Birch Close Braintree
12 addresses across 1 postcode (CM7), about 20 m long. USRN 3900154.
- Sales: 17 recorded sales since 1995; in 2024 the median was £310,000 across 1 sale.
- Energy: 5 homes have an energy certificate (C: 1, D: 2, E: 2).
- Flood: No address on its postcodes is in an area at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers, the sea or surface water.
- Council tax: Most homes around it are in council tax band C; Band D in Braintree costs £2,280 a year in 2026-27.
- Broadband: Gigabit broadband is available to 100% of premises.
- Transport: The nearest railway station is Braintree, about 1.7 km (1.1 miles) away in a straight line.
- Green space: The nearest park or garden is about 230 m away.
- Air: Background air pollution in 2024 was 8.1 µg/m³ of nitrogen dioxide and 7.2 of PM2.5, within UK legal limits.
- Height: Its addresses are 53 to 56 m above sea level.
- Noise: 1 of its 12 addresses is modelled at 55 dB or more from road traffic.
- Doctors: The nearest GP surgery is Blandford Medical Centre, about 670 m (0.4 miles) away, with 2 practices within 1.6 km (1 mile).
- People: About 330 people lived in the census areas around it in 2021; 91% of households owned their home and 17% of adults held a degree or other higher qualification.
- Crime: 26 crimes were recorded within 250 m between September 2025 and August 2026, most often violence and sexual offences.
Sales on this street
| Year | Sales | Median price | Lowest | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2024 | 1 | £310,000 | £310,000 | £310,000 |
| 2022 | 1 | £305,000 | £305,000 | £305,000 |
| 2017 | 1 | £237,500 | £237,500 | £237,500 |
| 2013 | 1 | £200,000 | £200,000 | £200,000 |
| 2012 | 1 | £165,000 | £165,000 | £165,000 |
| 2007 | 1 | £180,000 | £180,000 | £180,000 |
| 2006 | 1 | £180,000 | £180,000 | £180,000 |
| 2005 | 1 | £174,000 | £174,000 | £174,000 |
| 2003 | 1 | £131,000 | £131,000 | £131,000 |
| 2001 | 1 | £94,000 | £94,000 | £94,000 |
| 1999 | 1 | £65,000 | £65,000 | £65,000 |
| 1998 | 3 | £50,000 | £48,500 | £64,500 |
| Date | Address | Type | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Jan 2024 | 4 CM7 2SA | Detached | £310,000 | |
| 30 Jun 2022 | 1 CM7 2SA | Detached | £305,000 | |
| 24 Nov 2017 | 4 CM7 2SA | Detached | £237,500 | |
| 18 Dec 2015 | 7 CM7 2SA | Detached | £186,000 | Not a standard sale (repossession, buy-to-let or transfer). |
| 13 Dec 2013 | 10 CM7 2SA | Detached | £200,000 | |
| 5 Jul 2012 | 8 CM7 2SA | Detached | £165,000 | |
| 7 Dec 2007 | 7 CM7 2SA | Terraced | £180,000 | |
| 4 Dec 2006 | 11 CM7 2SA | Terraced | £180,000 | |
| 22 Apr 2005 | 2 CM7 2SA | Semi-detached | £174,000 | |
| 7 May 2003 | 11 CM7 2SA | Terraced | £131,000 | |
| 6 Feb 2001 | 6 CM7 2SA | Terraced | £94,000 | |
| 15 Sep 1999 | 2 CM7 2SA | Semi-detached | £65,000 | |
| 25 Aug 1998 | 6 CM7 2SA | Terraced | £48,500 | |
| 25 Jun 1998 | 11 CM7 2SA | Terraced | £64,500 | |
| 30 Jan 1998 | 7 CM7 2SA | Terraced | £50,000 | |
| 12 Mar 1996 | 6 CM7 2SA | Terraced | £42,500 | |
| 20 Feb 1995 | 8 CM7 2SA | Terraced | £60,000 |
Energy performance certificates
5 homes with a current certificate; median floor area 98 m². Most common: House, detached (3); House, semi-detached (2). Built: 1967-1975 (4); 1976-1982 (1). Tenure at assessment: owner-occupied (5).
Council tax
What each band costs in Braintree in 2026-27: Band D £2,280 a year on average, including the police, fire and any county and parish charges.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £1,520 | £1,774 | £2,027 | £2,280 | £2,787 | £3,294 | £3,801 | £4,561 |
Homes by band in the neighbourhood around this street: most are in band C (53% of about 770 homes).
Planning and heritage
- Conservation area: no postcode centre in this street's postcodes is in one.
- Listed buildings on or by this street: none.
- Article 4 direction (removing permitted development rights): none recorded, though not every council has published theirs.
