SW7 4AN Kensington and Chelsea
Live postcode, introduced January 1980. Ward: Queen's Gate. Region: London.
Streets
- Cornwall Gardens, Kensington: 41 addresses
- Launceston Place, Kensington: 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 (39% of about 1,250 homes).
Planning and heritage
- Conservation area: yes, Cornwall (council page). Extensions, demolition, some windows and doors, and work on trees need consent.
- Listed buildings within 100 m of this postcode: 7.
- Article 4 direction (removing permitted development rights): Article 4 - No 100.
- Tree preservation orders: in a protected area: 12.
- Green belt: no.
Listed buildings
- 23-34, LAUNCESTON PLACE W8, grade II
- 5-22, LAUNCESTON PLACE W8, grade II
- 6-16, CORNWALL GARDENS SW7, grade II
- 83-93, CORNWALL GARDENS SW7, grade II
- EAST ENTRANCE ARCH FROM LAUNCESTON PLACE, grade II
- ENTRANCE ARCH FROM GLOUCESTER ROAD, grade II
- WEST ENTRANCE ARCH FROM LAUNCESTON PLACE, grade II
Brownfield land registered for housing within 1 km (0.6 miles)
- Holiday Inn, 97 Cromwell Road: up to 100 homes, not permissioned (340 m)
- Heythrop College, 23-24 Kensington Square, London, W8 5HH: up to 106 homes, permissioned (460 m (0.3 miles))
- Heythrop College, 23-24 Kensington Square, London, W8 5HH: up to 86 homes, permissioned (460 m (0.3 miles))
- 6 Hyde Park Gate SW7 5EW: up to 6 homes, permissioned (480 m (0.3 miles))
- Harrington Road: up to 50 homes, not permissioned (610 m (0.4 miles))
- Lancer Square - Kensington Church Street: up to 48 homes, permissioned (800 m (0.5 miles))
- 201 To 207 Kensington High Street, London W8 6BA: up to 19 homes, permissioned (850 m (0.5 miles))
- South Kensington Station: up to 20 homes, not permissioned (880 m (0.5 miles))
Flood risk
Rivers, the sea or surface water: in this postcode, 0 addresses are in areas at high risk, 1 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 addresses are about 8 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 | 1.4 km (0.8 miles) |
| Kensington Olympia 2.8 million journeys in 2024–25 | 1.8 km (1.1 miles) | |
| London Paddington 70 million journeys in 2024–25 | 2.2 km (1.3 miles) | |
| Underground, metro or tram | Gloucester Road Underground Station | 360 m |
| High Street Kensington Underground Station | 700 m (0.4 miles) | |
| South Kensington Underground Station | 810 m (0.5 miles) | |
| Bus stops | 12 stops within 400 m (0.2 miles), 60 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Queens Gate Terrace South Kensington | 100 m |
| Bus or coach station | Victoria Station | 2.7 km (1.7 miles) |
| Ferry terminal | Cadogan Pier Chelsea | 2 km (1.2 miles) |
| Car parks | 4 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest DoubleTree by Hilton London - Kensington Car Park | 160 m |
| EV charging points | 71 within 1.6 km (1 mile); nearest Shell Recharge | 160 m |
| Airport with scheduled flights | London City Airport LCY | 16.7 km (10 miles) |
| Nearest large airport | London Heathrow Airport LHR | 19.3 km (12 miles) |
Local services
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| GP surgeries | 13 practices within 1.6 km (1 mile); nearest The Surgery | 40 m |
| Pharmacies | 17 pharmacies within 1.6 km (1 mile); nearest Boots | 310 m |
| NHS dentists | 14 practices within 1.6 km (1 mile); nearest 80 Kensington Dental Clinic | 720 m (0.4 miles) |
| Hospital | Cromwell Hospital | 520 m (0.3 miles) |
| Police station | Kensington Police Station | 890 m (0.6 miles) |
| Cash machines | 4 machines within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest NatWest ATM | 430 m (0.3 miles) |
Parks and green space
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| Park or garden | 19 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Unnamed 6,750 m² | 30 m |
| Largest park within 800 m (0.5 miles) | Kensington Gardens 108 ha | 510 m (0.3 miles) |
| Play area | Unnamed 60 m² | 1 km (0.6 miles) |
| Playing field | St Luke's Gardens 5,940 m² | 1.3 km (0.8 miles) |
| Allotments | Unnamed 1,320 m² | 2.8 km (1.7 miles) |
Within 800 m (0.5 miles): 19 parks and gardens, 116 hectares in all.
