Forest Hill · Lewisham · Lewisham West and East Dulwich constituency · 51.44511, -0.05947

SE23 3DEForest Hill, Lewisham

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

The practical family move

 

Schools 100%Safety 80/100Transport 44/100

Best for: Families, Owner-occupiers

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Balanced area — no standout strengths or weaknesses

Liveability
62
Safety
80
Schools
60
Transport
44
Environment
53
Investment
56

The bottom line

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

Less suited to Car-free commuters.

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Location

SE23 3DE

Area Profile & Benchmarks

Area identity and London comparisons

Area Identity

Inner city
MediumYoung 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 3DE

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Postcode Personality

🚇 Well-Connected🎓 School Smart🔒 Very Safe

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How SE23 3DE has changed

Schools

18 Apr

Nearest schools and Ofsted ratings

60

Education score

Good for families
★ Top school within 1km

Primary

Horniman Primary School

Not yet inspected · 2 min walk

KS2: 107.5

Secondary

Sydenham School

Not yet inspected · 15 min walk

P8: +0.16A8: 51.4

100% of local schools rated Good or Outstanding · based on 12 schools within 1.5km

Top 10% — exceptional provision

Childcare

Childcare

Chelwood Nursery School

Not inspected · 24 min walk

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

Safety

13 Jul

Crime rates and local incidents

Low crime

71.6 incidents per 1,000 residents

Higher crime than 55% of London
→ Stable

-6% vs borough

Crime by type

Other27%
Violence & sexual offences25%
Vehicle crime20%
Anti-social behaviour16%
Burglary9%
Drug offences1%
Theft1%
Robbery1%

Road safety

100

Road safety score

0

Accidents (5yr)

1

Serious within 200m

Fire risk

LOW

Risk band

0

Incidents (1yr)

0

Incidents (5yr)

Nearest station: Fire Station · 1.0km

Crime is +10% above London average

Property

Prices, sales volume and market trends

Avg floor area130.8

EPC breakdown

B
2%
C
1%
D
7%
E
10%
F
4%

Based on 24 properties · Confidence: medium

Street mix

Semi 14%Terraced 2%Detached 84%

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£327,000
Rebuild cost per m²£2,500/m²

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

Construction era1930-1949
WallsSolid brick, as built, no insulation (assumed)
RoofPitched, 100 mm loft insulation
Heating fuelmains gas (not community)
GlazingFully double glazed
Council tax band Band EAnnual charge £2,312
Price growth potentialLow

Market History

Price trajectory, velocity and distribution

Price Trajectory

19952023 · CAGR

+10%

Total change

+1327%

Market Activity

Price Velocity & Acceleration

Current Velocity

+4.9%

per year

Acceleration

-22.50

change in velocity

Market State

Steady growth

Velocity (%)Acceleration

Price Distribution

P25: £125k–£150k · P75: £500k–£600k · 43 sales

Property Type Mix

Total: 43 sales

Detached83.7%
Semi-detached14%
Terraced2.3%

By decade

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Market Cycle

BullCooling bullRisingSteadyRecoveryCorrectionBear

Market Eras

EraPeriodStart priceEnd priceChangeAvg sales/yr
Late-1990s boom19952000£82k£249k+203.4%1.3
Post-dot-com plateau20012004£254k£275k+8.4%2.8
Pre-crash peak20052007£400k£400k+0%1.3
GFC & correction20082012£485k£578k+19.1%1.3
Help-to-Buy recovery20132015£562k£851k+51.6%2
Brexit uncertainty20182019£1.04m£1.25m+19.7%1
Pandemic surge20202021£975k£875k-10.3%1
Rate-rise correction20222023£1.11m£1.17m+4.9%3

Price Trajectory by Type

Detached

Per-type alpha vs district

Best performer

Detached

+0% alpha

Detached+0% α
Local
7.5%
District
7.5%

CAGR over 25yr data window. Alpha = local CAGR − district CAGR.

Buyer vs Seller Score

Composite market conditions index 0–100

27out of 100SellerBuyer

Market condition

Seller's Market

Favours sellers

Higher score = better conditions for buyers

Score breakdown

Price Velocity40
Seasonal Timing0
Trend Position40

Transport

1 Jul

Public transport accessibility and links

PTAL 3

Moderate

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

Nearby stations

Forest Hill Rail StationSouthern · Windrush
10 min walk
Forest HillNational Rail
10 min walk
Honor Oak Park Rail StationSouthern · Windrush
14 min walk
Sydenham Rail StationWindrush · Southern
25 min walk
Brockley Rail StationSouthern · Windrush
33 min walk
No bus stops within 400m

27

Walkability score

42

Footpaths (500m)

0

Santander docks (800m)

3.0 km

Nearest cycle dock

Central London commute times

London Bridge33 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)

Parking & EV

Car parks, spaces and charging points

4

Car parks (800m)

0

EV chargers (800m)

