SW3 5SU Kensington and Chelsea
Live postcode, introduced January 1980. Ward: Royal Hospital. Region: London.
Streets
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 E (22% of about 920 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: 2.
- Article 4 direction (removing permitted development rights): Article 4 - No 100.
- Tree preservation orders: in a protected area: 29.
- Green belt: no.
Listed buildings
- 60-76, CHRISTCHURCH STREET SW3, grade II
- Violet Melchett Centre, grade II
Brownfield land registered for housing within 1.0 km
- 196 to 222 King's Road: up to 39 homes, permissioned (240 m)
- 196 to 222 King's Road: up to 20 homes, permissioned (240 m)
- Chelsea Delivery Office, 232 King's Road and 18-20 Chelsea Manor Street, London SW3 3UH: up to 23 homes, permissioned (270 m)
- Chelsea Farmers' Market - Sydney Street: up to 59 homes, not permissioned (330 m)
- Chelsea Farmers' Market - Sydney Street: up to 59 homes, permissioned (330 m)
- 2 Dovehouse Street (Thamesbrook): up to 55 homes, pending decision (370 m)
- Emmanuel Kaye, King's Road: up to 10 homes, not permissioned (370 m)
- 2 Lucan Place, London, SW3 3PB: up to 32 homes, permissioned (590 m)
Flood risk
Rivers, the sea or surface water: in this postcode, 0 addresses are in areas at high risk, 1 at medium risk and 3 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 addresses are about 6 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 | Battersea Park 2.2 million journeys in 2024–25 | 1.6 km |
| London Victoria 54 million journeys in 2024–25 | 1.7 km | |
| Imperial Wharf 2.9 million journeys in 2024–25 | 1.8 km | |
| Underground, metro or tram | Sloane Square Underground Station | 890 m |
| South Kensington Underground Station | 1.0 km | |
| Gloucester Road Underground Station | 1.5 km | |
| Bus stops | 12 stops within 400 m, 48 within 800 m; nearest Chelsea Old Town Hall | 200 m |
| Bus or coach station | Victoria Station | 1.7 km |
| Ferry terminal | Cadogan Pier Chelsea | 390 m |
| Car parks | 2 within 800 m; nearest National Car Parks | 470 m |
| EV charging points | 65 within 1.6 km; nearest Shell Recharge | 50 m |
| Airport with scheduled flights | London City Airport LCY | 15.5 km |
| Nearest large airport | London Heathrow Airport LHR | 20.5 km |
Local services
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| GP surgeries | 12 practices within 1.6 km; nearest Health Partners At Violet Melchett | 110 m |
| Pharmacies | 20 pharmacies within 1.6 km; nearest Boots | 270 m |
| NHS dentists | 21 practices within 1.6 km; nearest Violet Melchett Clinic | 110 m |
| Hospital | Royal Brompton Hospital | 510 m |
| Police station | Chelsea Police Station | 600 m |
| Cash machines | 2 machines within 800 m; nearest M&S ATM | 260 m |
Parks and green space
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| Park or garden | 12 within 800 m; nearest Unnamed 1,910 m² | 150 m |
| Largest park within 800 m | Battersea Park 80 ha | 620 m |
| Play area | 3 within 800 m; nearest Unnamed 210 m² | 70 m |
| Playing field | 2 within 800 m; nearest Unnamed 1.6 ha | 340 m |
| Allotments | Unnamed 760 m² | 2.0 km |
Within 800 m: 12 parks and gardens, 91 hectares in all.
Landmarks
The nearest historic landmark is Old Vestry Hall (Part of Chelsea Town Hall), a listed building (Grade II*), 200 m west. 372 listed buildings are within 1.0 km, 6 of them Grade I and 45 of them Grade II*.
| Name | What it is | From the postcode's centre |
|---|---|---|
| Old Vestry Hall (Part of Chelsea Town Hall) | Listed building, Grade II* | 200 m west |
| 6, Cheyne Walk Sw3 | Listed building, Grade II* | 270 m south |
| 5, Cheyne Walk Sw3 | Listed building, Grade II* | 270 m south |
| 4, Cheyne Walk Sw3 | Listed building, Grade II* | 270 m south |
| Chelsea Physic Garden | Registered park or garden, Grade I | 330 m south-east |
| St Luke's Garden | Registered park or garden, Grade II | 400 m north-west |
| Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey and St. Margaret's Church | World Heritage Site | 3.0 km north-east |
| Name | What it is | From the postcode's centre |
|---|---|---|
| Chelsea Reach | Tidal water | 510 m south-east |
| Ransome's Dock | Lake or reservoir | 740 m south |
| Fountain Lake | Lake or reservoir | 830 m south-east |
| 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 | 2 | 0 |
| Under 55 | 23 | 25 |
2 of the postcode's 25 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 | 41 | 40 |
| Children under 15 | 17% | 17% |
| Aged 65 and over | 17% | 18% |
Homes
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Owned (outright or with a mortgage) | 28% | 61% |
| Owned outright | 22% | 33% |
| Shared ownership | 0% | 1% |
| Social rented | 42% | 17% |
| Private rented | 30% | 21% |
Work and commuting
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Adults (16 and over) in work | 46% | 57% |
| Unemployment (of those working or looking for work) | 8% | 6% |
| Retired (of adults) | 16% | 22% |
| Long-term sick or disabled (of adults) | 8% | 4% |
| Work mainly from home (of those in work) | 60% | 32% |
| Travel to work by car or van | 10% | 48% |
| By train, Underground, metro or tram | 9% | 4% |
| By any public transport, including bus | 13% | 8% |
| On foot or by bicycle | 13% | 10% |
| Work within 10 km of home (of those who travel to work) | 89% | 65% |
| Work 30 km or more away | 4% | 8% |
Education and languages
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Degree or other higher qualification, Level 4+ (of adults) | 51% | 34% |
| No qualifications | 16% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship as highest qualification | 1% | 5% |
| Main language English (aged 3 and over) | 80% | 91% |
| Cannot speak English well or at all | 4% | 2% |
Deprivation
The neighbourhood around this postcode is in decile 3 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.