Forest Hill · Lewisham · Lewisham West and East Dulwich constituency · 51.43648, -0.06105

SE26 4BU— Forest Hill, Lewisham

Location and area intelligence for SE26 4BU, Forest Hill, Lewisham

The family fortress

 

Schools 100%Safety 82/100Transport 40/100

Best for: Families

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Strong schools, limited transport — ideal for car-owning families

Liveability
67
Safety
82
Schools
90
Transport
40
Environment
72
Investment
58

The bottom line

SE26 4BU offers exceptional schools (100% Good/Outstanding) and low crime — a strong choice for Families.

Less suited to Car-free commuters.

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Location

SE26 4BU

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+9.3% vs London avg
vs London crime-9.0% vs London avg

Deep-dive guides for SE26 4BU

🛡️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🌿 Green Lung🔒 Very Safe

“The family fortress”

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How SE26 4BU has changed

Schools

18 Apr

Nearest schools and Ofsted ratings

90

Education score

Excellent for families
★ Top school within 1km
★★

Primary

Eliot Bank Primary School

Good · Inspected Apr 2023 · 1 min walk

KS2: 106.0

—

Secondary

Sydenham School

Not yet inspected · 4 min walk

P8: +0.16A8: 51.4

100% of local schools rated Good or Outstanding · based on 9 schools within 1.5km

Top 10% — exceptional provision

Childcare

Childcare

Dulwich Wood Nursery School

Not inspected · 18 min walk

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

Safety

13 Jul

Crime rates and local incidents

Low crime

59.3 incidents per 1,000 residents

Better than 55% of London
→ Stable

-22% vs borough

Crime by type

Violence & sexual offences29%
Other23%
Vehicle crime15%
Anti-social behaviour13%
Burglary13%
Drug offences7%
Theft0%
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 · 1.3km

Crime is 9% below London average

Property

Prices, sales volume and market trends

Avg floor area155.9 m²

EPC breakdown

C
1%
D
5%
E
4%

Based on 10 properties · Confidence: medium

Street mix

Semi 56%Terraced 6%Detached 19%Flat 19%

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
Rebuild cost estimate£389,750
Rebuild cost per m²£2,500/m²

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

Construction era1900-1929
WallsSolid brick, as built, no insulation (assumed)
RoofPitched, no insulation (assumed)
Heating fuelmains gas (not community)
GlazingFully double glazed
Council tax band Band CAnnual charge £1,682
Price growth potentialLow

Market History

Price trajectory, velocity and distribution

Price Trajectory

1996–2023 · CAGR

+8.6%

Total change

+835%

Market Activity

Price Velocity & Acceleration

Current Velocity

+187.4%

per year

Acceleration

+245.13

change in velocity

Market State

Strong growth

Velocity (%)Acceleration

Price Distribution

P25: £175k–£200k · P75: £125k–£150k · 16 sales

Property Type Mix

Total: 16 sales

Detached18.8%
Semi-detached56.3%
Terraced6.3%
Flat/maisonette18.8%

By decade

1990s

2000s

2010s

2020s

Market Cycle

BullCooling bullRisingSteadyRecoveryCorrectionBear

Market Eras

EraPeriodStart priceEnd priceChangeAvg sales/yr
Late-1990s boom1996–1998£134k£179k+34%1.7
Post-dot-com plateau2003–2003£363k£363k+0%2
GFC & correction2008–2012£274k£560k+104.2%1
Help-to-Buy recovery2013–2015£318k£952k+199.4%1
Brexit uncertainty2018–2018£1.22m£1.22m+0%1
Pandemic surge2020–2020£1.03m£1.03m+0%1
Rate-rise correction2022–2023£435k£1.25m+187.4%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
Sydenham Rail StationWindrush · Southern
14 min walk
Honor Oak Park Rail StationWindrush · Southern
23 min walk
Penge West Rail StationWindrush · Southern
26 min walk
No bus stops within 400m

39

Walkability score

81

Footpaths (500m)

0

Santander docks (800m)

3.3 km

Nearest cycle dock

Central London commute times

London Bridge ★44 min
Victoria44 min ↑
Waterloo52 min ↑
Canary Wharf44 min ↓
City55 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

7

Car parks (800m)

0

EV chargers (800m)

Nearest car park553m
Santander docks (800m)0
Nearest cycle dock3.3 km

Nearby car parks

🅿️
Perry Vale Car Park
575m
🅿️
Forest Hill Station Carpark· yes
625m

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: 6.7 km away✗ Not Green Belt✗ Not AONB71% green spaceTree canopy: 58%
More green space than 99% of London

