High Downs Square Hetton Downs, Sunderland
28 addresses across 1 postcode (DH5), about 40 m long. USRN 38732335.
- Energy: 25 homes have an energy certificate (B: 3, C: 21, D: 1).
- 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 A; Band D in Sunderland costs £2,197 a year in 2026-27.
- Broadband: Gigabit broadband is available to 100% of premises.
- Transport: The nearest railway station is Seaham, about 6.8 km (4.2 miles) away in a straight line.
- Green space: There is a small park or garden about 220 m away, and Hetton Lyons Country Park (54 hectares) is about 490 m (0.3 miles) away.
- Air: Background air pollution in 2024 was 6.5 µg/m³ of nitrogen dioxide and 5.6 of PM2.5, within UK legal limits.
- Height: Its addresses are 101 to 103 m above sea level.
- Noise: 2 of its 28 addresses are modelled at 55 dB or more from road traffic.
- Doctors: The nearest GP surgery is Hetton Group Practice, about 330 m away.
- People: About 530 people lived in the census areas around it in 2021; 51% of households owned their home and 22% of adults held a degree or other higher qualification.
- Crime: 45 crimes were recorded within 250 m between September 2025 and August 2026, most often violence and sexual offences.
Sales on this street
No sales recorded on this street since January 1995 under this street name.
Energy performance certificates
25 homes with a current certificate; median floor area 48 m². Most common: Bungalow, semi-detached (13); Bungalow, end-terrace (6); Bungalow, mid-terrace (6). Built: 1967-1975 (18); 1950-1966 (7). Tenure at assessment: rented (social) (25).
Council tax
What each band costs in Sunderland in 2026-27: Band D £2,197 a year on average, including the police, fire and any county and parish charges.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £1,465 | £1,709 | £1,953 | £2,197 | £2,685 | £3,174 | £3,662 | £4,394 |
Homes by band in the neighbourhood around this street: most are in band A (43% of about 950 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)
- Hetton Downs Phase 2, not permissioned (260 m)
- Hetton Downs Phase 2, not permissioned (270 m)
- Land At Chapel Street/Edward Street, Hetton: up to 6 homes, permissioned (440 m (0.3 miles))
Roadworks
No street works under way, planned or finished in the last three months on this street, in permits up to 30 September 2026.
Flood risk
Rivers, the sea or surface water: in this street's postcodes, 0 addresses are in areas at high risk, 0 at medium risk and 1 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 street's 28 addresses are between 101 m and 103 m above sea level (102 m on average).
Broadband
| Postcode | Superfast (30 Mbit/s+) | Ultrafast (300 Mbit/s+) | Gigabit | Below 10 Mbit/s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DH5 9BB | 100% | 100% | 100% | 0% |
Getting around
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| Railway stations | Seaham 165,000 journeys in 2024–25 | 6.8 km (4.2 miles) |
| Chester-Le-Street 232,000 journeys in 2024–25 | 8.7 km (5.4 miles) | |
| Sunderland 709,000 journeys in 2024–25 | 9.6 km (6 miles) | |
| Bus stops | 15 stops within 400 m (0.2 miles), 23 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Lady Street-High Downs Square Hetton Downs | 70 m |
| Bus or coach station | Interchange Hetton-le-Hole | 820 m (0.5 miles) |
| EV charging points | 2 within 1.6 km (1 mile); nearest Lady Street | 80 m |
| Airport with scheduled flights | Newcastle International Airport NCL | 27.9 km (17 miles) |
Local services
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| GP surgeries | 1 practices within 1.6 km (1 mile); nearest Hetton Group Practice | 330 m |
| Pharmacies | 3 pharmacies within 1.6 km (1 mile); nearest G Whitfield Limited | 380 m |
| NHS dentists | 1 practices within 1.6 km (1 mile); nearest Dental Surgery | 1.1 km (0.7 miles) |
| Hospital | Cherry Knowle Hospital | 6.5 km (4.1 miles) |
| Police station | Houghton le Spring Police Station | 2.2 km (1.3 miles) |
| Cash machines | 1 machines within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest ATM | 770 m (0.5 miles) |
Parks and green space
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| Park or garden | 5 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Unnamed 1,190 m² | 220 m |
| Largest park within 800 m (0.5 miles) | Hetton Lyons Country Park 54 ha | 490 m (0.3 miles) |
| Play area | 3 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Unnamed 280 m² | 210 m |
| Playing field | 2 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest King George's Field 6,920 m² | 170 m |
| Allotments | 5 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Unnamed 1.0 ha | 160 m |
Within 800 m (0.5 miles): 5 parks and gardens, 71 hectares in all.