- Tree preservation orders: none recorded, though not every council has published theirs.
- Green belt: no.
Brownfield land registered for housing within 1 km (0.6 miles)
- 263 Rayne Road, Braintree: up to 12 homes, permissioned (410 m (0.3 miles))
Roadworks
Finished in the last three months
- 25 September 2026: BT, New service connection, some carriageway incursion, on the footway (minor works)
Flood risk
No address in this street's postcodes 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 street's 12 addresses are between 53 m and 56 m above sea level (54 m on average).
Broadband
| Postcode | Superfast (30 Mbit/s+) | Ultrafast (300 Mbit/s+) | Gigabit | Below 10 Mbit/s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CM7 2SA | 100% | 100% | 100% | 0% |
Getting around
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| Railway stations | Braintree 631,000 journeys in 2024–25 | 1.7 km (1.1 miles) |
| Braintree Freeport 142,000 journeys in 2024–25 | 2.7 km (1.6 miles) | |
| Cressing (Essex) 51,000 journeys in 2024–25 | 4.2 km (2.6 miles) | |
| Bus stops | 4 stops within 400 m (0.2 miles), 8 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Nayling Road Braintree | 90 m |
| Bus or coach station | Bus Interchange Braintree Town Centre | 1.6 km (1 mile) |
| Car parks | National Car Parks | 1.7 km (1 mile) |
| EV charging points | 1 within 1.6 km (1 mile); nearest bp pulse Charging Station | 1.3 km (0.8 miles) |
| Airport with scheduled flights | London Stansted Airport STN | 20.5 km (13 miles) |
Local services
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| GP surgeries | 2 practices within 1.6 km (1 mile); nearest Blandford Medical Centre | 670 m (0.4 miles) |
| Pharmacies | 5 pharmacies within 1.6 km (1 mile); nearest Christchurch Pharmacy | 670 m (0.4 miles) |
| NHS dentists | 6 practices within 1.6 km (1 mile); nearest St Michaels House | 1.3 km (0.8 miles) |
| Hospital | Braintree Community Hospital | 690 m (0.4 miles) |
| Police station | Essex Police - Braintree District | 1.5 km (0.9 miles) |
| Cash machines | 1 machines within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Applegreen - Rayne Rd Service Station Cashzone | 490 m (0.3 miles) |
Parks and green space
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| Park or garden | 2 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Unnamed 1.2 ha | 230 m |
| Largest park within 800 m (0.5 miles) | Unnamed 1.5 ha | 600 m (0.4 miles) |
| Play area | 6 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Clare Road Toddler Play Area 180 m² | 270 m |
| Playing field | 2 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Unnamed 7,950 m² | 230 m |
| Allotments | Bunyan Road Allotment Site 1,580 m² | 1.2 km (0.7 miles) |
Within 800 m (0.5 miles): 2 parks and gardens, 2.7 hectares in all.
Landmarks
5 listed buildings are within 1 km (0.6 miles).
| Name | What it is | From the middle of the street |
|---|---|---|
| Panfield Wood | Wood | 1.3 km (0.8 miles) north |
| White Court Woods | Wood | 1.8 km (1.1 miles) south |
| Cuckoo Wood | Wood | 1.9 km (1.2 miles) south-west |
| Darby's Hole | Lake or reservoir | 2.2 km (1.3 miles) north-east |
| Strait's Mill Gravel Pit | Lake or reservoir | 2.3 km (1.4 miles) north-east |
| Polly's Hill | Hill | 2.4 km (1.5 miles) north-east |
Air quality
| Pollutant | Here | UK limit | WHO guideline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) | 8.1 | 40 | 10 |
| Fine particles (PM2.5) | 7.2 | 20 | 5 |
| Particles (PM10) | 13.1 | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 55 to 59 | 1 | 0 |
| Under 55 | 11 | 12 |
1 of the street's 12 addresses is 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 Braintree: see them on the Braintree page.
