Forest Hill · Lewisham · Lewisham West and East Dulwich constituency · 51.44514, -0.05268

SE23 3AB— Forest Hill, Lewisham

Location and area intelligence for SE23 3AB, Forest Hill, Lewisham

The practical family move

 

Schools 100%Safety 82/100Transport 46/100

Best for: Families

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Strong for families — high safety and school scores

Liveability
67
Safety
82
Schools
100
Transport
46
Environment
70
Investment
64

The bottom line

SE23 3AB offers exceptional schools (100% Good/Outstanding) and low crime — a strong choice for Families.

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Location

SE23 3AB

Area Profile & Benchmarks

Area identity and London comparisons

Area Identity

Inner city
HighYoung professionals
Buyer fit: ExcellentInvestment outlook: CautiousRisk: Low

London Benchmarks

vs London income+19.8% vs London avg
vs London crime-10.0% vs London avg

Deep-dive guides for SE23 3AB

🛡️Crime & SafetyCrime rate, trends & breakdown by type🎓SchoolsOfsted ratings, exam scores & distances🏠Rental MarketAverage rents, demand & void risk

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Postcode Personality

🚇 Well-Connected🎓 School Smart🔒 Very Safe

“The practical family move”

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How SE23 3AB has changed

Schools

18 Apr

Nearest schools and Ofsted ratings

100

Education score

Excellent for families
★ Top school within 1km
—

Primary

Fairlawn Primary School

Not yet inspected · 3 min walk

KS2: 108.5

★★★

Secondary

Harris Girls' Academy East Dulwich

Outstanding · Inspected Dec 2023 · 17 min walk

P8: +0.41A8: 54.4

100% of local schools rated Good or Outstanding · based on 10 schools within 1.5km

Top 10% — exceptional provision

Childcare

Childcare

Chelwood Nursery School

Not inspected · 21 min walk

6 primaries · 0 secondaries · 0 childcare — within 1km

Safety

13 Jul

Crime rates and local incidents

Low crime

58.4 incidents per 1,000 residents

Better than 56% of London
→ Stable

-23% vs borough

Crime by type

Violence & sexual offences27%
Other25%
Vehicle crime20%
Anti-social behaviour18%
Burglary6%
Drug offences2%
Theft2%
Robbery0%

Road safety

100

Road safety score

0

Accidents (5yr)

Fire risk

LOW

Risk band

0

Incidents (1yr)

0

Incidents (5yr)

Nearest station: Fire Station · 589m

Crime is 10% below London average

Property

Prices, sales volume and market trends

Avg floor area66.7 m²

EPC breakdown

C
11%
D
4%

Based on 15 properties · Confidence: medium

Street mix

Semi 29%Terraced 71%

LHA rates — Inner South East London

Shared room£650/mo
1 bedroom£1296/mo
2 bedrooms£1550/mo
3 bedrooms£1950/mo
4 bedrooms£2625/mo

Current mortgage rates

2-year fixed4.58%
5-year fixed4.32%
SVR7.25%

Bank of England (monthly average)

Affordability

Energy & construction

Solar yield851 kWh/kWp/yr
Heat pump suitableNo
EPC upgrade costMinimal
Rebuild cost estimate£166,750
Rebuild cost per m²£2,500/m²

BCIS London average 2024. Excludes land value. Use for building insurance sum insured guidance only.

Construction era1967-1975
WallsCavity wall, filled cavity
RoofPitched, 100 mm loft insulation
Heating fuelmains gas (not community)
GlazingFully double glazed
Council tax band Band CAnnual charge £1,682
Price growth potentialModerate

Market History

Price trajectory, velocity and distribution

Price Trajectory

1997–2022 · CAGR

+9.2%

Total change

+805%

Market Activity

Price Velocity & Acceleration

Current Velocity

+40.5%

per year

Acceleration

-77.48

change in velocity

Market State

Strong growth

Velocity (%)Acceleration

Price Distribution

P25: £200k–£250k · P75: £125k–£150k · 13 sales

Property Type Mix

Total: 13 sales

Semi-detached23.1%
Terraced76.9%

By decade

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Market Cycle

BullCooling bullRisingSteadyRecoveryCorrectionBear

Market Eras

EraPeriodStart priceEnd priceChangeAvg sales/yr
Late-1990s boom1997–2000£66k£135k+104.5%1
Post-dot-com plateau2002–2004£87k£182k+109.3%1.5
Pre-crash peak2006–2007£145k£272k+87.2%1
GFC & correction2008–2008£200k£200k+0%1
Help-to-Buy recovery2014–2014£195k£195k+0%1
Brexit uncertainty2019–2019£425k£425k+0%1
Rate-rise correction2022–2022£597k£597k+0%1

