SW3 4EJ Kensington and Chelsea
Live postcode, introduced January 1980. Ward: Royal Hospital. Region: London.
Streets
- Smith Street, Chelsea: 3 addresses
- Woodfall Street, Chelsea: 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 H (60% of about 800 homes).
Planning and heritage
- Conservation area: yes, Royal Hospital (council page). Extensions, demolition, some windows and doors, and work on trees need consent.
- Listed buildings within 100 m of this postcode: 11.
- Article 4 direction (removing permitted development rights): Article 4 - No 100.
- Tree preservation orders: in a protected area: 29.
- Green belt: no.
Listed buildings
- 1-35, WELLINGTON SQUARE SW3, grade II
- 14-18, ST LEONARD'S TERRACE SW3, grade II
- 19-25, ST LEONARD'S TERRACE SW3, grade II
- 2, 2A, 3, 4 AND 5, SMITH STREET SW3, grade II
- 22, SMITH STREET SW3, grade II
- 24, SMITH STREET SW3, grade II
- 26-30, ST LEONARD'S TERRACE SW3, grade II
- 26-48, ROYAL AVENUE SW3, grade II
- 31 AND 32, ST LEONARD'S TERRACE SW3, grade II
- 45, SMITH STREET SW3, grade II
- PILLAR BOX PILLAR BOX ON CORNER WITH SMITH STREET, grade II
Brownfield land registered for housing within 1.0 km
- 196 to 222 King's Road: up to 39 homes, permissioned (350 m)
- 196 to 222 King's Road: up to 20 homes, permissioned (350 m)
- Chelsea Delivery Office, 232 King's Road and 18-20 Chelsea Manor Street, London SW3 3UH: up to 23 homes, permissioned (420 m)
- 2 Lucan Place, London, SW3 3PB: up to 32 homes, permissioned (480 m)
- Colebrook Court, 75 Sloane Avenue: up to 20 homes, not permissioned (490 m)
- Colebrook Court, 75 Sloane Avenue: up to 20 homes, not permissioned (490 m)
- Chelsea Farmers' Market - Sydney Street: up to 59 homes, not permissioned (500 m)
- Chelsea Farmers' Market - Sydney Street: up to 59 homes, permissioned (500 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 addresses are about 6 m above sea level.
Broadband
Superfast 100%, ultrafast 0%, gigabit 0% 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 | 1.5 km |
| Battersea Park 2.2 million journeys in 2024–25 | 1.6 km | |
| Queenstown Road (Battersea) 806,000 journeys in 2024–25 | 1.9 km | |
| Underground, metro or tram | Sloane Square Underground Station | 600 m |
| South Kensington Underground Station | 1.0 km | |
| Knightsbridge Underground Station | 1.5 km | |
| Bus stops | 12 stops within 400 m, 43 within 800 m; nearest Markham Street Chelsea | 170 m |
| Bus or coach station | Victoria Station | 1.4 km |
| Ferry terminal | Cadogan Pier Chelsea | 640 m |
| Car parks | 2 within 800 m; nearest National Car Parks | 560 m |
| EV charging points | 64 within 1.6 km; nearest ubitricity | 180 m |
| Airport with scheduled flights | London City Airport LCY | 15.2 km |
| Nearest large airport | London Heathrow Airport LHR | 20.8 km |
Local services
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| GP surgeries | 10 practices within 1.6 km; nearest Health Partners At Violet Melchett | 370 m |
| Pharmacies | 23 pharmacies within 1.6 km; nearest Boots | 220 m |
| NHS dentists | 18 practices within 1.6 km; nearest Wellington Clinic | 130 m |
| Hospital | Royal Brompton Hospital | 600 m |
| Police station | Chelsea Police Station | 490 m |
| Cash machines | 2 machines within 800 m; nearest M&S ATM | 170 m |
Parks and green space
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| Park or garden | 16 within 800 m; nearest Unnamed 1,910 m² | 130 m |
| Largest park within 800 m | Ranelagh Gardens 5.7 ha | 490 m |
| Play area | 3 within 800 m; nearest Unnamed 210 m² | 360 m |
| Playing field | 2 within 800 m; nearest Unnamed 1.6 ha | 100 m |
| Allotments | Unnamed 760 m² | 2.1 km |
Within 800 m: 16 parks and gardens, 14 hectares in all.
Landmarks
The nearest historic landmark is The Royal Hospital Entrance Gates and Lodges (On North West Side of Burton's Court) Fronting St Leonard's Terrace, a listed building (Grade I), 130 m east. 456 listed buildings are within 1.0 km, 8 of them Grade I and 49 of them Grade II*.
| Name | What it is | From the postcode's centre |
|---|---|---|
| The Royal Hospital Entrance Gates and Lodges (On North West Side of Burton's Court) Fronting St Leonard's Terrace | Listed building, Grade I | 130 m east |
| Stable Yard, to West of Chelsea Gate Roadway, Royal Hospital | Listed building, Grade II* | 250 m south-east |
| Chapel to Duke of York's Headquarters | Listed building, Grade II* | 290 m north |
| Lodge Immediately South of Stable Yard, Royal Hospital | Listed building, Grade II* | 290 m south-east |
| Chelsea Physic Garden | Registered park or garden, Grade I | 440 m south |
| ROYAL HOSPITAL, CHELSEA and RANELAGH GARDENS | Registered park or garden, Grade II | 440 m east |
| Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey and St. Margaret's Church | World Heritage Site | 2.8 km north-east |
| Name | What it is | From the postcode's centre |
|---|---|---|
| Chelsea Reach | Tidal water | 610 m south |
| Fountain Lake | Lake or reservoir | 1.0 km south |
| Ransome's Dock | Lake or reservoir | 1.0 km south |
| Duck Pond | Lake or reservoir | 1.2 km south-east |
| Ladies Pond | Lake or reservoir | 1.2 km south-east |
| Holland Park | Wood | 3.3 km north-west |
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
| Level | Road traffic | Railways |
|---|---|---|
| 55 to 59 | 4 | 0 |
| Under 55 | 0 | 4 |
4 of the postcode's 4 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 | 50 | 40 |
| Children under 15 | 10% | 17% |
| Aged 65 and over | 20% | 18% |
Homes
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Owned (outright or with a mortgage) | 71% | 61% |
| Owned outright | 49% | 33% |
| Shared ownership | 0% | 1% |
| Social rented | 4% | 17% |
| Private rented | 26% | 21% |
Work and commuting
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Adults (16 and over) in work | 48% | 57% |
| Unemployment (of those working or looking for work) | 11% | 6% |
| Retired (of adults) | 19% | 22% |
| Long-term sick or disabled (of adults) | under 1% | 4% |
| Work mainly from home (of those in work) | 73% | 32% |
| Travel to work by car or van | 7% | 48% |
| By train, Underground, metro or tram | 5% | 4% |
| By any public transport, including bus | 13% | 8% |
| On foot or by bicycle | 4% | 10% |
| Work within 10 km of home (of those who travel to work) | 90% | 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) | 65% | 34% |
| No qualifications | 5% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship as highest qualification | 3% | 5% |
| Main language English (aged 3 and over) | 85% | 91% |
| Cannot speak English well or at all | 2% | 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 Smith Street.