TQ3 3SP Torbay
Live postcode, introduced January 1980. Ward: King's Ash. Region: South West.
Streets
- Smallcombe Road, Paignton: 42 addresses
- Luscombe Road, Paignton: 1 address
Council tax
What each band costs in Torbay in 2026-27: Band D £2,470 a year on average, including the police, fire and any county and parish charges.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £1,647 | £1,921 | £2,196 | £2,470 | £3,019 | £3,568 | £4,117 | £4,941 |
Homes by band in the neighbourhood around this postcode: most are in band B (45% of about 710 homes).
Planning and heritage
- Conservation area: no postcode centre in this postcode is in one.
- Listed buildings within 100 m of this postcode: none.
- Article 4 direction (removing permitted development rights): none recorded, though not every council has published theirs.
- Tree preservation orders: 2 protected trees within 100 m of this postcode.
- Green belt: no.
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 43 addresses are between 78 m and 102 m above sea level (87 m on average).
Broadband
Superfast 100%, ultrafast 85%, gigabit 85% of premises; 0% cannot get 10 Mbit/s. Ofcom Connected Nations, data as at January 2026.
Getting around
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| Railway stations | Paignton 707,000 journeys in 2024–25 | 1.8 km (1.1 miles) |
| Torquay 508,000 journeys in 2024–25 | 3.7 km (2.3 miles) | |
| Torre 376,000 journeys in 2024–25 | 4.4 km (2.7 miles) | |
| Bus stops | 26 stops within 400 m (0.2 miles), 60 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Foxhole Clinic Paignton | 80 m |
| Bus or coach station | Bus Station Paignton | 1.7 km (1 mile) |
| Ferry terminal | Torquay - North Quay | 4.7 km (2.9 miles) |
| Car parks | National Car Parks | 1.6 km (1 mile) |
| EV charging points | Wenea | 1.9 km (1.2 miles) |
| Airport with scheduled flights | Exeter International Airport EXT | 34.6 km (22 miles) |
| Nearest large airport | Cardiff International Airport CWL | 107 km (67 miles) |
Local services
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| GP surgeries | 1 practices within 1.6 km (1 mile); nearest Old Farm Surgery | 490 m (0.3 miles) |
| Pharmacies | 2 pharmacies within 1.6 km (1 mile); nearest Day Lewis Pharmacy | 380 m |
| NHS dentists | 3 practices within 1.6 km (1 mile); nearest Marldon Road (Dental Surgery) | 350 m |
| Hospital | Paignton Hospital | 1.4 km (0.9 miles) |
| Police station | Devon & Cornwall Police | 4.5 km (2.8 miles) |
| Cash machines | 2 machines within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest The Cooperative Food Foxholes Cashzone | 230 m |
Parks and green space
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| Park or garden | 1 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Unnamed 740 m² | 370 m |
| Play area | 5 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Unnamed 860 m² | 180 m |
| Playing field | 1 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Unnamed 1.3 ha | 550 m (0.3 miles) |
| Allotments | 1 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Unnamed 9,720 m² | 580 m (0.4 miles) |
Within 800 m (0.5 miles): 1 park or garden, 0.1 hectares in all.
Landmarks
The nearest historic landmark is Oldway Mansion, a registered park or garden (Grade II), 1.4 km (0.9 miles) east. 4 listed buildings are within 1 km (0.6 miles).
| Name | What it is | From the postcode's centre |
|---|---|---|
| Oldway Mansion | Registered park or garden, Grade II | 1.4 km (0.9 miles) east |
| The Bishop's Palace, Tower Road | Scheduled monument | 1.4 km (0.9 miles) south-east |
| Two bowl barrows at Beacon Hill, 120m south of The Beacon | Scheduled monument | 1.7 km (1.1 miles) west |
| Name | What it is | From the postcode's centre |
|---|---|---|
| Windmill Hill | Hill | 810 m (0.5 miles) north |
| Rams Hill Copse | Wood | 1 km (0.6 miles) west |
| Shorton Woods | Wood | 1 km (0.6 miles) north-east |
| Paignton Sands | Beach | 2.1 km (1.3 miles) east |
| Aptor Pool | Lake or reservoir | 2.7 km (1.7 miles) north-west |
| Broken Cliff | Cliff or slope | 2.9 km (1.8 miles) east |
Air quality
| Pollutant | Here | UK limit | WHO guideline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) | 4.9 | 40 | 10 |
| Fine particles (PM2.5) | 5.5 | 20 | 5 |
| Particles (PM10) | 9.4 | 40 | 15 |
All three are within the UK legal limits; PM2.5 is above the WHO guideline, as in most towns and cities.
Road and rail noise
| Level | Road traffic | Railways |
|---|---|---|
| 70 to 74 | 1 | 0 |
| 65 to 69 | 1 | 0 |
| Under 55 | 41 | 43 |
2 of the postcode's 43 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 Torbay: see them on the Torbay page.
People and work
Who lives here
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Median age | 27 | 40 |
| Children under 15 | 32% | 17% |
| Aged 65 and over | 6% | 18% |
Homes
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Owned (outright or with a mortgage) | 31% | 61% |
| Owned outright | 13% | 33% |
| Shared ownership | 0% | 1% |
| Social rented | 62% | 17% |
| Private rented | 7% | 21% |
Work and commuting
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Adults (16 and over) in work | 44% | 57% |
| Unemployment (of those working or looking for work) | 10% | 6% |
| Retired (of adults) | 9% | 22% |
| Long-term sick or disabled (of adults) | 15% | 4% |
| Work mainly from home (of those in work) | 13% | 32% |
| Travel to work by car or van | 66% | 48% |
| By train, Underground, metro or tram | under 1% | 4% |
| By any public transport, including bus | 9% | 8% |
| On foot or by bicycle | 9% | 10% |
| Work within 10 km (6 miles) of home (of those who travel to work) | 81% | 65% |
| Work 30 km (19 miles) or more away | 5% | 8% |
Education and languages
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Degree or other higher qualification, Level 4+ (of adults) | 15% | 34% |
| No qualifications | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship as highest qualification | 7% | 5% |
| Main language English (aged 3 and over) | 99% | 91% |
| Cannot speak English well or at all | 0% | 2% |
Deprivation
The neighbourhood around this postcode is in decile 1 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 Smallcombe Road.