W8 5PN Kensington and Chelsea
Live postcode, introduced January 1980. Ward: Queen's Gate. Region: London.
Streets
- St Alban's Grove, Kensington: 21 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 H (58% of about 780 homes).
Planning and heritage
- Conservation area: yes, De Vere (council page). Extensions, demolition, some windows and doors, and work on trees need consent.
- Listed buildings within 100 m of this postcode: none.
- Article 4 direction (removing permitted development rights): Article 4 - No 100.
- Tree preservation orders: in a protected area: 11.
- Green belt: no.
Brownfield land registered for housing within 1 km (0.6 miles)
- 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)
- 6 Hyde Park Gate SW7 5EW: up to 6 homes, permissioned (470 m (0.3 miles))
- Lancer Square - Kensington Church Street: up to 48 homes, permissioned (520 m (0.3 miles))
- Holiday Inn, 97 Cromwell Road: up to 100 homes, not permissioned (570 m (0.4 miles))
- 201 To 207 Kensington High Street, London W8 6BA: up to 19 homes, permissioned (630 m (0.4 miles))
- 257-265 (Odeon Cinema) Kensington High Street: up to 62 homes, permissioned (820 m (0.5 miles))
- 257-265 (Odeon Cinema) Kensington High Street, London, W8 6NA: up to 106 homes, permissioned (820 m (0.5 miles))
Flood risk
Rivers, the sea or surface water: in this postcode, 1 address is in areas at high risk, 0 at medium risk and 3 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 9 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 | 1.5 km (0.9 miles) |
| Kensington Olympia 2.8 million journeys in 2024–25 | 1.6 km (1 mile) | |
| London Paddington 70 million journeys in 2024–25 | 2 km (1.3 miles) | |
| Underground, metro or tram | High Street Kensington Underground Station | 430 m (0.3 miles) |
| Gloucester Road Underground Station | 630 m (0.4 miles) | |
| Earl's Court Underground Station | 890 m (0.6 miles) | |
| Bus stops | 9 stops within 400 m (0.2 miles), 49 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Queens Gate Terrace South Kensington | 270 m |
| Bus or coach station | Victoria Station | 2.9 km (1.8 miles) |
| Ferry terminal | Cadogan Pier Chelsea | 2.3 km (1.4 miles) |
| Car parks | 7 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest National Car Parks | 370 m |
| EV charging points | 71 within 1.6 km (1 mile); nearest ubitricity | 190 m |
| Airport with scheduled flights | London City Airport LCY | 16.9 km (10 miles) |
| Nearest large airport | London Heathrow Airport LHR | 19.2 km (12 miles) |
Local services
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| GP surgeries | 14 practices within 1.6 km (1 mile); nearest The Surgery | 260 m |
| Pharmacies | 16 pharmacies within 1.6 km (1 mile); nearest Boots | 420 m (0.3 miles) |
| NHS dentists | 16 practices within 1.6 km (1 mile); nearest 80 Kensington Dental Clinic | 440 m (0.3 miles) |
| Hospital | Cromwell Hospital | 530 m (0.3 miles) |
| Police station | Kensington Police Station | 740 m (0.5 miles) |
| Cash machines | 5 machines within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest M&S ATM | 420 m (0.3 miles) |
Parks and green space
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| Park or garden | 12 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Unnamed 3,520 m² | 230 m |
| Largest park within 800 m (0.5 miles) | Kensington Gardens 108 ha | 360 m |
| Play area | Unnamed 270 m² | 910 m (0.6 miles) |
| Playing field | Unnamed 2.6 ha | 1.1 km (0.7 miles) |
| Allotments | Unnamed 1,320 m² | 2.6 km (1.6 miles) |
Within 800 m (0.5 miles): 12 parks and gardens, 132 hectares in all.
Landmarks
The nearest historic landmark is 10, Palace Gate Sw7, a listed building (Grade II*), 280 m east. 325 listed buildings are within 1 km (0.6 miles), 6 of them Grade I and 35 of them Grade II*.
| Name | What it is | From the postcode's centre |
|---|---|---|
| 10, Palace Gate Sw7 | Listed building, Grade II* | 280 m east |
| 1-3, Kensington Gate W8 | Listed building, Grade II* | 280 m east |
| 28 and 29, Kensington Gate W8 | Listed building, Grade II* | 290 m east |
| Number 1A Including Area Railings | Listed building, Grade II* | 320 m north-east |
| The Roof Garden, 99 High St, Kensington | Registered park or garden, Grade II | 370 m north-west |
| Kensington Palace | Scheduled monument | 670 m (0.4 miles) north |
| Edwardes Square | Registered park or garden, Grade II* | 950 m (0.6 miles) west |
| Palace of Westminster, Westminster Abbey and St. Margaret's Church | World Heritage Site | 4.2 km (2.6 miles) east |
| Name | What it is | From the postcode's centre |
|---|---|---|
| Round Pond | Lake or reservoir | 800 m (0.5 miles) north |
| Holland Park | Wood | 1.3 km (0.8 miles) west |
| The Long Water | Lake or reservoir | 1.3 km (0.8 miles) north-east |
| The Serpentine | Lake or reservoir | 1.5 km (0.9 miles) north-east |
| Chelsea Reach | Tidal water | 2.6 km (1.6 miles) south-east |
| Barrow Hill | Hill | 4.6 km (2.9 miles) 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 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Under 55 | 19 | 21 | 21 |
2 of the postcode's 21 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 | 37 | 40 |
| Children under 15 | 25% | 17% |
| Aged 65 and over | 12% | 18% |
Homes
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Owned (outright or with a mortgage) | 62% | 61% |
| Owned outright | 42% | 33% |
| Shared ownership | 0% | 1% |
| Social rented | 1% | 17% |
| Private rented | 37% | 21% |
Work and commuting
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Adults (16 and over) in work | 56% | 57% |
| Unemployment (of those working or looking for work) | 3% | 6% |
| Retired (of adults) | 11% | 22% |
| Long-term sick or disabled (of adults) | under 1% | 4% |
| Work mainly from home (of those in work) | 65% | 32% |
| Travel to work by car or van | 11% | 48% |
| By train, Underground, metro or tram | 11% | 4% |
| By any public transport, including bus | 11% | 8% |
| On foot or by bicycle | 10% | 10% |
| Work within 10 km (6 miles) of home (of those who travel to work) | 89% | 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) | 73% | 34% |
| No qualifications | 5% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship as highest qualification | 1% | 5% |
| Main language English (aged 3 and over) | 72% | 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 St Alban's Grove.