Landmarks
The nearest historic landmark is Seven Sisters round barrow, Copt Hill, Houghton-le-Spring, a scheduled monument, 930 m (0.6 miles) north. 5 listed buildings are within 1 km (0.6 miles).
| Name | What it is | From the middle of the street |
|---|---|---|
| Seven Sisters round barrow, Copt Hill, Houghton-le-Spring | Scheduled monument | 930 m (0.6 miles) north |
| Name | What it is | From the middle of the street |
|---|---|---|
| Lyons Lake | Lake or reservoir | 870 m (0.5 miles) south-east |
| Hetton Houses Wood | Wood | 1 km (0.6 miles) west |
| Copt Hill | Hill | 1 km (0.6 miles) north |
| Windmill Hill | Hill | 1.1 km (0.7 miles) east |
| Blossom Pond | Lake or reservoir | 1.1 km (0.7 miles) south-east |
| Elemore Vale | Valley | 2.8 km (1.7 miles) south |
Air quality
| Pollutant | Here | UK limit | WHO guideline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) | 6.5 | 40 | 10 |
| Fine particles (PM2.5) | 5.6 | 20 | 5 |
| Particles (PM10) | 9.7 | 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 | 2 | 0 |
| Under 55 | 26 | 28 |
2 of the street's 28 addresses are 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 Sunderland: see them on the Sunderland page.
Nearest schools
| School | Phase | Ages | Distance | Inspection |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Eppleton Academy Primary School | Primary | 3–11 | 400 m (0.2 miles) | No overall grade (Sep 2024, graded inspection without an overall judgement): Quality of education: Good; Behaviour and attitudes: Good; Personal development: Good; Leadership and management: Good |
| Gillas Lane Primary Academy | Primary | 3–11 | 1.3 km (0.8 miles) | No published inspection |
| Hetton Academy | Secondary | 11–16 | 1.3 km (0.8 miles) | No overall grade (Dec 2024, graded inspection without an overall judgement): Quality of education: Good; Behaviour and attitudes: Good; Personal development: Good; Leadership and management: Good |
| Hetton Primary School | Primary | 2–11 | 1.3 km (0.8 miles) | No published inspection |
| Hetton Lyons Primary School | Primary | 4–11 | 1.4 km (0.9 miles) | Report card (Jan 2026): Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard; Achievement: Expected standard; Attendance and behaviour: Expected standard; Personal development and wellbeing: Strong standard; Inclusion: Expected standard; Leadership and governance: Expected standard; Early years: Expected standard; Safeguarding standards: Met |
| Hetton Lyons Nursery School | Nursery | 1–4 | 1.5 km (0.9 miles) | No published inspection |
| St Michael's Catholic Primary School, Houghton Roman Catholic | Primary | 4–11 | 1.7 km (1 mile) | Report card (Jun 2026): Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard; Achievement: Strong standard; Attendance and behaviour: Strong standard; Personal development and wellbeing: Expected standard; Inclusion: Expected standard; Leadership and governance: Strong standard; Early years: Strong standard; Safeguarding standards: Met |
| Bernard Gilpin Primary School | Primary | 5–11 | 1.7 km (1.1 miles) | Outstanding (Sep 2022, overall grade under the previous framework) |
| Houghton Le Spring Nursery School | Nursery | 3–5 | 1.9 km (1.2 miles) | No published inspection |
Food hygiene ratings nearby
| Business | Type | Distance | Rating | Rated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Premier - Downs Top Shop DH5 9BH | Retailers - other | 70 m | 5 Very good | 14 Jan 2020 |
| Saint Cecelia's Church Hall | Other catering premises | 90 m | 4 Good | 24 Jan 2020 |
| Eppleton Cricket Club DH5 9AJ | Pub/bar/nightclub | 160 m | 5 Very good | 12 Jan 2026 |
