Purvis Way, Highwoods, Colchester, CO4 9FN

People

Gender

In the UK, the overall gender distribution is approximately 49% male and 51% female. The local area around CO4 9FN is generally consistent with those figures, having a male population of 49.7%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Female	53.5%	50.3%	-3.2%	51.0%	-0.7%
Male	46.5%	49.7%	3.2%	49.0%	0.7%

Partnership Status

Across the UK, the average relationship status breakdown is roughly 44% married, 38% single, 9% divorced, 6% widowed, and 2% separated.

In the immediate area around CO4 9FN, a significant portion of the population is single, making up 44.3% of the residents. On average, approximately 38% of individuals who responded to the census in the UK were single. Areas with higher single populations are typically urban centers, university towns, regions with dynamic job markets, rich cultural offerings and entertainment facilities. These regions also tend to have a younger demographic.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Single	38.4%	44.3%	5.9%	37.9%	6.4%
Married: Opposite sex	44.4%	42.4%	-2.0%	44.2%	-1.8%
Separated	3.6%	2.4%	-1.2%	2.2%	0.2%
Divorced	11.6%	9%	-2.6%	9.1%	-0.1%
Widowed	2%	2%	0.0%	6.1%	-4.1%

Health

Across the UK, the average 48.4% rated their health as Very Good, 33.6% as Good, 12.7% as Fair, 4% as Bad, and 1.2% as Very Bad.

Population age significantly impacts residents' health. Additionally, socioeconomic status plays a crucial role: higher income levels and lower poverty rates are linked to better health outcomes. Affluent areas benefit from higher living standards, access to private healthcare, and healthier lifestyle choices.

This area has a high percentage of residents reporting their health as Good or Very Good (85.5%) compared to the average (82%). This typically indicates either a younger population or more affluent area.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Very good health	49%	49.1%	0.1%	48.4%	0.7%
Good health	34.7%	36.4%	1.7%	33.6%	2.8%
Fair health	12.9%	9.4%	-3.5%	12.7%	-3.3%
Bad health	2.8%	4.3%	1.5%	4.0%	0.3%
Very bad health	0.6%	0.8%	0.2%	1.2%	-0.4%

Education and Qualifications

During the 2021 census, the educational qualifications of residents across the UK were as follows: 18.2% had no qualifications, 9.6% had 1-4 GCSEs, 13.4% had 5 or more GCSEs and 1-2 A/AS Levels, 16.9% had 2 or more A Levels, 33.8% held a degree (or equivalent), and 5.4% had completed an apprenticeship.

This area stands out for its low percentage of residents with higher education degree. The UK average is 33.8%, while in this area it is 21%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No qualifications	14.8%	19%	4.2%	18.2%	0.8%
1-4 GCSEs or Equivalent	24%	14.3%	-9.7%	9.6%	4.7%
5 or more GCSEs, an A-Level or 1-2 AS Levels	20%	21.4%	1.4%	13.4%	8.0%
Apprenticeship	3.2%	4.4%	1.2%	5.3%	-0.9%
HNC, HND or 2+ A Levels	12%	18.3%	6.3%	16.9%	1.4%
Degree or Similar	20.8%	21%	0.2%	33.8%	-12.8%
Other	5.2%	1.6%	-3.6%	2.8%	-1.2%

Culture

Ethnic Group

This area closely mirrors the overall ethnic composition of the UK, with 86.2% of the population identifying as white, with UK average of 81.4%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Bangladeshi	1.4%	0.8%	-0.6%	1.1%	-0.3%
Chinese	0%	1.1%	1.1%	0.7%	0.4%
Indian	0%	2.2%	2.2%	3.1%	-0.9%
Other Asian	4.8%	1.9%	-2.9%	1.6%	0.3%
Black African	2.5%	3%	0.5%	2.5%	0.5%
Black Caribbean	0.3%	0%	-0.3%	1.0%	-1.0%
Other Black	0%	0.5%	0.5%	0.5%	0.0%
Mixed White and Asian	2%	0.3%	-1.7%	0.8%	-0.5%
Mixed White and African	0.6%	0.5%	-0.1%	0.4%	0.1%
Mixed White and Caribbean	0.6%	0.3%	-0.3%	0.9%	-0.6%
Mixed Other	0%	0.5%	0.5%	0.8%	-0.3%
White	85.4%	86.2%	0.8%	81.4%	4.8%
Roma	0%	0.5%	0.5%	0.2%	0.3%
Arab	2.5%	1.9%	-0.6%	0.6%	1.3%
Other	0%	0.3%	0.3%	1.6%	-1.3%