Nearest schools
| School | Phase | Ages | Distance | Inspection |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Michael's Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School | Primary | 4–11 | 480 m (0.3 miles) | No overall grade (Apr 2025, graded inspection without an overall judgement): Quality of education: Good; Behaviour and attitudes: Good; Personal development: Good; Leadership and management: Requires improvement |
| Tabor Academy | Secondary | 11–18 | 1.1 km (0.7 miles) | Report card (Jun 2026): Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard; Achievement: Needs attention; Attendance and behaviour: Needs attention; Personal development and wellbeing: Expected standard; Inclusion: Expected standard; Leadership and governance: Needs attention; Post-16 provision: Expected standard; Safeguarding standards: Met |
| St Francis Catholic Primary School, Braintree | Primary | 4–11 | 1.3 km (0.8 miles) | Good (Jun 2024, overall grade under the previous framework) |
| Notley Green Primary School | Primary | 4–11 | 1.3 km (0.8 miles) | No published inspection |
| John Bunyan Primary School and Nursery | Primary | 3–11 | 1.3 km (0.8 miles) | No published inspection |
| Notley High School and Sixth Form | Secondary | 11–19 | 1.7 km (1.1 miles) | Report card (May 2026): Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard; Achievement: Expected standard; Attendance and behaviour: Expected standard; Personal development and wellbeing: Expected standard; Inclusion: Strong standard; Leadership and governance: Strong standard; Post-16 provision: Expected standard; Safeguarding standards: Met |
| John Ray Junior School | Primary | 7–11 | 1.8 km (1.1 miles) | Good (Mar 2020, overall grade under the previous framework) |
| Rayne Primary and Nursery School | Primary | 3–11 | 1.8 km (1.1 miles) | Report card (Jun 2026): Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard; Achievement: Needs attention; Attendance and behaviour: Expected standard; Personal development and wellbeing: Expected standard; Inclusion: Expected standard; Leadership and governance: Expected standard; Early years: Expected standard; Safeguarding standards: Met |
| John Ray Infant School | Primary | 2–7 | 1.8 km (1.1 miles) | No published inspection |
Food hygiene ratings nearby
| Business | Type | Distance | Rating | Rated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Camp 4 Champs CM7 2NS | Other catering premises | 500 m (0.3 miles) | 5 Very good | 10 Apr 2025 |
Crime within 250 m
| Category | Crimes |
|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 17 |
| Public order | 2 |
| Burglary | 2 |
| Other theft | 2 |
| Criminal damage and arson | 2 |
| Anti-social behaviour | 1 |
Most of these are attached to: On or near Graynes Close (15); On or near Osier Place (5); On or near Fresian Close (3); On or near Brook Close (1); On or near Nayling Road (1).
People and work
Who lives here
| Around this street | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Median age | 44 | 40 |
| Children under 15 | 19% | 17% |
| Aged 65 and over | 23% | 18% |
Homes
| Around this street | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Owned (outright or with a mortgage) | 91% | 61% |
| Owned outright | 50% | 33% |
| Shared ownership | 0% | 1% |
| Social rented | 0% | 17% |
| Private rented | 9% | 21% |
Work and commuting
| Around this street | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Adults (16 and over) in work | 61% | 57% |
| Unemployment (of those working or looking for work) | 3% | 6% |
| Retired (of adults) | 27% | 22% |
| Long-term sick or disabled (of adults) | 2% | 4% |
| Work mainly from home (of those in work) | 25% | 32% |
| Travel to work by car or van | 67% | 48% |
| By train, Underground, metro or tram | 2% | 4% |
| By any public transport, including bus | 2% | 8% |
| On foot or by bicycle | 4% | 10% |
| Work within 10 km (6 miles) of home (of those who travel to work) | 45% | 65% |
| Work 30 km (19 miles) or more away | 20% | 8% |
Education and languages
| Around this street | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Degree or other higher qualification, Level 4+ (of adults) | 17% | 34% |
| No qualifications | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship as highest qualification | 4% | 5% |
| Main language English (aged 3 and over) | 97% | 91% |
| Cannot speak English well or at all | 2% | 2% |
Deprivation
The neighbourhood around this street 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.
What has changed
Nothing new since the change feed started on 30 October 2026. New sales and energy certificates, and hygiene ratings, school inspections and flood figures nearby, will be listed here as the sources update.
Postcodes on this street
- CM7 2SA: 12 addresses
Nearby streets
Nayling Road · Hockley Avenue · Graynes Close · Brook Close · Catherine Grove · Osier Place · Cockle Field Close · Bran Field Way · Allan-Williams View · Elliot Drive · Fresian Close · Rayne Road
What this page cannot tell you
- Whether a particular house is at risk of flooding, subsiding or anything else: the flood map is a model of areas and there is no property-level data here.
- What a home is worth now: sales are historic prices for the homes that happened to sell.
- How safe the street is: crime points are moved to anonymised locations and many crimes are never reported.
- Whether you would get a place at a school: distances are straight lines, not catchments.
- Who lives on the street now: census figures describe the small areas around it in March 2021, during a lockdown.
- How long a journey takes or how often anything runs: transport distances are straight lines to the nearest stops.
- Whether a GP practice is taking new patients, or a dentist new NHS patients.
- How loud a home is inside, or noise from industry, neighbours or smaller airfields: noise figures are models of road, rail and air traffic outside.
How each figure on this page is matched to the street and worked out: methodology.