Nearest SSSI: Croham Hurst SSSI — 9.5 km

Energy

Solar: 851 kWh/kWp/yr

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 yield851.1 kWh/kWp/yr

Source: Met Office UK Climate Averages 1991-2020

Health

GP, dental and hospital access

VESTA ROAD SURGERY

58 VESTA ROAD, SE4 2NH

48 min walk

63%

Recommend GP

63%

Overall GP experience

0

GPs within 1km

2

Dentists within 1km

1

Care homes (1km)

Nearest hospital · 2.1 km
Nearest A&EKING'S COLLEGE HOSPITAL NHS FOUNDATION TRUST · 4.2 km
A&E 4hr targetNHS target: 95% · London avg: ~68%59.4%

Amenities

Shops, restaurants, parks and more

45

Parks (1km)

21

Restaurants (800m)

11

Cafes (800m)

0

Pubs (400m)

1

Pharmacies (800m)

1

Gyms (1km)

4

Sports (1km)

0

Convenience

No pubs within 400m — nearest: Bricklayers Arms (420 m)

Nearest supermarketForest Hill Supermarket · 648 m
2 swimming pools1 sports halls

Nightlife (500m)

0

Nightclubs

0

Late-night venues

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

1

Libraries (1km)

0

Cinemas (2km)

1.3km

Post office

Nearby shops

One Stop485 m
Tesco Express580 m
IBS Traditional French Bakery596 m
Ram Convenience Store617 m

Nearby cafes

The Gym Cafe418 m
The Lodge445 m
Archie Parker461 m
Big Breakfast516 m

Nearby restaurants

Bamboo House432 m
Fortune Inn441 m
Lin Hong Garden443 m
Forest Hill Kebab House444 m

Nearby pubs

Bricklayers Arms420 m
Sylvan Post475 m
The Hill484 m
Bird in Hand504 m

Nearby gyms

Forest Hill Pools371 m
Energie549 m
Camber Lawn Tennis Club883 m
PureGym1.0 km

Nearby pharmacies

Perfucare Pharmacy591 m

Nearby health

London Dental Arts551 m
Food hygiene (5-star)50% of 76

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

58

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 score21/100
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

36.6

Price growth score

D
Low

New supply risk

Infrastructure pipeline

Infrastructure score13/100
Bakerloo Extension route2,804m
Crossrail 2 route8,145m

Demographics

16 Jun

Population, deprivation and income

Decile 5/10

Around average

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Average deprivation level

Rank: 14,362 nationally

1,602

Est. population

10,092/km²

64%

Employed

55%

Degree educated

£45,900

Median income

5.8%

Claimant rate

Inner cityHigh densityYoung professionals

49

Community stability

Age profile

24%
19%
25%
17%
14%
Under 1824%
18–3419%
35–4926%
50–6417%
65+14%

Tenure

20%
34%
18%
27%
Own outright20%
Own (mortgage)34%
Private rent18%
Social rent27%
Shared ownership1%
Rent free1%

Ethnicity

47%
14%
23%
White British47%
White Other14%
Asian7%
Black23%
Mixed7%
Other2%

Employment & lifestyle

Managerial / professional49%
Routine / semi-routine15%
No car household43%
Unemployed5%
No qualifications13%

Housing tenure (Census 2021)

Social rent27%
Private rent18%

vs. London

Income vs London+9.3%

Planning

Conservation areas and development

Conservation area
No
Article 4 area
Yes
Listed buildings (800m)
27
Planning apps (3 years)
1
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)
27
Largest scheme
107 homes · HIGHWOOD BARRACKS, 526-532, HIGHWOOD BARRACKS, 526-532, LORDSHIP LANE, SE22
Pipeline pressure
NONE

Named schemes (500m)

179, 179, DARTMOUTH ROAD, SE26 4RN33 homes
completed
NORTHWEST GARAGES, NORTHWEST GARAGES, KNAPDALE CLOSE, LONDON, SE23 3XG17 homes
completed
148-168, 148-168, DARTMOUTH ROAD, SE2614 homes
completed
23 and 25, 23 and 25, Taymount Rise, SE23 3UG14 homes
completed
102-108, 102-108, KIRKDALE, SE2612 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 SE26 4BU

Full postcodeSE26 4BU
Postcode districtSE26
BoroughLondon Borough of Lewisham
WardForest Hill
Latitude51.436478
Longitude-0.061046
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