OL8 2QL Oldham
Live postcode, introduced January 1980. Ward: Medlock Vale. Region: North West.
Streets
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 A (83% of about 750 homes).
Planning and heritage
- Conservation area: no postcode centre in this postcode is in one.
- Listed buildings within 100 m of this postcode: none.
- 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.
Brownfield land registered for housing within 1.0 km
- Land off Tanners Fold, Fitton Hill, Oldham: up to 8 homes, not permissioned (100 m)
- Corner of Wallshaw St, Oldham, not permissioned (270 m)
- Former High Barn Resource Centre, High Barn Street, Royton, Oldham, OL2 6DW: up to 30 homes, permissioned (350 m)
- Park Bridge Works, Park Bridge Works, Park Bridge, Ashton-under-Lyne, OL6 8AW: up to 43 homes, not permissioned (900 m)
- Thatcher and Belgrave Street: up to 19 homes, permissioned (920 m)
Flood risk
No address in this postcode is in an area at high, medium or low risk of flooding from rivers, the sea or surface water. The rest are in areas at very low risk: less than a 0.1% (1 in 1,000) chance a year.
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 162 m and 171 m above sea level (165 m on average).
Broadband
Superfast 100%, ultrafast 93%, gigabit 93% of premises; 0% cannot get 10 Mbit/s. Ofcom Connected Nations, data as at January 2026.
Getting around
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| Railway stations | Ashton-Under-Lyne 180,000 journeys in 2024–25 | 3.3 km |
| Mossley (Manchester) 260,000 journeys in 2024–25 | 4.2 km | |
| Moston 106,000 journeys in 2024–25 | 4.5 km | |
| Bus stops | 17 stops within 400 m, 32 within 800 m; nearest Fircroft Road Hathershaw | 80 m |
| Bus or coach station | Oldham Mumps Interchange | 2.4 km |
| Car parks | Sainsbury's Oldham Car Park | 2.2 km |
| EV charging points | Osprey Charging Station | 1.9 km |
| Airport with scheduled flights | Manchester Airport MAN | 22.4 km |
Local services
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| GP surgeries | 2 practices within 1.6 km; nearest Hill Top Surgery | 200 m |
| Pharmacies | 4 pharmacies within 1.6 km; nearest Lomas Pharmacy | 420 m |
| NHS dentists | 6 practices within 1.6 km; nearest Ravat And Ray | 0 m |
| Hospital | Royal Oldham Hospital | 3.7 km |
| Police station | Fitton Hill Police Post | 390 m |
| Cash machines | 3 machines within 800 m; nearest Fitton Hill Superstore, Fitton Hill Cashzone | 60 m |
Parks and green space
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| Park or garden | Copster Park 4.0 ha | 910 m |
| Play area | 3 within 800 m; nearest Unnamed 420 m² | 280 m |
| Playing field | Manor Park 2.6 ha | 1.0 km |
| Allotments | 3 within 800 m; nearest Unnamed 2,540 m² | 430 m |
Landmarks
The nearest historic landmark is Hathershaw Hall and Hathershaw Cottage, a listed building (Grade II*), 890 m north-west. 4 listed buildings are within 1.0 km, 1 of them Grade II*.
| Name | What it is | From the postcode's centre |
|---|---|---|
| Hathershaw Hall and Hathershaw Cottage | Listed building, Grade II* | 890 m north-west |
| Alexandra Park | Registered park or garden, Grade II* | 1.4 km north |
| Greenacres Cemetery | Registered park or garden, Grade II | 3.0 km north-east |
| Name | What it is | From the postcode's centre |
|---|---|---|
| Little Bankfield Clough | Valley | 580 m south-east |
| Bankfield Clough | Valley | 710 m south-east |
| Deanshut Clough | Valley | 780 m east |
| Wester Hill | Hill | 900 m south-east |
| The Orchard | Wood | 1.4 km north-east |
| Crime Lake | Lake or reservoir | 2.1 km south-west |
Air quality
| Pollutant | Here | UK limit | WHO guideline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) | 11.6 | 40 | 10 |
| Fine particles (PM2.5) | 7.4 | 20 | 5 |
| Particles (PM10) | 11.1 | 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 | 2 | 0 |
| Under 55 | 31 | 33 |
2 of the postcode's 33 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 | 35 | 40 |
| Children under 15 | 23% | 17% |
| Aged 65 and over | 9% | 18% |
Homes
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Owned (outright or with a mortgage) | 29% | 61% |
| Owned outright | 11% | 33% |
| Shared ownership | under 1% | 1% |
| Social rented | 63% | 17% |
| Private rented | 7% | 21% |
Work and commuting
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Adults (16 and over) in work | 54% | 57% |
| Unemployment (of those working or looking for work) | 8% | 6% |
| Retired (of adults) | 12% | 22% |
| Long-term sick or disabled (of adults) | 10% | 4% |
| Work mainly from home (of those in work) | 11% | 32% |
| Travel to work by car or van | 61% | 48% |
| By train, Underground, metro or tram | 2% | 4% |
| By any public transport, including bus | 11% | 8% |
| On foot or by bicycle | 13% | 10% |
| Work within 10 km of home (of those who travel to work) | 81% | 65% |
| Work 30 km or more away | 2% | 8% |
Education and languages
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Degree or other higher qualification, Level 4+ (of adults) | 15% | 34% |
| No qualifications | 27% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship as highest qualification | 6% | 5% |
| Main language English (aged 3 and over) | 95% | 91% |
| Cannot speak English well or at all | under 1% | 2% |
Deprivation
The neighbourhood around this postcode is in decile 1 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.