Forest Hill · Lewisham · Lewisham West and East Dulwich constituency · 51.44137, -0.05359

SE23 3LU— Forest Hill, Lewisham

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

The practical family move

 

Bottom 25% LondonSchools 100%Safety 75/100Transport 56/100~3% yield · indicativeOnly 2 sales — thin data

Best for: Families

Compare areas

Balanced area — no standout strengths or weaknesses

Liveability
70
Safety
75
Schools
60
Transport
56
Environment
72
Investment
45

The bottom line

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

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Location

SE23 3LU

Area Profile & Benchmarks

Area identity and London comparisons

Area Identity

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

London Benchmarks

vs London income+19.8% vs London avg
vs London crime+58.0% vs London avg

Deep-dive guides for SE23 3LU

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

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🚇 Well-Connected🎓 School Smart🔒 Very Safe

“The practical family move”

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How SE23 3LU has changed

Schools

18 Apr

Nearest schools and Ofsted ratings

60

Education score

Good for families
★ Top school within 1km
—

Primary

St George's CofE Primary School

Not yet inspected · 5 min walk

KS2: 106.1

—

Secondary

Sydenham School

Not yet inspected · 11 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 · 26 min walk

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

Safety

13 Jul

Crime rates and local incidents

Low crime

102.5 incidents per 1,000 residents

Among London's highest crime areas
→ Stable

+35% vs borough

Crime by type

Other38%
Violence & sexual offences21%
Anti-social behaviour19%
Vehicle crime5%
Burglary5%
Robbery5%
Theft4%
Drug offences3%

Road safety

100

Road safety score

0

Accidents (5yr)

4

Serious within 200m

Fire risk

LOW

Risk band

0

Incidents (1yr)

0

Incidents (5yr)

Nearest station: Fire Station · 620m

Crime is +58% above London average

Property

2 Jul

Prices, sales volume and market trends

Insufficient sales data

Only 2 sales recorded in the last 24 months — too few for a reliable median price. Price figures have been withheld to avoid misleading comparisons.

Price history

Sales (24 months)2
New build0.0%
Price per m²£9,180/m²
Price per ft²£853/ft²
Avg floor area64.6 m²

EPC breakdown

B
6%
C
17%
D
1%
E
4%

Based on 28 properties · Confidence: medium

Street mix

Semi 6%Terraced 50%Flat 44%

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

Low

Market activity

100d

Days to sell

Energy & construction

Solar yield851 kWh/kWp/yr
Heat pump suitableNo
EPC upgrade costMinimal
Rebuild cost estimate£161,500
Rebuild cost per m²£2,500/m²

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

Construction era2013
WallsSolid brick, as built, no insulation (assumed)
Roof(another dwelling above)
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

2000–2025 · CAGR

+7.4%

Total change

+494%

Market Activity

Price Velocity & Acceleration

Current Velocity

-24.6%

per year

Acceleration

-75.19

change in velocity

Market State

Downturn

Velocity (%)Acceleration

Price Distribution

P25: £350k–£400k · P75: £600k–£700k · 17 sales

Property Type Mix

Total: 17 sales

Semi-detached5.9%
Terraced52.9%
Flat/maisonette41.2%

By decade

2000s

2010s

2020s

Market Cycle

BullCooling bullRisingSteadyRecoveryCorrectionBear

Market Eras

EraPeriodStart priceEnd priceChangeAvg sales/yr
Late-1990s boom2000–2000£85k£85k+0%1
Pre-crash peak2007–2007£225k£225k+0%1
GFC & correction2011–2011£238k£238k+0%1
Help-to-Buy recovery2014–2016£433k£400k-7.6%2.7
Brexit uncertainty2018–2018£598k£598k+0%1
Pandemic surge2020–2020£510k£510k+0%2
Rate-rise correction2023–2023£445k£445k+0%1
Current market2024–2025£670k£505k-24.6%1

Buyer vs Seller Score

Composite market conditions index 0–100

92out of 100SellerBuyer

Market condition

Strong Buyer's Market

Favours buyers

Higher score = better conditions for buyers

Score breakdown

Price Velocity100
Sales Volume75
Trend Position100

Transport

1 Jul

Public transport accessibility and links

PTAL 4

Good

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

Nearby stations

Forest Hill Rail StationSouthern · Windrush
3 min walk
Forest HillNational Rail
3 min walk
Honor Oak Park Rail StationWindrush · Southern
14 min walk
Sydenham Rail StationWindrush · Southern
20 min walk
Penge West Rail StationWindrush · Southern
34 min walk
No bus stops within 400m

56

Walkability score

93

Footpaths (500m)

0

Santander docks (800m)

3.3 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 park57m
Santander docks (800m)0
Nearest cycle dock3.3 km

