- ST BOTOLPHS CULTURAL QUARTER, EAST OF QUEEN STREET, not permissioned (100 m)
- BRITANNIA WORKS SITE, (CAR PARK OFF BRITANNIA WAY), FRONTING ST JULIAN GROVE, not permissioned (120 m)
- LAND AND BUILDINGS BETWEEN NUMBERS 192 AND 176 MAGDALEN STREET, not permissioned (220 m)
- LAND, BUILDINGS AND FORMER CBT BUS DEPOT FRONTING MAGDALEN STREET AND MILITARY ROAD, not permissioned (280 m)
- PARKING LAND USED BY ROBERTSONS VAN HIRE BETWEEN 145 AND 149 MAGDALEN STREET, not permissioned (410 m)
- DOVERCOURT BP PETROL FILLING STATION AND GARAGE INCLUDING NUMBER 79 MAGDALEN STREET, not permissioned (450 m)
- LAND NORTH OF MAGDALEN STREET (RAILWAY SIDINGS): up to 58 homes, permissioned (460 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 3 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 33 addresses are between 17 m and 20 m above sea level (17 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 | Colchester Town 1.0 million journeys in 2024–25 | 150 m |
| Hythe (Essex) 433,000 journeys in 2024–25 | 1.6 km | |
| Colchester 3.6 million journeys in 2024–25 | 1.7 km | |
| Bus stops | 24 stops within 400 m, 54 within 800 m; nearest Queen Street Colchester City Centre | 130 m |
| Bus or coach station | Colchester North Park-and-Ride Mile End | 4.4 km |
| Ferry terminal | East Mersea Ferry Landing | 12.0 km |
| Car parks | 8 within 800 m; nearest Priory Street Car Park | 90 m |
| EV charging points | 2 within 1.6 km; nearest Roam Charging Station | 400 m |
| Airport with scheduled flights | London Southend Airport SEN | 38.2 km |
| Nearest large airport | London Stansted Airport STN | 46.1 km |
Local services
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| GP surgeries | 5 practices within 1.6 km; nearest Colchester Medical Practice | 380 m |
| Pharmacies | 10 pharmacies within 1.6 km; nearest Queen Street Pharmacy | 160 m |
| NHS dentists | 14 practices within 1.6 km; nearest Dental Care | 140 m |
| Hospital | Oaks Hospital | 2.2 km |
| Police station | Essex Police | 170 m |
| Cash machines | 5 machines within 800 m; nearest Payzone | 140 m |
Parks and green space
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| Park or garden | 2 within 800 m; nearest Castle Park 19 ha | 240 m |
| Play area | 5 within 800 m; nearest Unnamed 1,110 m² | 190 m |
| Playing field | 2 within 800 m; nearest Unnamed 3.4 ha | 570 m |
| Allotments | 1 within 800 m; nearest Unnamed 1.8 ha | 650 m |
Within 800 m: 2 parks and gardens, 36 hectares in all.
Landmarks
The nearest historic landmark is St Botolph's Augustinian Priory, a scheduled monument, 80 m south-west. 335 listed buildings are within 1.0 km, 12 of them Grade I and 32 of them Grade II*.
| Name | What it is | From the postcode's centre |
|---|---|---|
| St Botolph's Augustinian Priory | Scheduled monument | 80 m south-west |
| Ruins of Priory Church of St Botolph | Listed building, Grade I | 100 m south-west |
| Summerhouse at Number 74 (The Minories) | Listed building, Grade II* | 160 m north |
| SE corner of Roman town in Easthill House Gardens | Scheduled monument | 180 m north-east |
| 71, Culver Street | Listed building, Grade II* | 180 m north-west |
| Colchester Club | Listed building, Grade II* | 190 m north-west |
| The Benedictine Abbey of St John | Scheduled monument | 380 m south-west |
| Colchester Castle Park | Registered park or garden, Grade II | 620 m north |
| Name | What it is | From the postcode's centre |
|---|---|---|
| Bourne Pond | Lake or reservoir | 1.3 km south |
| Blythe Pond | Lake or reservoir | 1.5 km south-east |
| Ash Plantation | Wood | 1.7 km east |
| Distillery Pond | Lake or reservoir | 1.8 km south-east |
| Hythe Marshes | Wetland | 3.4 km south-east |
| America Hill | Hill | 4.2 km north |
Air quality
| Pollutant | Here | UK limit | WHO guideline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) | 9.8 | 40 | 10 |
| Fine particles (PM2.5) | 7.3 | 20 | 5 |
| Particles (PM10) | 11.7 | 40 | 15 |
All three are within the UK legal limits; PM2.5 is above the WHO guideline, as in most towns and cities.
Road and rail noise
| Level | Road traffic | Railways |
|---|---|---|
| 60 to 64 | 1 | 0 |
| Under 55 | 32 | 33 |
1 of the postcode's 33 addresses is 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 | 45 | 40 |
| Children under 15 | 7% | 17% |
| Aged 65 and over | 32% | 18% |
Homes
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Owned (outright or with a mortgage) | 45% | 61% |
| Owned outright | 40% | 33% |
| Shared ownership | 0% | 1% |
| Social rented | 4% | 17% |
| Private rented | 50% | 21% |
Work and commuting
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Adults (16 and over) in work | 47% | 57% |
| Unemployment (of those working or looking for work) | 11% | 6% |
| Retired (of adults) | 31% | 22% |
| Long-term sick or disabled (of adults) | 5% | 4% |
| Work mainly from home (of those in work) | 20% | 32% |
| Travel to work by car or van | 43% | 48% |
| By train, Underground, metro or tram | 1% | 4% |
| By any public transport, including bus | 6% | 8% |
| On foot or by bicycle | 29% | 10% |
| Work within 10 km of home (of those who travel to work) | 64% | 65% |
| Work 30 km or more away | 10% | 8% |
Education and languages
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Degree or other higher qualification, Level 4+ (of adults) | 36% | 34% |
| No qualifications | 22% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship as highest qualification | 4% | 5% |
| Main language English (aged 3 and over) | 80% | 91% |
| Cannot speak English well or at all | 2% | 2% |
Deprivation
The neighbourhood around this postcode is in decile 3 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.