SW1A 2BE Westminster
Live postcode, introduced June 2018. Ward: St James's. Region: London.
Streets
- Unnamed street near Whitehall, Whitehall: 2 addresses
- Horse Guards Road, City of Westminster: 2 addresses
- The Mall, City of Westminster: 1 address
- Unnamed street near Horse Guards Road, Whitehall: 1 address
Council tax
What each band costs in Westminster in 2026-27: Band D £1,050 a year on average, including the police, fire and any county and parish charges.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £700 | £816 | £933 | £1,050 | £1,283 | £1,516 | £1,749 | £2,099 |
Homes by band in the neighbourhood around this postcode: most are in band H (38% of about 1,490 homes).
Planning and heritage
- Conservation area: yes, Whitehall (council page). Extensions, demolition, some windows and doors, and work on trees need consent.
- Listed buildings within 100 m of this postcode: 7.
- Article 4 direction (removing permitted development rights): Article 4 Basement Development Permitted Rights Removed.
- Tree preservation orders: none recorded, though not every council has published theirs.
- Green belt: no.
Listed buildings
- NUMBERS 10 TO 18 (INCLUDING THE INSTITUTE OF CONTEMPORARY ARTS) AND RAILINGS TO NORTH AND WEST, grade I
- The Royal Naval Division War Memorial, grade II*
- 44 LAMP STANDARDS LINING ROAD AND CIRCUS IN FRONT OF PALACE, grade II
- CIVIL SERVICE DEPARTMENT OFFICES (FORMER ADMIRALTY OFFICES), grade II
- STATUE OF CAPTAIN COOK, grade II
- THE CITADEL, grade II
- THE ROYAL MARINES MEMORIAL, grade II
Brownfield land registered for housing within 1 km (0.6 miles)
- Admiralty Arch The Mall London SW1A 2DY, permissioned (130 m)
- 49 Charing Cross London SW1A 2DX, permissioned (170 m)
- 49 Charing Cross London SW1A 2DX, permissioned (170 m)
- Old War Office Whitehall London SW1A 2EU, permissioned (280 m)
- Old War Office Whitehall London SW1A 2EU, permissioned (280 m)
- Old War Office Whitehall London SW1A 2EU, permissioned (280 m)
- 5 Strand London WC2N 5AF, pending decision (340 m)
- 5 Strand London WC2N 5AF, pending decision (340 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: the postcode centre is in flood zone 2. Zone 2 is between 0.1% and 1% a year from rivers (0.1% and 0.5% from the sea), ignoring defences.
Height above sea level
The postcode's 6 addresses are between 3 m and 6 m above sea level (4 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 | London Charing Cross 20 million journeys in 2024–25 | 410 m (0.3 miles) |
| Tottenham Court Road 68 million journeys in 2024–25 | 1.1 km (0.7 miles) | |
| London Waterloo 70 million journeys in 2024–25 | 1.2 km (0.7 miles) | |
| Underground, metro or tram | Charing Cross Underground Station | 240 m |
| Embankment Underground Station | 500 m (0.3 miles) | |
| Piccadilly Circus Underground Station | 570 m (0.4 miles) | |
| Bus stops | 26 stops within 400 m (0.2 miles), 70 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Whitehall / Trafalgar Square Charing Cross | 180 m |
| Bus or coach station | Victoria Station | 1.5 km (1 mile) |
| Ferry terminal | Embankment Pier | 590 m (0.4 miles) |
| Car parks | 13 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Q-Park Trafalgar | 200 m |
| EV charging points | 62 within 1.6 km (1 mile); nearest ubitricity | 210 m |
| Airport with scheduled flights | London City Airport LCY | 12.8 km (8 miles) |
| Nearest large airport | London Heathrow Airport LHR | 23.3 km (14 miles) |
Local services
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| GP surgeries | 11 practices within 1.6 km (1 mile); nearest Soho Centre For Health And Care | 1 km (0.6 miles) |
| Pharmacies | 25 pharmacies within 1.6 km (1 mile); nearest Superdrug Pharmacy | 560 m (0.3 miles) |
| NHS dentists | 39 practices within 1.6 km (1 mile); nearest Pallmall Dental | 320 m |
| Hospital | Evelina London Children's Hospital | 1.1 km (0.7 miles) |
| Police station | Mounted Police | 260 m |
| Cash machines | 7 machines within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Hsbc ATM | 510 m (0.3 miles) |
Parks and green space
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| Park or garden | 13 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest St James's Park 23 ha | 100 m |
| Play area | Unnamed 1,070 m² | 810 m (0.5 miles) |
| Playing field | Westminster School Playing Field 3.7 ha | 1.3 km (0.8 miles) |
| Allotments | Unnamed 1,020 m² | 2 km (1.3 miles) |
Within 800 m (0.5 miles): 13 parks and gardens, 51 hectares in all.