Nearest car park529m
Santander docks (800m)0
Nearest cycle dock3.0 km

Nearby car parks

🅿️
Forest Hill Station Carpark· yes
758m

Environment

2 Jul

Flood risk, air quality and noise

Flood riskLOW
Low
Minimal flood risk
Surface waterNONE
No assessed surface water flood risk
Air qualityLOW
NO₂: 30.0 µg/m³ · PM2.5: 15.0 µg/m³
Better than 75% of London
NoiseLOW
none
Quieter than 70% of London
Radon riskLOW
0.5% of local properties affected
ULEZ zone · £12.50/dayCCZ: 5.8 km away✗ Not Green Belt✗ Not AONB10% green spaceTree canopy: 52%
Above average green space

Nearest SSSI: Croham Hurst SSSI — 10.4 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

37 min walk

63%

Recommend GP

63%

Overall GP experience

0

GPs within 1km

1

Dentists within 1km

1

Care homes (1km)

Nearest hospitalTessa Jowell Health Centre · 2.2 km
Nearest A&EKING'S COLLEGE HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUST · 3.5 km
A&E 4hr targetNHS target: 95% · London avg: ~68%59.4%

Amenities

Shops, restaurants, parks and more

35

Parks (1km)

5

Restaurants (800m)

5

Cafes (800m)

0

Pubs (400m)

0

Pharmacies (800m)

1

Gyms (1km)

2

Sports (1km)

0

Convenience

No pubs within 400m — nearest: Dulwich Beer Dispensary (639 m)

Nearest supermarketForest Hill Supermarket · 829 m
1 swimming pools

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)

2.2km

Post office

Nearby shops

AM Super Market541 m
One Stop839 m

Nearby cafes

Dutch Barn319 m
The Horniman Cafe454 m
The Lodge560 m
The Teapot621 m

Nearby restaurants

Tze's625 m
KFC629 m
Matoom634 m
The India Gate646 m

Nearby pubs

Dulwich Beer Dispensary639 m
The Signal724 m
Watson's General Telegraph741 m
JK Banquets816 m

Nearby gyms

Energie687 m
Camber Lawn Tennis Club750 m
Club House982 m
Forest Hill Pools1.0 km

Nearby health

London Dental Arts784 m
Food hygiene (5-star)70% of 30

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

56

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 score18/100
Right-to-buy sales (5yr)Above average for outer London — neighbourhood in transition270

Rental market

Medium

Demand

Medium

Void risk

Young professional

Tenant profile

+8.4%

Rent growth (1yr)

Market liquidity

Future outlook

36.1

Price growth score

D
Low

Development pressure

Low

New supply risk

Infrastructure pipeline

Infrastructure score13/100
Bakerloo Extension route2,758m
Crossrail 2 route7,795m

Demographics

16 Jun

Population, deprivation and income

Decile 6/10

Around average

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Average deprivation level

Rank: 20,123 nationally

1,438

Est. population

5,518/km²

66%

Employed

66%

Degree educated

£50,300

Median income

2.9%

Claimant rate

Inner cityMedium densityYoung professionals

53

Community stability

Age profile

23%
16%
25%
19%
16%
Under 1823%
18–3416%
35–4925%
50–6419%
65+16%

Tenure

31%
35%
17%
16%
Own outright31%
Own (mortgage)35%
Private rent17%
Social rent16%
Shared ownership0%
Rent free0%

Ethnicity

57%
15%
14%
White British57%
White Other15%
Asian5%
Black14%
Mixed6%
Other2%

Employment & lifestyle

Managerial / professional58%
Routine / semi-routine9%
No car household34%
Unemployed5%
No qualifications10%

Housing tenure (Census 2021)

Private rent17%
Social rent16%

vs. London

Income vs London+19.8%

Planning

Conservation areas and development

Conservation area
No
Article 4 area
Yes
Listed buildings (800m)
19
Live planning apps (800m)
1
Development activity
low
Residential apps (800m)
0
Commercial apps (800m)
0
Major developments (800m)
0
Planning apps (12 months)
6
Planning apps (3 years)
7
Local approval rate
83%
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)
23
Largest scheme
38 homes · ADAMS HOUSE & ADJACENT VACANT LAND, 4-6, ADAMS HOUSE & ADJACENT VACANT LAND, 4-6, UNDERHILL ROAD, SE22
Pipeline pressure
NONE

Named schemes (500m)

288, 288, WOOD VALE, SE23 3EQ17 homes
completed
THE MANOR, THE MANOR, CANONBIE ROAD, SE23 3AQ15 homes
completed
DERELICT GARAGES, REAR OF, 124-148, DERELICT GARAGES, REAR OF, 124-148, WOOD VALE, SE2311 homes
completed
4-6, 4-6, MANOR MOUNT, SE23 3PZ9 homes
completed
110, 110, WOOD VALE, SE23 3EB7 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 3DE

Full postcodeSE23 3DE
Postcode districtSE23
BoroughLondon Borough of Lewisham
WardForest Hill
Latitude51.445112
Longitude-0.059471
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