W8 5DR Kensington and Chelsea
Live postcode, introduced January 1980. Ward: Queen's Gate. Region: London.
Streets
- Kensington Court Mews, Kensington: 23 addresses
- Kensington Court Place, Kensington: 2 addresses
- Kensington High Street, 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 H (39% of about 950 homes).
Planning and heritage
- Conservation area: yes, Kensington Court (council page). Extensions, demolition, some windows and doors, and work on trees need consent.
- Listed buildings within 100 m of this postcode: 5.
- Article 4 direction (removing permitted development rights): Article 4 - No 100.
- Tree preservation orders: in a protected area: 10.
- Green belt: no.
Listed buildings
- 11 AND 12, KENSINGTON SQUARE W8, grade II
- 16-21, KENSINGTON COURT W8, grade II
- 22-25, KENSINGTON COURT W8, grade II
- 3-15, KENSINGTON COURT W8, grade II
- 8, 9 and 10 Kensington Square, Abbot’s Court and 18, 20, 22, 24 and 26 Thackeray Street, grade II
Brownfield land registered for housing within 1.0 km
- Heythrop College, 23-24 Kensington Square, London, W8 5HH: up to 106 homes, permissioned (210 m)
- Heythrop College, 23-24 Kensington Square, London, W8 5HH: up to 86 homes, permissioned (210 m)
- Lancer Square - Kensington Church Street: up to 48 homes, permissioned (400 m)
- 6 Hyde Park Gate SW7 5EW: up to 6 homes, permissioned (460 m)
- 201 To 207 Kensington High Street, London W8 6BA: up to 19 homes, permissioned (600 m)
- Holiday Inn, 97 Cromwell Road: up to 100 homes, not permissioned (700 m)
- 257-265 (Odeon Cinema) Kensington High Street: up to 62 homes, permissioned (820 m)
- 257-265 (Odeon Cinema) Kensington High Street, London, W8 6NA: up to 106 homes, permissioned (820 m)
Flood risk
Rivers, the sea or surface water: in this postcode, 0 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 10 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 | 1.6 km |
| Kensington Olympia 2.8 million journeys in 2024–25 | 1.6 km | |
| London Paddington 70 million journeys in 2024–25 | 1.9 km | |
| Underground, metro or tram | High Street Kensington Underground Station | 360 m |
| Gloucester Road Underground Station | 750 m | |
| Earl's Court Underground Station | 1.0 km | |
| Bus stops | 11 stops within 400 m, 48 within 800 m; nearest Kensington Palace | 220 m |
| Bus or coach station | Victoria Station | 2.9 km |
| Ferry terminal | Little Venice Waterbus Stop | 2.3 km |
| Car parks | 7 within 800 m; nearest National Car Parks | 250 m |
| EV charging points | 72 within 1.6 km; nearest ubitricity | 210 m |
| Airport with scheduled flights | London City Airport LCY | 16.9 km |
| Nearest large airport | London Heathrow Airport LHR | 19.2 km |
Local services
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| GP surgeries | 15 practices within 1.6 km; nearest Scarsdale Medical Centre | 300 m |
| Pharmacies | 17 pharmacies within 1.6 km; nearest Boots | 360 m |
| NHS dentists | 18 practices within 1.6 km; nearest 80 Kensington Dental Clinic | 350 m |
| Hospital | Cromwell Hospital | 630 m |
| Police station | Kensington Police Station | 770 m |
| Cash machines | 5 machines within 800 m; nearest M&S ATM | 340 m |
Parks and green space
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| Park or garden | 9 within 800 m; nearest Unnamed 3,520 m² | 140 m |
| Largest park within 800 m | Kensington Gardens 108 ha | 240 m |
| Play area | Unnamed 270 m² | 810 m |
| Playing field | Unnamed 2.6 ha | 1.0 km |
| Allotments | Unnamed 1,320 m² | 2.4 km |
Within 800 m: 9 parks and gardens, 131 hectares in all.
Landmarks
The nearest historic landmark is Number 1A Including Area Railings, a listed building (Grade II*), 260 m north-east. 322 listed buildings are within 1.0 km, 6 of them Grade I and 33 of them Grade II*.
| Name | What it is | From the postcode's centre |
|---|---|---|
| Number 1A Including Area Railings | Listed building, Grade II* | 260 m north-east |
| Marks and Spencers, British Home Stores and the Roof Garden | Listed building, Grade II* | 270 m west |
| 10, Palace Gate Sw7 | Listed building, Grade II* | 290 m east |
| The Roof Garden, 99 High St, Kensington | Registered park or garden, Grade II | 300 m west |
| 1, Palace Green W8 | Listed building, Grade II* | 310 m north-west |
| Kensington Palace | Scheduled monument | 540 m north |
| Kensington Gardens | Registered park or garden, Grade I | 870 m north-east |
| Pottery kiln in Walmer Road | Scheduled monument | 2.0 km north-west |
| Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey and St. Margaret's Church | World Heritage Site | 4.3 km east |
| Name | What it is | From the postcode's centre |
|---|---|---|
| Round Pond | Lake or reservoir | 690 m north-east |
| Holland Park | Wood | 1.2 km west |
| The Long Water | Lake or reservoir | 1.2 km north-east |
| The Fountains | Lake or reservoir | 1.4 km north-east |
| Chelsea Reach | Tidal water | 2.7 km south-east |
| Barrow Hill | Hill | 4.5 km north |
Air quality
| Pollutant | Here | UK limit | WHO guideline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) | 24.0 | 40 | 10 |
| Fine particles (PM2.5) | 9.5 | 20 | 5 |
| Particles (PM10) | 15.8 | 40 | 15 |
All three are within the UK legal limits; all three are above the WHO guideline, as in most towns and cities.
Road, rail and aircraft noise
| Level | Road traffic | Railways | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|
| 55 to 59 | 9 | 0 | 0 |
| Under 55 | 17 | 26 | 26 |
9 of the postcode's 26 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 | 18% | 17% |
| Aged 65 and over | 15% | 18% |
Homes
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Owned (outright or with a mortgage) | 47% | 61% |
| Owned outright | 32% | 33% |
| Shared ownership | 0% | 1% |
| Social rented | 7% | 17% |
| Private rented | 47% | 21% |
Work and commuting
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Adults (16 and over) in work | 66% | 57% |
| Unemployment (of those working or looking for work) | 4% | 6% |
| Retired (of adults) | 13% | 22% |
| Long-term sick or disabled (of adults) | 0% | 4% |
| Work mainly from home (of those in work) | 73% | 32% |
| Travel to work by car or van | 2% | 48% |
| By train, Underground, metro or tram | 14% | 4% |
| By any public transport, including bus | 16% | 8% |
| On foot or by bicycle | 6% | 10% |
| Work within 10 km of home (of those who travel to work) | 88% | 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) | 72% | 34% |
| No qualifications | 9% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship as highest qualification | 0% | 5% |
| Main language English (aged 3 and over) | 76% | 91% |
| Cannot speak English well or at all | under 1% | 2% |
Deprivation
The neighbourhood around this postcode is in decile 8 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 Court Mews.