SW3 5DB Kensington and Chelsea
Live postcode, introduced January 1980. Ward: Chelsea Riverside. Region: London.
Streets
- Old Church Street, Chelsea: 5 addresses
- King's Road, Chelsea: 3 addresses
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 (36% of about 910 homes).
Planning and heritage
- Conservation area: yes, Cheyne (council page). Extensions, demolition, some windows and doors, and work on trees need consent.
- Listed buildings within 100 m of this postcode: 6.
- Article 4 direction (removing permitted development rights): Article 4 - No 100.
- Tree preservation orders: in a protected area: 28.
- Green belt: no.
Listed buildings
- 34-56, PAULTONS SQUARE SW3, grade II
- 40,41 AND 42, CARLYLE SQUARE SW3, grade II
- 53, OLD CHURCH STREET SW3, grade II
- 56, OLD CHURCH STREET SW3, grade II
- 6 and 8, Mallord Street, grade II
- MALLORD HOUSE, grade II
Brownfield land registered for housing within 1.0 km
- Emmanuel Kaye, King's Road: up to 10 homes, not permissioned (220 m)
- 2 Dovehouse Street (Thamesbrook): up to 55 homes, pending decision (330 m)
- Chelsea Farmers' Market - Sydney Street: up to 59 homes, not permissioned (350 m)
- Chelsea Farmers' Market - Sydney Street: up to 59 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)
- 196 to 222 King's Road: up to 39 homes, permissioned (480 m)
- 196 to 222 King's Road: up to 20 homes, permissioned (480 m)
- 1-4 Munro Terrace and 111-112 Cheyne Walk SW10 0DL: up to 9 homes, permissioned (490 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 7 m above sea level.
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 | Imperial Wharf 2.9 million journeys in 2024–25 | 1.4 km |
| West Brompton 4.5 million journeys in 2024–25 | 1.6 km | |
| Battersea Park 2.2 million journeys in 2024–25 | 2.0 km | |
| Underground, metro or tram | South Kensington Underground Station | 1.0 km |
| Gloucester Road Underground Station | 1.2 km | |
| Sloane Square Underground Station | 1.4 km | |
| Bus stops | 15 stops within 400 m, 45 within 800 m; nearest Old Church Street Chelsea | 90 m |
| Bus or coach station | Victoria Station | 2.2 km |
| Ferry terminal | Cadogan Pier Chelsea | 480 m |
| Car parks | 4 within 800 m; nearest National Car Parks | 480 m |
| EV charging points | 63 within 1.6 km; nearest ubitricity | 50 m |
| Airport with scheduled flights | London City Airport LCY | 16.0 km |
| Nearest large airport | London Heathrow Airport LHR | 20.0 km |
Local services
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| GP surgeries | 16 practices within 1.6 km; nearest Health Partners At Violet Melchett | 410 m |
| Pharmacies | 20 pharmacies within 1.6 km; nearest I.t. Lloyd | 80 m |
| NHS dentists | 20 practices within 1.6 km; nearest Chelsea Dental Studio | 200 m |
| Hospital | Royal Brompton Hospital | 500 m |
| Police station | Metropolitan Police Service London | 690 m |
| Cash machines | 1 machines within 800 m; nearest M&S ATM | 660 m |
Parks and green space
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| Park or garden | 16 within 800 m; nearest Unnamed 4,270 m² | 140 m |
| Largest park within 800 m | Battersea Park 80 ha | 660 m |
| Play area | 4 within 800 m; nearest Unnamed 210 m² | 440 m |
| Playing field | 1 within 800 m; nearest St Luke's Gardens 5,940 m² | 500 m |
| Allotments | Unnamed 760 m² | 2.3 km |
Within 800 m: 16 parks and gardens, 87 hectares in all.
Landmarks
The nearest historic landmark is West House, a listed building (Grade II*), 110 m east. 342 listed buildings are within 1.0 km, 3 of them Grade I and 35 of them Grade II*.
| Name | What it is | From the postcode's centre |
|---|---|---|
| West House | Listed building, Grade II* | 110 m east |
| 217, King's Road | Listed building, Grade II* | 190 m north-east |
| Chelsea Public Library Now Part of Chelsea College | Listed building, Grade II* | 190 m north |
| 213 and 215, Kings Road Sw3 | Listed building, Grade II* | 200 m north-east |
| Roper's Garden | Registered park or garden, Grade II | 300 m south |
| 100, CHEYNE WALK (part of Lindsey House) | Registered park or garden, Grade II | 380 m south |
| Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey and St. Margaret's Church | World Heritage Site | 3.5 km north-east |
| Name | What it is | From the postcode's centre |
|---|---|---|
| Ransome's Dock | Lake or reservoir | 660 m south-east |
| Chelsea Reach | Tidal water | 850 m east |
| Fountain Lake | Lake or reservoir | 1.1 km south-east |
| Battersea Reach | Tidal water | 1.2 km south |
| Ladies Pond | Lake or reservoir | 1.4 km south-east |
| Holland Park | Wood | 3.0 km north-west |
Air quality
| Pollutant | Here | UK limit | WHO guideline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) | 23.8 | 40 | 10 |
| Fine particles (PM2.5) | 9.4 | 20 | 5 |
| Particles (PM10) | 16.2 | 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 | 45 | 40 |
| Children under 15 | 8% | 17% |
| Aged 65 and over | 26% | 18% |
Homes
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Owned (outright or with a mortgage) | 42% | 61% |
| Owned outright | 31% | 33% |
| Shared ownership | 2% | 1% |
| Social rented | 17% | 17% |
| Private rented | 39% | 21% |
Work and commuting
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Adults (16 and over) in work | 50% | 57% |
| Unemployment (of those working or looking for work) | 0% | 6% |
| Retired (of adults) | 25% | 22% |
| Long-term sick or disabled (of adults) | 3% | 4% |
| Work mainly from home (of those in work) | 59% | 32% |
| Travel to work by car or van | 8% | 48% |
| By train, Underground, metro or tram | 12% | 4% |
| By any public transport, including bus | 16% | 8% |
| On foot or by bicycle | 12% | 10% |
| Work within 10 km of home (of those who travel to work) | 80% | 65% |
| Work 30 km or more away | 12% | 8% |
Education and languages
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Degree or other higher qualification, Level 4+ (of adults) | 65% | 34% |
| No qualifications | 7% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship as highest qualification | under 1% | 5% |
| Main language English (aged 3 and over) | 86% | 91% |
| Cannot speak English well or at all | 0% | 2% |
Deprivation
The neighbourhood around this postcode is in decile 6 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 Old Church Street.