Nearby car parks

🅿️
Forest Hill Station Carpark· yes
215m
🅿️
Perry Vale Car Park
405m

Environment

2 Jul

Flood risk, air quality and noise

Flood riskLOW
Low
Minimal flood risk
Surface waterMEDIUM
Medium
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: 6.3 km away✗ Not Green Belt✗ Not AONB16% green spaceTree canopy: 25%
Above average green space

Nearest SSSI: Croham Hurst SSSI — 10.1 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

40 min walk

63%

Recommend GP

63%

Overall GP experience

0

GPs within 1km

3

Dentists within 1km

1

Care homes (1km)

Nearest hospitalTessa Jowell Health Centre · 2.7 km
Nearest A&EKING'S COLLEGE HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUST · 4.1 km
A&E 4hr targetNHS target: 95% · London avg: ~68%59.4%

Amenities

Shops, restaurants, parks and more

27

Parks (1km)

24

Restaurants (800m)

11

Cafes (800m)

8

Pubs (400m)

0

Pharmacies (800m)

2

Gyms (1km)

4

Sports (1km)

1

Convenience

Nearest supermarketForest Hill Supermarket · 271 m
2 swimming pools

Nightlife (500m)

0

Nightclubs

8

Late-night venues

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

1

Libraries (1km)

0

Cinemas (2km)

1.7km

Post office

Nearby shops

One Stop360 m
Wine Merchant534 m
Siddons News781 m

Nearby cafes

St David Coffee House183 m
Lazy Chef201 m
The Guava Kitchen224 m
From the Forest227 m

Nearby restaurants

Inpans food213 m
D&D213 m
Canvas & Cream215 m
New Island215 m

Nearby pubs

The Signal203 m
JK Banquets240 m
Dartmouth Arms299 m
The Foresters Arms335 m

Nearby gyms

Energie218 m
Forest Hill Pools588 m

Nearby health

London Dental Arts278 m
Dental Beauty Forest Hill580 m
Food hygiene (5-star)47% of 101

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

A

High street health

Investment

Investment grade, yield and market outlook

45

Investment score

Moderate

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

Low gross yield (2.9%) makes this better for owner-occupiers than buy-to-let investors. Capital growth outlook is moderate.

Avg monthly rent
£1,425London avg: £1,950/mo
Gross yield
2.9% (low)London avg: 3.8%Below average yield — bottom 65%
Gentrification score20/100
Right-to-buy sales (5yr)Above average for outer London — neighbourhood in transition270
Sales last 12 months0

Rental market

High

Demand

Low

Void risk

Young professional

Tenant profile

+8.4%

Rent growth (1yr)

Market liquidity

Low

Market activity

100d

Est. days to sell

8/100

Velocity score

Future outlook

51

Price growth score

C
Low

New supply risk

Excellent transport access

Infrastructure pipeline

Infrastructure score13/100
Bakerloo Extension route2,322m
Crossrail 2 route8,351m

Demographics

16 Jun

Population, deprivation and income

Decile 4/10

More deprived than average

Index of Multiple Deprivation

More deprived than average

Rank: 11,279 nationally

1,990

Est. population

10,942/km²

77%

Employed

67%

Degree educated

£50,300

Median income

9.7%

Claimant rate

Inner cityHigh densityYoung professionals

34

Community stability

Age profile

18%
33%
27%
16%
Under 1818%
18–3433%
35–4927%
50–6416%
65+6%

Tenure

13%
28%
46%
Own outright13%
Own (mortgage)28%
Private rent46%
Social rent13%
Shared ownership1%
Rent free0%

Ethnicity

47%
18%
15%
White British47%
White Other18%
Asian7%
Black15%
Mixed9%
Other3%

Employment & lifestyle

Managerial / professional56%
Routine / semi-routine12%
No car household58%
Unemployed4%
No qualifications8%

Housing tenure (Census 2021)

Private rent46%
Social rent13%

vs. London

Income vs London+19.8%

Planning

Conservation areas and development

Conservation area
Yes
Article 4 area
Yes
Listed buildings (800m)
16
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
52 homes · All land and buildings at 1-16, All land and buildings at 1-16, Clyde Terrace, Forest Hill, SE23 3JQ
Pipeline pressure
NONE

Named schemes (500m)

FAIRWAY HOUSE, REAR OF 53, FAIRWAY HOUSE, REAR OF 53, DARTMOUTH ROAD, SE23 3HN27 homes
completed
PHOENIX WORKS, PHOENIX WORKS, BIRD-IN-HAND PASSAGE, SE23 3HW26 homes
completed
LAND AT WALDRAM CRESCENT TO THE REAR OF 1-17 STANSTEAD RD LONDON, SE2322 homes
completed
SITE OF, 12, SITE OF, 12, DARTMOUTH ROAD, LONDON ROAD (7-9), SE2318 homes
completed
30-40, 30-40, London Road, SE23 3HF15 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 3LU

Full postcodeSE23 3LU
Postcode districtSE23
BoroughLondon Borough of Lewisham
WardForest Hill
Latitude51.441372
Longitude-0.053586
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