W2 1RU Westminster
Live postcode, introduced January 1980. Ward: Hyde Park. Region: London.
Streets
- Norfolk Square, Paddington: 48 addresses
- Norfolk Square Mews, Paddington: 1 address
Council tax
What each band costs in Westminster in 2026-27: Band D £1,050 a year on average, including the police, fire and any county and parish charges.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £700 | £816 | £933 | £1,050 | £1,283 | £1,516 | £1,749 | £2,099 |
Homes by band in the neighbourhood around this postcode: most are in band E (23% of about 1,080 homes).
Planning and heritage
- Conservation area: yes, Bayswater (council page). Extensions, demolition, some windows and doors, and work on trees need consent.
- Listed buildings within 100 m of this postcode: 9.
- Article 4 direction (removing permitted development rights): Article 4 Basement Development Permitted Rights Removed.
- Tree preservation orders: 8 protected trees within 100 m of this postcode.
- Green belt: no.
Listed buildings
- 1-13, TALBOT SQUARE W2, grade II
- 1-21, NORFOLK SQUARE W2, grade II
- 1-5, SUSSEX PLACE W2, grade II
- 108-142, SUSSEX GARDENS W2 (See details for further address information), grade II
- 168-174, SUSSEX GARDENS W2, grade II
- 2-18, TALBOT SQUARE W2, grade II
- 2-22, NORFOLK SQUARE W2, grade II
- 23-53, NORFOLK SQUARE W2 (See details for further address information), grade II
- 24-42, NORFOLK SQUARE W2, grade II
Brownfield land registered for housing within 1.0 km
- 6 London Street London W2 1HL, permissioned (80 m)
- 6 London Street London W2 1HL, permissioned (80 m)
- 6 London Street London W2 1HL, permissioned (80 m)
- Paddington Sorting and Delivery Office, 31 London Street, W2 1AA, permissioned (170 m)
- Paddington Sorting and Delivery Office, 31 London Street, W2 1AA, permissioned (170 m)
- St Mary's Hospital, Praed Street, W2, not permissioned (200 m)
- St Mary's Hospital, Praed Street, W2, not permissioned (200 m)
- St Mary's Hospital, Praed Street, W2, not permissioned (200 m)
Flood risk
Rivers, the sea or surface water: in this postcode, 3 addresses are in areas at high risk, 1 at medium risk and 0 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 27 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 | London Paddington 70 million journeys in 2024–25 | 180 m |
| London Marylebone 12 million journeys in 2024–25 | 1.1 km | |
| Bond Street 43 million journeys in 2024–25 | 1.8 km | |
| Underground, metro or tram | Paddington Underground Station | 190 m |
| Lancaster Gate Underground Station | 430 m | |
| Paddington (H&C Line)-Underground | 440 m | |
| Bus stops | 13 stops within 400 m, 53 within 800 m; nearest Paddington Station | 60 m |
| Bus or coach station | Victoria Station | 2.9 km |
| Ferry terminal | Little Venice Waterbus Stop | 940 m |
| Car parks | 5 within 800 m; nearest Elms Mews Car Park | 440 m |
| EV charging points | 52 within 1.6 km; nearest Shell Recharge | 190 m |
| Airport with scheduled flights | London City Airport LCY | 15.9 km |
| Nearest large airport | London Heathrow Airport LHR | 20.5 km |
Local services
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| GP surgeries | 11 practices within 1.6 km; nearest Paddington Green Health Centre | 620 m |
| Pharmacies | 31 pharmacies within 1.6 km; nearest Boots | 190 m |
| NHS dentists | 32 practices within 1.6 km; nearest Paddington Dental Practice | 210 m |
| Hospital | St Mary's Hospital | 180 m |
| Police station | London Police Department | 460 m |
| Cash machines | 5 machines within 800 m; nearest NatWest Paddington | 160 m |
Parks and green space
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| Park or garden | 16 within 800 m; nearest Unnamed 2,570 m² | 30 m |
| Largest park within 800 m | Hyde Park 130 ha | 410 m |
| Play area | 5 within 800 m; nearest Unnamed 1,030 m² | 500 m |
| Playing field | Paddington Recreation Ground 11 ha | 1.9 km |
| Allotments | Unnamed 1,320 m² | 1.4 km |
Within 800 m: 16 parks and gardens, 244 hectares in all.
Landmarks
The nearest historic landmark is Paddington Station Including the Lawn, Gwr Office Block on London Street and Offices Along Eastbourne Terrace, a listed building (Grade I), 320 m north-west. 380 listed buildings are within 1.0 km, 3 of them Grade I and 12 of them Grade II*.
| Name | What it is | From the postcode's centre |
|---|---|---|
| Paddington Station Including the Lawn, Gwr Office Block on London Street and Offices Along Eastbourne Terrace | Listed building, Grade I | 320 m north-west |
| Church of St James | Listed building, Grade II* | 330 m south-west |
| Shelter Alcove (Opposite the North End of the Serpentine) | Listed building, Grade II* | 460 m south |
| The Water Gardens Designed Landscape | Registered park or garden, Grade II | 490 m north-east |
| Church of St Mary | Listed building, Grade II* | 570 m north |
| Kensington Gardens | Registered park or garden, Grade I | 1.1 km south-west |
| Kensington Palace | Scheduled monument | 1.5 km south-west |
| Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey and St. Margaret's Church | World Heritage Site | 3.7 km south-east |
| Name | What it is | From the postcode's centre |
|---|---|---|
| The Fountains | Lake or reservoir | 560 m south |
| Paddington Green | Wood | 580 m north |
| The Long Water | Lake or reservoir | 880 m south |
| The Serpentine | Lake or reservoir | 1.2 km south |
| Barrow Hill | Hill | 2.6 km north |
| Duck Island | Island | 3.3 km south-east |
Air quality
| Pollutant | Here | UK limit | WHO guideline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) | 26.1 | 40 | 10 |
| Fine particles (PM2.5) | 9.8 | 20 | 5 |
| Particles (PM10) | 16.8 | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 65 to 69 | 15 | 0 |
| 60 to 64 | 11 | 0 |
| 55 to 59 | 12 | 0 |
| Under 55 | 11 | 49 |
38 of the postcode's 49 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 | 25 | 40 |
| Children under 15 | 2% | 17% |
| Aged 65 and over | 19% | 18% |
Homes
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Owned (outright or with a mortgage) | 6% | 61% |
| Owned outright | 4% | 33% |
| Shared ownership | 0% | 1% |
| Social rented | 65% | 17% |
| Private rented | 27% | 21% |
Work and commuting
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Adults (16 and over) in work | 20% | 57% |
| Unemployment (of those working or looking for work) | 3% | 6% |
| Retired (of adults) | 16% | 22% |
| Long-term sick or disabled (of adults) | 1% | 4% |
| Work mainly from home (of those in work) | 31% | 32% |
| Travel to work by car or van | 7% | 48% |
| By train, Underground, metro or tram | 26% | 4% |
| By any public transport, including bus | 44% | 8% |
| On foot or by bicycle | 18% | 10% |
| Work within 10 km of home (of those who travel to work) | 86% | 65% |
| Work 30 km or more away | 3% | 8% |
Education and languages
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Degree or other higher qualification, Level 4+ (of adults) | 59% | 34% |
| No qualifications | 10% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship as highest qualification | 2% | 5% |
| Main language English (aged 3 and over) | 32% | 91% |
| Cannot speak English well or at all | 4% | 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.
The full dossier for this postcode's main street is on Norfolk Square.