OL4 5AF Oldham
Live postcode, introduced January 1980. Ward: Saddleworth West & Lees. Region: North West.
Streets
- Princess Street, Lees: 12 addresses
Council tax
What each band costs in Oldham in 2026-27: Band D £2,602 a year on average, including the police, fire and any county and parish charges.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £1,735 | £2,024 | £2,313 | £2,602 | £3,181 | £3,759 | £4,337 | £5,204 |
Homes by band in the neighbourhood around this postcode: most are in band B (40% of about 720 homes).
Planning and heritage
- Conservation area: yes, Lees. Extensions, demolition, some windows and doors, and work on trees need consent.
- Listed buildings within 100 m of this postcode: 1.
- 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
- CHURCH OF ST THOMAS, grade II*
Brownfield land registered for housing within 1.0 km
- Land at St John Street, Lees: up to 20 homes, not permissioned (380 m)
- Land at Brown Edge Road: up to 12 homes, not permissioned (890 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 1 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 12 addresses are between 176 m and 180 m above sea level (179 m on average).
Broadband
Superfast 100%, ultrafast 89%, gigabit 89% of premises; 0% cannot get 10 Mbit/s. Ofcom Connected Nations, data as at January 2026.
Getting around
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| Railway stations | Mossley (Manchester) 260,000 journeys in 2024–25 | 3.3 km |
| Greenfield 351,000 journeys in 2024–25 | 4.0 km | |
| Ashton-Under-Lyne 180,000 journeys in 2024–25 | 5.3 km | |
| Bus stops | 11 stops within 400 m, 26 within 800 m; nearest Lees Post Office | 40 m |
| Bus or coach station | Oldham Mumps Interchange | 2.0 km |
| Car parks | Co-Op Grotton, Oldham Car Park | 1.3 km |
| EV charging points | 1 within 1.6 km; nearest Be.EV Charging Station | 180 m |
| Airport with scheduled flights | Manchester Airport MAN | 25.0 km |
Local services
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| GP surgeries | 7 practices within 1.6 km; nearest Leesbrook Surgery | 150 m |
| Pharmacies | 9 pharmacies within 1.6 km; nearest Well | 200 m |
| NHS dentists | 8 practices within 1.6 km; nearest Dental Surgery | 40 m |
| Hospital | The Royal Oldham Hospital | 3.6 km |
| Police station | Greater Manchester Police | 1.8 km |
| Cash machines | Payzone | 1.1 km |
Parks and green space
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| Park or garden | 3 within 800 m; nearest Unnamed 24 ha | 200 m |
| Play area | 4 within 800 m; nearest Unnamed 200 m² | 210 m |
| Playing field | 2 within 800 m; nearest Unnamed 2.8 ha | 450 m |
| Allotments | 4 within 800 m; nearest Unnamed 5,240 m² | 320 m |
Within 800 m: 3 parks and gardens, 24 hectares in all.
Landmarks
The nearest historic landmark is Church of St Thomas, a listed building (Grade II*), 120 m south-east. 15 listed buildings are within 1.0 km, 1 of them Grade II*.
| Name | What it is | From the postcode's centre |
|---|---|---|
| Church of St Thomas | Listed building, Grade II* | 120 m south-east |
| Greenacres Cemetery | Registered park or garden, Grade II | 880 m north-west |
| Alexandra Park | Registered park or garden, Grade II* | 2.1 km west |
| Name | What it is | From the postcode's centre |
|---|---|---|
| Ashes Clough | Valley | 600 m east |
| Crow Hill | Hill | 1.2 km south-east |
| Stone Breaks Hill | Hill | 1.3 km east |
| Rowton Clough | Valley | 1.3 km south |
| The Orchard | Wood | 1.4 km south-west |
| Lower Strinesdale Reservoir | Lake or reservoir | 2.0 km north |
Air quality
| Pollutant | Here | UK limit | WHO guideline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) | 11.0 | 40 | 10 |
| Fine particles (PM2.5) | 7.3 | 20 | 5 |
| Particles (PM10) | 10.9 | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 60 to 64 | 2 | 0 |
| 55 to 59 | 5 | 0 |
| Under 55 | 5 | 12 |
7 of the postcode's 12 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 | 33 | 40 |
| Children under 15 | 26% | 17% |
| Aged 65 and over | 10% | 18% |
Homes
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Owned (outright or with a mortgage) | 58% | 61% |
| Owned outright | 18% | 33% |
| Shared ownership | 1% | 1% |
| Social rented | 15% | 17% |
| Private rented | 26% | 21% |
Work and commuting
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Adults (16 and over) in work | 69% | 57% |
| Unemployment (of those working or looking for work) | 5% | 6% |
| Retired (of adults) | 12% | 22% |
| Long-term sick or disabled (of adults) | 6% | 4% |
| Work mainly from home (of those in work) | 22% | 32% |
| Travel to work by car or van | 61% | 48% |
| By train, Underground, metro or tram | under 1% | 4% |
| By any public transport, including bus | 6% | 8% |
| On foot or by bicycle | 8% | 10% |
| Work within 10 km of home (of those who travel to work) | 71% | 65% |
| Work 30 km or more away | 5% | 8% |
Education and languages
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Degree or other higher qualification, Level 4+ (of adults) | 29% | 34% |
| No qualifications | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship as highest qualification | 7% | 5% |
| Main language English (aged 3 and over) | 100% | 91% |
| Cannot speak English well or at all | 0% | 2% |
Deprivation
The neighbourhood around this postcode is in decile 4 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 Princess Street.