Landmarks
The nearest historic landmark is Church of St Stephen, a listed building (Grade II*), 190 m south-east. 379 listed buildings are within 1 km (0.6 miles), 6 of them Grade I and 32 of them Grade II*.
| Name | What it is | From the postcode's centre |
|---|---|---|
| Church of St Stephen | Listed building, Grade II* | 190 m south-east |
| 1-3, Kensington Gate W8 | Listed building, Grade II* | 250 m north |
| 4-13, Kensington Gate W8 | Listed building, Grade II* | 270 m north-east |
| 28 and 29, Kensington Gate W8 | Listed building, Grade II* | 290 m north |
| The Roof Garden, 99 High St, Kensington | Registered park or garden, Grade II | 650 m (0.4 miles) north-west |
| The Boltons | Registered park or garden, Grade II | 910 m (0.6 miles) south |
| Kensington Palace | Scheduled monument | 910 m (0.6 miles) north |
| Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey and St. Margaret's Church | World Heritage Site | 4.1 km (2.5 miles) east |
| Name | What it is | From the postcode's centre |
|---|---|---|
| Round Pond | Lake or reservoir | 1 km (0.6 miles) north |
| The Long Water | Lake or reservoir | 1.4 km (0.8 miles) north-east |
| The Serpentine | Lake or reservoir | 1.5 km (0.9 miles) north-east |
| Holland Park | Wood | 1.5 km (0.9 miles) north-west |
| Chelsea Reach | Tidal water | 2.3 km (1.4 miles) south-east |
| Barrow Hill | Hill | 4.8 km (3 miles) north |
Air quality
| Pollutant | Here | UK limit | WHO guideline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) | 25.2 | 40 | 10 |
| Fine particles (PM2.5) | 9.4 | 20 | 5 |
| Particles (PM10) | 15.6 | 40 | 15 |
All three are within the UK legal limits; all three are above the WHO guideline, as in most towns and cities.
Road, rail and aircraft noise
| Level | Road traffic | Railways | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|
| 60 to 64 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| 55 to 59 | 21 | 0 | 0 |
| Under 55 | 20 | 42 | 42 |
22 of the postcode's 42 addresses are modelled at 55 dB or more from road traffic, above the WHO guidelines.
Climate, daylight and earthquakes
Monthly temperatures and rainfall, sunrise and sunset through the year, and earthquakes recorded nearby since 1970 are much the same across the area, so they are worked out once for Kensington and Chelsea: see them on the Kensington and Chelsea page.
People and work
Who lives here
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Median age | 39 | 40 |
| Children under 15 | 13% | 17% |
| Aged 65 and over | 10% | 18% |
Homes
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Owned (outright or with a mortgage) | 44% | 61% |
| Owned outright | 26% | 33% |
| Shared ownership | 0% | 1% |
| Social rented | 3% | 17% |
| Private rented | 53% | 21% |
Work and commuting
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Adults (16 and over) in work | 68% | 57% |
| Unemployment (of those working or looking for work) | 4% | 6% |
| Retired (of adults) | 10% | 22% |
| Long-term sick or disabled (of adults) | 1% | 4% |
| Work mainly from home (of those in work) | 72% | 32% |
| Travel to work by car or van | 4% | 48% |
| By train, Underground, metro or tram | 9% | 4% |
| By any public transport, including bus | 9% | 8% |
| On foot or by bicycle | 12% | 10% |
| Work within 10 km (6 miles) of home (of those who travel to work) | 96% | 65% |
| Work 30 km (19 miles) or more away | 4% | 8% |
Education and languages
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Degree or other higher qualification, Level 4+ (of adults) | 75% | 34% |
| No qualifications | 5% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship as highest qualification | 1% | 5% |
| Main language English (aged 3 and over) | 64% | 91% |
| Cannot speak English well or at all | 1% | 2% |
Deprivation
The neighbourhood around this postcode is in decile 9 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 Cornwall Gardens.