Landmarks
The nearest historic landmark is The Royal Naval Division War Memorial, a listed building (Grade II*), 50 m south-east. 1,054 listed buildings are within 1 km (0.6 miles), 108 of them Grade I and 171 of them Grade II*.
| Name | What it is | From the postcode's centre |
|---|---|---|
| The Royal Naval Division War Memorial | Listed building, Grade II* | 50 m south-east |
| Royal Artillery Memorial of the South African War | Listed building, Grade II* | 110 m west |
| Numbers 10 to 18 (Including the Institute of Contemporary Arts) and Railings to North and West | Listed building, Grade I | 120 m north-west |
| The Admiralty and the Admiralty Screen | Listed building, Grade I | 130 m east |
| Trafalgar Square | Registered park or garden, Grade I | 280 m north |
| St James's Square | Registered park or garden, Grade II | 430 m (0.3 miles) west |
| Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey and St. Margaret's Church | World Heritage Site | 760 m (0.5 miles) south |
| The Chapter House and Pyx Chamber in the abbey cloisters, Westminster Abbey | Scheduled monument | 760 m (0.5 miles) south |
| The Jewel Tower | Scheduled monument | 840 m (0.5 miles) south |
| Inner Temple Hall Buttery | Scheduled monument | 1.5 km (1 mile) north-east |
| Name | What it is | From the postcode's centre |
|---|---|---|
| Pelican Pool | Lake or reservoir | 270 m south |
| Duck Island | Island | 300 m south |
| St James's Park Lake | Lake or reservoir | 480 m (0.3 miles) south-west |
| King's Reach | Tidal water | 590 m (0.4 miles) east |
| Paddington Green | Wood | 3.5 km (2.2 miles) north-west |
| Barrow Hill | Hill | 4.2 km (2.6 miles) north-west |
Air quality
| Pollutant | Here | UK limit | WHO guideline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) | 32.1 | 40 | 10 |
| Fine particles (PM2.5) | 10.6 | 20 | 5 |
| Particles (PM10) | 17.4 | 40 | 15 |
All three are within the UK legal limits; all three are above the WHO guideline, as in most towns and cities.
Road, rail and aircraft noise
| Level | Road traffic | Railways | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|
| 55 to 59 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Under 55 | 3 | 6 | 6 |
3 of the postcode's 6 addresses are modelled at 55 dB or more from road traffic, above the WHO guidelines.
Climate, daylight and earthquakes
Monthly temperatures and rainfall, sunrise and sunset through the year, and earthquakes recorded nearby since 1970 are much the same across the area, so they are worked out once for Westminster: see them on the Westminster page.
People and work
Who lives here
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Median age | 27 | 40 |
| Children under 15 | 5% | 17% |
| Aged 65 and over | 11% | 18% |
Homes
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Owned (outright or with a mortgage) | 55% | 61% |
| Owned outright | 37% | 33% |
| Shared ownership | 3% | 1% |
| Social rented | under 1% | 17% |
| Private rented | 42% | 21% |
Work and commuting
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Adults (16 and over) in work | 42% | 57% |
| Unemployment (of those working or looking for work) | 12% | 6% |
| Retired (of adults) | 8% | 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 | 7% | 48% |
| By train, Underground, metro or tram | 8% | 4% |
| By any public transport, including bus | 10% | 8% |
| On foot or by bicycle | 18% | 10% |
| Work within 10 km (6 miles) of home (of those who travel to work) | 89% | 65% |
| Work 30 km (19 miles) or more away | 6% | 8% |
Education and languages
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Degree or other higher qualification, Level 4+ (of adults) | 73% | 34% |
| No qualifications | 4% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship as highest qualification | 0% | 5% |
| Main language English (aged 3 and over) | 70% | 91% |
| Cannot speak English well or at all | 0% | 2% |
Deprivation
The neighbourhood around this postcode is in decile 8 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 Unnamed street near Whitehall.