Buyer vs Seller Score

Composite market conditions index 0–100

5out of 100SellerBuyer

Market condition

Strong Seller's Market

Favours sellers

Higher score = better conditions for buyers

Score breakdown

Price Velocity0
Trend Position10

Transport

1 Jul

Public transport accessibility and links

PTAL 3

Moderate

1a
1b
2
3
4
5
6a
6b
Below London average
Forest Hill→ London Bridge· 6 tph
17 min

Nearby stations

Forest Hill Rail StationSouthern · Windrush
8 min walk
Forest HillNational Rail
8 min walk
Honor Oak Park Rail StationSouthern · Windrush
9 min walk
Sydenham Rail StationWindrush · Southern
25 min walk
Brockley Rail StationSouthern · Windrush
30 min walk
No bus stops within 400m

33

Walkability score

14

Footpaths (500m)

0

Santander docks (800m)

3.0 km

Nearest cycle dock

Central London commute times

London Bridge ★33 min
Victoria49 min ↑
Waterloo47 min ↑
Canary Wharf40 min ↓
City44 min ↑

▎ marker = outer-London average per hub. ↓ green = below average. ↑ orange = above average. ≈ grey = at average. · Source: TfL Journey Planner (sampled)

Find areas within a set commute time of your workplace →

Parking & EV

Car parks, spaces and charging points

6

Car parks (800m)

0

EV chargers (800m)

Nearest car park407m
Santander docks (800m)0
Nearest cycle dock3.0 km

Nearby car parks

🅿️
Forest Hill Station Carpark· yes
636m

Environment

2 Jul

Flood risk, air quality and noise

Flood riskLOW
Low
Minimal flood risk
Surface waterLOW
Low
Air qualityLOW
NO₂: 15.0 µg/m³ · PM2.5: 8.0 µg/m³
Better than 95% of London
NoiseLOW
none
Quieter than 70% of London
Radon riskLOW
0.5% of local properties affected
ULEZ zone · £12.50/dayCCZ: 6.0 km away✗ Not Green Belt✗ Not AONB7% green spaceTree canopy: 67%
Below average green space

Nearest SSSI: Croham Hurst SSSI — 10.5 km

Energy

Solar: 851 kWh/kWp/yrHeat pump: Not suitableEPC upgrade: Minimal

Ground stability

Geology: SAND AND GRAVEL

Subsidence risk: Low

Shrink-swell: Low

Running sand risk: Medium

Landslide records (2km): 2

Landslide susceptibility: Medium

Insurance risk

Standard

Cost band

Low

Flood risk

Low

Subsidence risk

0.5%

Flood claim prob.

Climate

Local weather conditions and energy potential

1,520 hrs/yr

Sunshine

608 mm/yr

Rainfall

22.5°C

Summer avg

3.2°C

Winter avg

Solar yield850.6 kWh/kWp/yr
Heat pump suitableNo
EPC upgrade costMinimal

Source: Met Office UK Climate Averages 1991-2020

Health

GP, dental and hospital access

VESTA ROAD SURGERY

58 VESTA ROAD, SE4 2NH

34 min walk

63%

Recommend GP

63%

Overall GP experience

0

GPs within 1km

3

Dentists within 1km

Nearest hospitalTessa Jowell Health Centre · 2.5 km
Nearest A&EKING'S COLLEGE HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUST · 3.8 km
A&E 4hr targetNHS target: 95% · London avg: ~68%59.4%

Amenities

Shops, restaurants, parks and more

19

Parks (1km)

17

Restaurants (800m)

8

Cafes (800m)

0

Pubs (400m)

0

Pharmacies (800m)

2

Gyms (1km)

3

Sports (1km)

0

Convenience

No pubs within 400m — nearest: Railway Telegraph (494 m)

Nearest supermarketCo-op Food · 461 m
1 sports halls

Nightlife (500m)

0

Nightclubs

0

Late-night venues

E
866 licensed premises in borough229 late-night refreshment licencesHome Office 2023/24

0

Libraries (1km)

0

Cinemas (2km)

1.3km

Post office

Nearby shops

Wine Merchant549 m
Sainsbury's Local734 m
Honor Oak Supermarket770 m
One Stop784 m

