SW5 9LY Kensington and Chelsea
Live postcode, introduced January 1980. Ward: Earl's Court. 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 D (43% of about 960 homes).
Planning and heritage
- Conservation area: yes, Nevern Square (council page). Extensions, demolition, some windows and doors, and work on trees need consent.
- Listed buildings within 100 m of this postcode: 1.
- Article 4 direction (removing permitted development rights): Article 4 - No 100.
- Tree preservation orders: in a protected area: 17.
- Green belt: no.
Listed buildings
- EARLS COURT STATION, grade II
Brownfield land registered for housing within 1.0 km
- Earls Court Exhibition Centre and Land Bounded by Warwick Road: up to 930 homes, permissioned (370 m)
- Earls Court Exhibition Centre and Land Bounded by Warwick Road: up to 1,100 homes, permissioned (370 m)
- Land to the rear of 1 Cluny Mews, and 51-63 Philbeach Gardens, London, SW5: up to 35 homes, permissioned (460 m)
- 344-350 Old Brompton Road, London, SW5 9JU: up to 45 homes, permissioned (480 m)
- 344-350 Old Brompton Road, London, SW5 9JU: up to 50 homes, not permissioned (480 m)
- 100 West Cromwell Road: up to 450 homes, permissioned (540 m)
- 100/100A West Cromwell Road: up to 462 homes, permissioned (540 m)
- Holiday Inn, 97 Cromwell Road: up to 100 homes, not permissioned (680 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 5 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 | West Brompton 4.5 million journeys in 2024–25 | 550 m |
| Kensington Olympia 2.8 million journeys in 2024–25 | 1.3 km | |
| Imperial Wharf 2.9 million journeys in 2024–25 | 2.1 km | |
| Underground, metro or tram | Earl's Court Underground Station | 60 m |
| West Brompton Underground Station | 530 m | |
| Gloucester Road Underground Station | 850 m | |
| Bus stops | 13 stops within 400 m, 39 within 800 m; nearest Earl's Court Station Earls Court | 140 m |
| Bus or coach station | Victoria Station | 3.4 km |
| Ferry terminal | Cadogan Pier Chelsea | 2.2 km |
| Car parks | 6 within 800 m; nearest Cromwell Road - Earl's Court Car Park | 300 m |
| EV charging points | 66 within 1.6 km; nearest ubitricity | 120 m |
| Airport with scheduled flights | London City Airport LCY | 17.4 km |
| Nearest large airport | London Heathrow Airport LHR | 18.6 km |
Local services
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| GP surgeries | 19 practices within 1.6 km; nearest Earls Court Medical Centre | 110 m |
| Pharmacies | 22 pharmacies within 1.6 km; nearest Earls Court Chemist | 50 m |
| NHS dentists | 25 practices within 1.6 km; nearest 2B Hogarth Road | 150 m |
| Hospital | Cromwell Hospital | 400 m |
| Police station | Kensington Police Station | 620 m |
| Cash machines | ATM | 880 m |
Parks and green space
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| Park or garden | 18 within 800 m; nearest Unnamed 4,640 m² | 160 m |
| Largest park within 800 m | Unnamed 1.3 ha | 690 m |
| Play area | 3 within 800 m; nearest Unnamed 130 m² | 580 m |
| Playing field | Unnamed 2.6 ha | 1.2 km |
| Allotments | Fulham Palace Meadows Allotments 5.8 ha | 2.6 km |
Within 800 m: 18 parks and gardens, 8.0 hectares in all.
Landmarks
The nearest historic landmark is 9-18,11A and 18A, Collingham Gardens Sw5, a listed building (Grade II*), 430 m east. 185 listed buildings are within 1.0 km, 1 of them Grade I and 23 of them Grade II*.
| Name | What it is | From the postcode's centre |
|---|---|---|
| 9-18,11A and 18A, Collingham Gardens Sw5 | Listed building, Grade II* | 430 m east |
| Church of St Cuthbert and St Matthias | Listed building, Grade I | 440 m west |
| Entrance Gates and Screen on Old Brompton Road | Listed building, Grade II* | 450 m south |
| 1-8, Collingham Gardens Sw5 | Listed building, Grade II* | 480 m east |
| Edwardes Square | Registered park or garden, Grade II* | 730 m north-west |
| The Boltons | Registered park or garden, Grade II | 770 m south-east |
| Kensington Palace | Scheduled monument | 1.5 km north |
| Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey and St. Margaret's Church | World Heritage Site | 4.8 km east |
| Name | What it is | From the postcode's centre |
|---|---|---|
| Holland Park | Wood | 1.4 km north-west |
| Round Pond | Lake or reservoir | 1.7 km north-east |
| Battersea Reach | Tidal water | 2.2 km south-east |
| The Long Water | Lake or reservoir | 2.2 km north-east |
| Ransome's Dock | Lake or reservoir | 2.2 km south-east |
| Small Profits | Wetland | 4.3 km south-west |
Air quality
| Pollutant | Here | UK limit | WHO guideline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) | 24.0 | 40 | 10 |
| Fine particles (PM2.5) | 9.6 | 20 | 5 |
| Particles (PM10) | 16.5 | 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 | 9 | 0 |
| Under 55 | 0 | 9 |
9 of the postcode's 9 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 | 5% | 17% |
| Aged 65 and over | 17% | 18% |
Homes
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Owned (outright or with a mortgage) | 17% | 61% |
| Owned outright | 9% | 33% |
| Shared ownership | 0% | 1% |
| Social rented | 50% | 17% |
| Private rented | 33% | 21% |
Work and commuting
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Adults (16 and over) in work | 59% | 57% |
| Unemployment (of those working or looking for work) | 6% | 6% |
| Retired (of adults) | 16% | 22% |
| Long-term sick or disabled (of adults) | 6% | 4% |
| Work mainly from home (of those in work) | 44% | 32% |
| Travel to work by car or van | 9% | 48% |
| By train, Underground, metro or tram | 24% | 4% |
| By any public transport, including bus | 31% | 8% |
| On foot or by bicycle | 13% | 10% |
| Work within 10 km of home (of those who travel to work) | 84% | 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) | 53% | 34% |
| No qualifications | 13% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship as highest qualification | 7% | 5% |
| Main language English (aged 3 and over) | 71% | 91% |
| Cannot speak English well or at all | 3% | 2% |
Deprivation
The neighbourhood around this postcode is in decile 2 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.