W8 4BU Kensington and Chelsea
Live postcode, introduced January 1980. Ward: Campden. Region: London.
Streets
- Kensington Church Street, Kensington: 53 addresses
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 F (28% of about 720 homes).
Planning and heritage
- Conservation area: yes, Kensington Palace (council page). Extensions, demolition, some windows and doors, and work on trees need consent.
- Listed buildings within 100 m of this postcode: 3.
- Article 4 direction (removing permitted development rights): Article 4 - No 100.
- Tree preservation orders: in a protected area: 7.
- Green belt: no.
Listed buildings
- 2 AND 4, BEDFORD GARDENS W8, grade II
- 3-9, BEDFORD GARDENS W8, grade II
- 99 AND 101, KENSINGTON CHURCH STREET W8, grade II
Brownfield land registered for housing within 1 km (0.6 miles)
- Newcombe House, Notting Hill Gate: up to 46 homes, not permissioned (280 m)
- 66-70 And 72-74 Notting Hill Gate, London, W11 3HT: up to 9 homes, permissioned (380 m)
- Lancer Square - Kensington Church Street: up to 48 homes, permissioned (390 m)
- 13 Palace Court W2 4LP, permissioned (510 m (0.3 miles))
- 154 Bayswater Road And 6 Palace Court London W2 4HP, permissioned (510 m (0.3 miles))
- Saxon Hall Palace Court London W2 4JA, permissioned (550 m (0.3 miles))
- Esca House 32 Palace Court London W2 4HZ, pending decision (640 m (0.4 miles))
- Esca House 32 Palace Court London W2 4HZ, pending decision (640 m (0.4 miles))
Flood risk
Rivers, the sea or surface water: in this postcode, 0 addresses are in areas at high risk, 0 at medium risk and 2 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 28 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 | Kensington Olympia 2.8 million journeys in 2024–25 | 1.5 km (0.9 miles) |
| Shepherd's Bush 6.9 million journeys in 2024–25 | 1.6 km (1 mile) | |
| London Paddington 70 million journeys in 2024–25 | 1.7 km (1 mile) | |
| Underground, metro or tram | Notting Hill Gate Underground Station | 360 m |
| High Street Kensington Underground Station | 570 m (0.4 miles) | |
| Queensway Underground Station | 670 m (0.4 miles) | |
| Bus stops | 10 stops within 400 m (0.2 miles), 36 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Sheffield Terrace Kensington | 20 m |
| Bus or coach station | Victoria Station | 3.5 km (2.2 miles) |
| Ferry terminal | Little Venice Waterbus Stop | 1.8 km (1.1 miles) |
| Car parks | 7 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Saba - High Street Kensington | 500 m (0.3 miles) |
| EV charging points | 83 within 1.6 km (1 mile); nearest Shell Recharge | 100 m |
| Airport with scheduled flights | London City Airport LCY | 17.3 km (11 miles) |
| Nearest large airport | London Heathrow Airport LHR | 18.9 km (12 miles) |
Local services
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| GP surgeries | 19 practices within 1.6 km (1 mile); nearest Holland Park Surgery | 530 m (0.3 miles) |
| Pharmacies | 18 pharmacies within 1.6 km (1 mile); nearest Calder Pharmacy Of Notting Hill | 340 m |
| NHS dentists | 27 practices within 1.6 km (1 mile); nearest Bahl Dental Practice | 400 m (0.2 miles) |
| Hospital | Cromwell Hospital | 1.2 km (0.8 miles) |
| Police station | Notting Hill Police Station | 700 m (0.4 miles) |
| Cash machines | 4 machines within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Cashpoint® 112-114 Kensington High Street Lloyds Bank | 550 m (0.3 miles) |
Parks and green space
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| Park or garden | 9 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Kensington Gardens 108 ha | 340 m |
| Play area | 2 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Unnamed 270 m² | 230 m |
| Playing field | Unnamed 2.6 ha | 820 m (0.5 miles) |
| Allotments | Unnamed 1,320 m² | 1.8 km (1.1 miles) |
Within 800 m (0.5 miles): 9 parks and gardens, 134 hectares in all.
Landmarks
The nearest historic landmark is 18 and 19, Kensington Palace Gardens W8, a listed building (Grade II*), 190 m north-east. 437 listed buildings are within 1 km (0.6 miles), 7 of them Grade I and 21 of them Grade II*.
| Name | What it is | From the postcode's centre |
|---|---|---|
| 18 and 19, Kensington Palace Gardens W8 | Listed building, Grade II* | 190 m north-east |
| 15, Kensington Palace Gardens W8 | Listed building, Grade II* | 280 m east |
| 12, Kensington Palace Gardens W8 | Listed building, Grade II* | 290 m north-east |
| 24, Kensington Palace W8 | Listed building, Grade II* | 320 m north |
| Kensington Palace | Scheduled monument | 450 m (0.3 miles) east |
| The Roof Garden, 99 High St, Kensington | Registered park or garden, Grade II | 600 m (0.4 miles) south |
| Holland Park | Registered park or garden, Grade II | 750 m (0.5 miles) south-west |
| Pottery kiln in Walmer Road | Scheduled monument | 1.3 km (0.8 miles) west |
| Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey and St. Margaret's Church | World Heritage Site | 4.8 km (3 miles) east |
| Name | What it is | From the postcode's centre |
|---|---|---|
| Round Pond | Lake or reservoir | 750 m (0.5 miles) east |
| Holland Park | Wood | 780 m (0.5 miles) south-west |
| The Fountains | Lake or reservoir | 1.4 km (0.9 miles) east |
| The Long Water | Lake or reservoir | 1.4 km (0.9 miles) east |
| Chelsea Reach | Tidal water | 3.5 km (2.1 miles) south-east |
| Barrow Hill | Hill | 4.2 km (2.6 miles) north-east |
Air quality
| Pollutant | Here | UK limit | WHO guideline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) | 23.0 | 40 | 10 |
| Fine particles (PM2.5) | 9.5 | 20 | 5 |
| Particles (PM10) | 16.1 | 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 70 to 74 | 15 | 0 | 0 |
| 65 to 69 | 27 | 0 | 0 |
| 60 to 64 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Under 55 | 7 | 53 | 53 |
46 of the postcode's 53 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 | 45 | 40 |
| Children under 15 | 15% | 17% |
| Aged 65 and over | 21% | 18% |
Homes
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Owned (outright or with a mortgage) | 54% | 61% |
| Owned outright | 36% | 33% |
| Shared ownership | 0% | 1% |
| Social rented | 5% | 17% |
| Private rented | 41% | 21% |
Work and commuting
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Adults (16 and over) in work | 67% | 57% |
| Unemployment (of those working or looking for work) | 2% | 6% |
| Retired (of adults) | 14% | 22% |
| Long-term sick or disabled (of adults) | 3% | 4% |
| Work mainly from home (of those in work) | 77% | 32% |
| Travel to work by car or van | 7% | 48% |
| By train, Underground, metro or tram | 8% | 4% |
| By any public transport, including bus | 13% | 8% |
| On foot or by bicycle | 3% | 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 | 10% | 8% |
Education and languages
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Degree or other higher qualification, Level 4+ (of adults) | 74% | 34% |
| No qualifications | 7% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship as highest qualification | under 1% | 5% |
| Main language English (aged 3 and over) | 79% | 91% |
| Cannot speak English well or at all | 3% | 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 Kensington Church Street.