RG18 9TR West Berkshire
Live postcode, introduced July 1995. Ward: Chieveley & Cold Ash. Region: South East.
Streets
- Crabtree Close, Hermitage: 24 addresses
- Collins Drive, Hermitage: 1 address
- Faircross, Hermitage: 1 address
- Crabtree Lane, West Berkshire: 1 address
Council tax
What each band costs in West Berkshire in 2026-27: Band D £2,505 a year on average, including the police, fire and any county and parish charges.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £1,670 | £1,949 | £2,227 | £2,505 | £3,062 | £3,619 | £4,176 | £5,011 |
Homes by band in the neighbourhood around this postcode: most are in band E (23% of about 1,160 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.
Flood risk
Rivers, the sea or surface water: in this postcode, 0 addresses are in areas at high risk, 1 at medium risk and 2 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 27 addresses are between 104 m and 110 m above sea level (109 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 | Newbury Racecourse 115,000 journeys in 2024–25 | 6.0 km |
| Newbury 1.5 million journeys in 2024–25 | 6.4 km | |
| Thatcham 465,000 journeys in 2024–25 | 7.0 km | |
| Bus stops | 1 stop within 400 m, 10 within 800 m; nearest Army Camp Crabtree Lane Hermitage | 320 m |
| Bus or coach station | Newbury Wharf | 6.0 km |
| EV charging points | Gridserve Charging Station | 1.7 km |
| Airport with scheduled flights | Southampton Airport SOU | 55.9 km |
| Nearest large airport | London Heathrow Airport LHR | 57.5 km |
Local services
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| GP surgeries | The Downland Practice | 2.3 km |
| Pharmacies | Downland Pharmacy | 2.3 km |
| NHS dentists | 1 practices within 1.6 km; nearest Hermitage Dental Centre | 480 m |
| Hospital | West Berkshire Community Hospital | 4.9 km |
| Police station | Newbury Police Station | 6.0 km |
| Cash machines | 1 machines within 800 m; nearest Faircross Estate Sodexo Site, The Hermitage Cashzone | 180 m |
Parks and green space
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| Play area | 3 within 800 m; nearest Unnamed 560 m² | 70 m |
| Playing field | 1 within 800 m; nearest Unnamed 630 m² | 80 m |
Landmarks
The nearest historic landmark is Grimsbury Castle, a scheduled monument, 1.4 km east. 2 listed buildings are within 1.0 km.
| Name | What it is | From the postcode's centre |
|---|---|---|
| Grimsbury Castle | Scheduled monument | 1.4 km east |
| Name | What it is | From the postcode's centre |
|---|---|---|
| Faircross Plantation | Wood | 180 m south-east |
| Basing's Copse | Wood | 500 m west |
| Faircross Pond | Lake or reservoir | 500 m east |
| Copyhold Copse | Wood | 590 m west |
| Yewtree Bottom | Valley | 1.1 km south-east |
| Nothing Hill | Hill | 1.9 km south-east |
Air quality
| Pollutant | Here | UK limit | WHO guideline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) | 5.7 | 40 | 10 |
| Fine particles (PM2.5) | 6.2 | 20 | 5 |
| Particles (PM10) | 11.3 | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 55 to 59 | 4 | 0 |
| Under 55 | 23 | 27 |
4 of the postcode's 27 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 | 32 | 40 |
| Children under 15 | 19% | 17% |
| Aged 65 and over | 6% | 18% |
Homes
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Owned (outright or with a mortgage) | 42% | 61% |
| Owned outright | 18% | 33% |
| Shared ownership | 0% | 1% |
| Social rented | under 1% | 17% |
| Private rented | 58% | 21% |
Work and commuting
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Adults (16 and over) in work | 82% | 57% |
| Unemployment (of those working or looking for work) | under 1% | 6% |
| Retired (of adults) | 7% | 22% |
| Long-term sick or disabled (of adults) | under 1% | 4% |
| Work mainly from home (of those in work) | 46% | 32% |
| Travel to work by car or van | 27% | 48% |
| By train, Underground, metro or tram | under 1% | 4% |
| By any public transport, including bus | 1% | 8% |
| On foot or by bicycle | 25% | 10% |
| Work within 10 km of home (of those who travel to work) | 74% | 65% |
| Work 30 km or more away | 9% | 8% |
Education and languages
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Degree or other higher qualification, Level 4+ (of adults) | 45% | 34% |
| No qualifications | 8% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship as highest qualification | 4% | 5% |
| Main language English (aged 3 and over) | 90% | 91% |
| Cannot speak English well or at all | under 1% | 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 Crabtree Close.