Nearby cafes

St David Coffee House607 m
Lazy Chef623 m
The Teapot624 m
The Guava Kitchen646 m

Nearby restaurants

Golden City545 m
New Island588 m
D&D592 m
Morley's605 m

Nearby pubs

Railway Telegraph494 m
General Napier560 m
The Signal628 m
JK Banquets634 m

Nearby gyms

Energie635 m
Club House858 m
Forest Hill Pools1.0 km
Homestall Road Sports Ground1.1 km

Nearby health

Dental Beauty Forest Hill612 m
London Dental Arts702 m
Honor Oak Dentistry743 m
Jenner Health Centre797 m
Food hygiene (5-star)44% of 77

Business

Local businesses registered here

Active businesses
0
New (last 12 months)
0
Dissolved (last 12 months)
0
Industry diversity
0
3yr survival rate
100.0%
Right-to-buy sales (5yr)
270

High street

E

High street health

Investment

Investment grade, yield and market outlook

64

Investment score

Good

Score reflects rental yield, demand & liquidity — not capital appreciation. See Price growth potential below.

Avg monthly rent
£1,425London avg: £1,950/mo
Gentrification score20/100
Right-to-buy sales (5yr)Above average for outer London — neighbourhood in transition270

Rental market

High

Demand

Low

Void risk

Young professional

Tenant profile

+8.4%

Rent growth (1yr)

Market liquidity

Future outlook

45.2

Price growth score

C
Low

New supply risk

Infrastructure pipeline

Infrastructure score13/100
Bakerloo Extension route2,287m
Crossrail 2 route8,211m

Demographics

16 Jun

Population, deprivation and income

Decile 6/10

Around average

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Average deprivation level

Rank: 17,407 nationally

1,524

Est. population

14,137/km²

71%

Employed

62%

Degree educated

£50,300

Median income

3.7%

Claimant rate

Inner cityHigh densityYoung professionals

40

Community stability

Age profile

22%
30%
25%
16%
Under 1822%
18–3430%
35–4925%
50–6416%
65+7%

Tenure

15%
30%
33%
22%
Own outright15%
Own (mortgage)30%
Private rent33%
Social rent22%
Shared ownership0%
Rent free0%

Ethnicity

49%
16%
17%
White British49%
White Other16%
Asian6%
Black17%
Mixed10%
Other3%

Employment & lifestyle

Managerial / professional54%
Routine / semi-routine13%
No car household45%
Unemployed5%
No qualifications9%

Housing tenure (Census 2021)

Private rent33%
Social rent22%

vs. London

Income vs London+19.8%

Planning

Conservation areas and development

Conservation area
No
Article 4 area
Yes
Listed buildings (800m)
14
Planning apps (12 months)
1
Local approval rate
100%
Borough approval rate
61%
Opportunity area
No
CIL rate (residential)
£150/m²
Coal mining risk area
No
Japanese knotweed sites (400m)
0

Housing pipeline (800m)

Homes approved
0
Under construction
0
Completed (3yr)
63
Largest scheme
22 homes · LAND AT WALDRAM CRESCENT TO THE REAR OF 1-17 STANSTEAD RD LONDON, SE23
Pipeline pressure
NONE

Named schemes (500m)

THE MANOR, THE MANOR, CANONBIE ROAD, SE23 3AQ15 homes
completed
174, 174, DEVONSHIRE ROAD, SE2312 homes
completed
33 - 39, 33 - 39, BEADNELL ROAD, SE23 1AA9 homes
completed
61, 61, DEVONSHIRE ROAD, SE23 3EW9 homes
completed
FOREST HILL HOTEL, 41, FOREST HILL HOTEL, 41, STANSTEAD ROAD, SE23 1HG8 homes
completed

Politics

Local councillors and MP

Ward majority
Labour and Co-operative Party
Ward majority vote
20.5%
Election year
2022
MP
Ellie Reeves (Labour)
MP majority
18,397
Constituency
Lewisham West and East Dulwich

Councillors

Sophie DavisLabour and Co-operative Party
Peter BernardsLabour and Co-operative Party
Billy HardingLabour and Co-operative Party

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Key facts for SE23 3AB

Full postcodeSE23 3AB
Postcode districtSE23
BoroughLondon Borough of Lewisham
WardForest Hill
Latitude51.445143
Longitude-0.052677
Parliamentary constituencyLewisham West and East Dulwich
CountryEngland
RegionGreater London

Trusted official data sources

Office for
National Statistics
LONDONDATASTORE
Ofsted
HM LAND
REGISTRY
Environment
Agency
DATA.POLICE.UK
GOV.UK
TfL
Transport
for London
NHS
Digital
Companies
House
Royal
Mail
Food Standards
Agency
Ofcom
Met
Office
Ordnance
Survey