SW3 2BA Kensington and Chelsea
Live postcode, introduced January 1980. Ward: Brompton & Hans Town. Region: London.
Streets
- North Terrace, London: 6 addresses
- Brompton Road, London: 4 addresses
- Alexander Square, London: 1 address
Council tax
What each band costs in Kensington and Chelsea in 2026-27: Band D £1,667 a year on average, including the police, fire and any county and parish charges.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £1,111 | £1,296 | £1,481 | £1,667 | £2,037 | £2,407 | £2,778 | £3,333 |
Homes by band in the neighbourhood around this postcode: most are in band G (42% of about 890 homes).
Planning and heritage
- Conservation area: yes, Thurloe/Smith's Charity (council page). Extensions, demolition, some windows and doors, and work on trees need consent.
- Listed buildings within 100 m of this postcode: 16.
- Article 4 direction (removing permitted development rights): Article 4 - No 100.
- Tree preservation orders: in a protected area: 19.
- Green belt: no.
Listed buildings
- 1-7, ALEXANDER PLACE SW7, grade II
- 10-22, SOUTH TERRACE SW7, grade II
- 11, NORTH TERRACE SW3, grade II
- 12-16, THURLOE PLACE SW7, grade II
- 12-22, ALEXANDER PLACE SW7, grade II
- 13-19, THURLOE SQUARE SW7, grade II
- 13-20, ALEXANDER SQUARE SW3, grade II
- 2-8, SOUTH TERRACE SW7, grade II
- 20-33, THURLOE SQUARE SW7, grade II
- 4-10, ALEXANDER PLACE SW7, grade II
- 5-12, ALEXANDER SQUARE SW3, grade II
- 7, NORTH TERRACE SW3, grade II
- 8, 9 AND 10, NORTH TERRACE SW3, grade II
- 9-19, ALEXANDER PLACE SW7, grade II
- CABMEN'S SHELTER IN CENTRE OF ROAD OUTSIDE ORATORY HOUSE, grade II
- Empire House, grade II
Brownfield land registered for housing within 1.0 km
- South Kensington Station: up to 20 homes, not permissioned (270 m)
- South Kensington Station: up to 29 homes, permissioned (270 m)
- 60-62 Walton Street SW3 2HH: up to 6 homes, permissioned (350 m)
- Clearings Draycott Avenue: up to 78 homes, permissioned (380 m)
- Colebrook Court, 75 Sloane Avenue: up to 20 homes, not permissioned (460 m)
- Colebrook Court, 75 Sloane Avenue: up to 20 homes, not permissioned (460 m)
- 2 Lucan Place, London, SW3 3PB: up to 32 homes, permissioned (470 m)
- Harrington Road: up to 50 homes, not permissioned (590 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 11 addresses are between 8 m and 9 m above sea level (8 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 Victoria 54 million journeys in 2024–25 | 1.8 km |
| West Brompton 4.5 million journeys in 2024–25 | 2.0 km | |
| London Paddington 70 million journeys in 2024–25 | 2.3 km | |
| Underground, metro or tram | South Kensington Underground Station | 330 m |
| Gloucester Road Underground Station | 890 m | |
| Knightsbridge Underground Station | 950 m | |
| Bus stops | 19 stops within 400 m, 55 within 800 m; nearest Victoria and Albert Museum Brompton | 90 m |
| Bus or coach station | Victoria Station | 1.7 km |
| Ferry terminal | Cadogan Pier Chelsea | 1.4 km |
| Car parks | 4 within 800 m; nearest Fulham Road Car Park | 440 m |
| EV charging points | 60 within 1.6 km; nearest Shell Recharge | 190 m |
| Airport with scheduled flights | London City Airport LCY | 15.7 km |
| Nearest large airport | London Heathrow Airport LHR | 20.3 km |
Local services
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| GP surgeries | 15 practices within 1.6 km; nearest Imperial College Health Centre | 370 m |
| Pharmacies | 19 pharmacies within 1.6 km; nearest Stickland Chemist | 340 m |
| NHS dentists | 16 practices within 1.6 km; nearest Thurloe Street Dental | 240 m |
| Hospital | Royal Marsden Hospital | 590 m |
| Police station | Metropolitan Police Service | 340 m |
| Cash machines | 2 machines within 800 m; nearest London South Kensington | 380 m |
Parks and green space
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| Park or garden | 24 within 800 m; nearest Unnamed 8,440 m² | 100 m |
| Largest park within 800 m | Hyde Park 130 ha | 740 m |
| Play area | 2 within 800 m; nearest Unnamed 400 m² | 470 m |
| Playing field | 1 within 800 m; nearest St Luke's Gardens 5,940 m² | 590 m |
Within 800 m: 24 parks and gardens, 142 hectares in all.