| Kids Fun Club DH5 9AJ | School/college/university | 160 m | 5 Very good | 7 Dec 2022 |
| Swanton Care DH5 9AJ | Hospitals/Childcare/Caring Premises | 180 m | 5 Very good | 17 Aug 2026 |
| Dulai's News & Booze DH5 9PJ | Retailers - other | 310 m | 5 Very good | 14 Jan 2020 |
| The Macro Kitchen DH5 9AA | Takeaway/sandwich shop | 370 m | Awaiting inspection | |
| Premier Hetton Discount Centre DH5 9DZ | Retailers - other | 380 m | 4 Good | 22 Aug 2023 |
| Tasty House DH5 9DY | Takeaway/sandwich shop | 380 m | Awaiting inspection | |
| Elizabeth Fleming Care Centre DH5 9DY | Hospitals/Childcare/Caring Premises | 390 m | 5 Very good | 12 Jan 2026 |
| Market Street Chippy DH5 9DY | Takeaway/sandwich shop | 390 m | 5 Very good | 13 Dec 2025 |
| The Spicy Balti Ltd DH5 9DY | Takeaway/sandwich shop | 400 m (0.2 miles) | 3 Generally satisfactory | 21 May 2026 |
| Hope Bank View | Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 420 m (0.3 miles) | 5 Very good | 1 Oct 2026 |
| The Three Tuns DH5 9PN | Pub/bar/nightclub | 450 m (0.3 miles) | 5 Very good | 26 Oct 2017 |
| Rocky's DH5 9DY | Other catering premises | 460 m (0.3 miles) | 5 Very good | 25 Feb 2026 |
Crime within 250 m
| Category | Crimes |
|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 10 |
| Criminal damage and arson | 7 |
| Anti-social behaviour | 6 |
| Vehicle crime | 5 |
| Burglary | 5 |
| Other crime | 4 |
| Public order | 4 |
| Other theft | 3 |
| Drugs | 1 |
Most of these are attached to: On or near Downs Lane (12); On or near Nicholas Street (7); On or near Blossom Street (7); On or near Willis Street (5); On or near Lindsay Street (4).
People and work
Who lives here
| Around this street | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Median age | 36 | 40 |
| Children under 15 | 18% | 17% |
| Aged 65 and over | 16% | 18% |
Homes
| Around this street | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Owned (outright or with a mortgage) | 51% | 61% |
| Owned outright | 17% | 33% |
| Shared ownership | 3% | 1% |
| Social rented | 43% | 17% |
| Private rented | 3% | 21% |
Work and commuting
| Around this street | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Adults (16 and over) in work | 60% | 57% |
| Unemployment (of those working or looking for work) | 2% | 6% |
| Retired (of adults) | 19% | 22% |
| Long-term sick or disabled (of adults) | 9% | 4% |
| Work mainly from home (of those in work) | 25% | 32% |
| Travel to work by car or van | 63% | 48% |
| By train, Underground, metro or tram | 0% | 4% |
| By any public transport, including bus | 4% | 8% |
| On foot or by bicycle | 7% | 10% |
| Work within 10 km (6 miles) of home (of those who travel to work) | 69% | 65% |
| Work 30 km (19 miles) or more away | 3% | 8% |
Education and languages
| Around this street | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Degree or other higher qualification, Level 4+ (of adults) | 22% | 34% |
| No qualifications | 24% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship as highest qualification | 6% | 5% |
| Main language English (aged 3 and over) | 98% | 91% |
| Cannot speak English well or at all | under 1% | 2% |
Deprivation
The neighbourhood around this street is in decile 4 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
- DH5 9BB: 28 addresses
Nearby streets
Church Road · Lady Street · Downs Lane · Eppleton Estate · George Street · Rainton View · Evergreen Road · Henry Street · Oswald Road · Bloom Lane · Bloom Lane · Evergreen Road
All the streets in DH5 and across Sunderland.
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.