Landmarks
The nearest historic landmark is The Oratory House (Block Parallel to Brompton Road, Brompton Oratory), a listed building (Grade II*), 170 m north. 551 listed buildings are within 1.0 km, 8 of them Grade I and 37 of them Grade II*.
| Name | What it is | From the postcode's centre |
|---|---|---|
| The Oratory House (Block Parallel to Brompton Road, Brompton Oratory) | Listed building, Grade II* | 170 m north |
| The Oratory | Listed building, Grade II* | 180 m north |
| Victoria and Albert Museum | Listed building, Grade I | 180 m north-west |
| 1-14, Pelham Crescent Sw7 | Listed building, Grade II* | 250 m south |
| Hans Place | Registered park or garden, Grade II | 680 m north-east |
| St Luke's Garden | Registered park or garden, Grade II | 690 m south |
| Kensington Palace | Scheduled monument | 1.6 km north-west |
| Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey and St. Margaret's Church | World Heritage Site | 3.1 km east |
| Name | What it is | From the postcode's centre |
|---|---|---|
| The Serpentine | Lake or reservoir | 1.1 km north |
| The Long Water | Lake or reservoir | 1.4 km north |
| Round Pond | Lake or reservoir | 1.5 km north-west |
| Chelsea Reach | Tidal water | 1.5 km south-east |
| Holland Park | Wood | 2.5 km west |
| Barrow Hill | Hill | 4.7 km north |
Air quality
| Pollutant | Here | UK limit | WHO guideline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) | 24.9 | 40 | 10 |
| Fine particles (PM2.5) | 9.6 | 20 | 5 |
| Particles (PM10) | 15.9 | 40 | 15 |
All three are within the UK legal limits; all three are above the WHO guideline, as in most towns and cities.
Road and rail noise
Noise figures are still being loaded.
People and work
Who lives here
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Median age | 46 | 40 |
| Children under 15 | 11% | 17% |
| Aged 65 and over | 19% | 18% |
Homes
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Owned (outright or with a mortgage) | 69% | 61% |
| Owned outright | 41% | 33% |
| Shared ownership | 0% | 1% |
| Social rented | 10% | 17% |
| Private rented | 22% | 21% |
Work and commuting
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Adults (16 and over) in work | 54% | 57% |
| Unemployment (of those working or looking for work) | 5% | 6% |
| Retired (of adults) | 13% | 22% |
| Long-term sick or disabled (of adults) | 2% | 4% |
| Work mainly from home (of those in work) | 78% | 32% |
| Travel to work by car or van | 2% | 48% |
| By train, Underground, metro or tram | 3% | 4% |
| By any public transport, including bus | 4% | 8% |
| On foot or by bicycle | 13% | 10% |
| Work within 10 km of home (of those who travel to work) | 91% | 65% |
| Work 30 km or more away | 0% | 8% |
Education and languages
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Degree or other higher qualification, Level 4+ (of adults) | 62% | 34% |
| No qualifications | 7% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship as highest qualification | 1% | 5% |
| Main language English (aged 3 and over) | 82% | 91% |
| Cannot speak English well or at all | 3% | 2% |
Deprivation
The neighbourhood around this postcode is in decile 7 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 North Terrace.