Country of Birth

In this area, 84.9% of the population were born in the United Kingdom, which is similar to the UK average of 83.2%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	84.9%	84.9%	0.0%	83.2%	1.7%
European Union	4.5%	5.1%	0.6%	6.1%	-1.0%
Rest of Europe	0.3%	1.1%	0.8%	0.8%	0.3%
Africa	2.2%	3.8%	1.6%	2.7%	1.1%
Middle East and Asia	7.3%	5.1%	-2.2%	5.6%	-0.5%
The Americas and the Caribbean	0.3%	0%	-0.3%	1.3%	-1.3%
British Overseas	0.6%	0%	-0.6%	0.0%	0.0%

Length of Residence

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Born in the UK	84.6%	84.9%	0.3%	83.2%	1.7%
10+ Years	1.4%	8.1%	6.7%	9.8%	-1.7%
5-10 Years	0.8%	3.2%	2.4%	2.9%	0.3%
2-5 Years	5.9%	1.9%	-4.0%	2.2%	-0.3%
Less than 2 years	7.3%	1.9%	-5.4%	1.9%	0.0%

Passport Held

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	67.3%	76.7%	-9.4%
France	0.3%	0.3%	0.0%
Portugal	0.3%	0.5%	-0.2%
Spain	1.1%	0.4%	0.7%
Poland	0.5%	1.3%	-0.8%
Other EU countries	2.2%	1.5%	0.7%
Other Europe	0.8%	0.2%	0.6%
North Africa	2.2%	0.1%	2.1%
Central and Western Africa	0.3%	0.3%	0.0%
Southern Asia	1.1%	1.2%	-0.1%
No passport held	24.1%	13.5%	10.6%

Religion

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No religion	58.1%	37.2%	20.9%
Christian	28.9%	46.2%	-17.3%
Hindu	1.9%	1.7%	0.2%
Muslim	3.2%	6.5%	-3.3%
Other religion	1.1%	0.6%	0.5%
Not answered	6.8%	6.0%	0.8%

Safety

Is Purvis Way Street dangerous?

Over the last 12 months, the overall crime rate around Purvis Way was 135.6 per 1,000 residents, which is 51.2% higher than the Highwoods average. The most reported crime type was Violence and sexual offences.

Purvis Way has the 13th highest crime rate of 60 local areas in Highwoods and the 119th highest crime rate of 619 local areas in Colchester .

Violent and sexual offences accounted for around 101.1 crimes per 1,000 residents and have been falling year on year. Over the last decade, overall crime has fallen by about -61.0%.

🔎 See full breakdown of local crime, hotspots & trends

Affluence

Household Income

Households in this area have a slightly higher level of wealth to the average household in England and Wales. 65% of analyzed areas in England and Wales have lower average household annual income than this area.

Average Household Income
£49,200

Income Rank
7/10

Household Income in CO4 9FN, Local Authority and Region

Deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) - 4/10 (below average )
Indices of multiple deprivation (IMD) is used to classify the relative deprivation (a measure of poverty) of the area. It considers the following domains:
Income Deprivation Domain - 6/10 (average )
The Income Deprivation Domain measures the percentage of people in the population who are experiencing poverty due to having a low income. It includes both those who are unemployed and those who are employed but earn very little (and who satisfy the respective means tests).
Employment Deprivation Domain - 4/10 (below average )
The Employment Deprivation Domain measures the proportion of the working-age population in an area involuntarily excluded from the labour market. This includes people who would like to work but are unable to do so due to unemployment, sickness or disability, or caring responsibilities.
Education, Skills and Training Domain - 5/10 (average )
The Education, Skills, and Training Deprivation Domain measures the lack of education and skills in a local area. It has two parts: one for children and young people, and one for adults. The part for children and young people looks at their school achievements ('flow'), while the part for adults looks at the number of adults without qualifications ('stock').
Health Deprivation and Disability Domain - 5/10 (average )
The Health Deprivation and Disability Domain measures the risk of early death and poor quality of life due to bad physical or mental health. It looks at illness, disability, and early death, but not at behaviors or environments that might affect future health.
Crime Domain - 3/10 (low )
The Crime Domain measures the risk of people and property being victims of crime in a local area.
Barriers to Housing and Services Domain - 8/10 (high )
The Barriers to Housing and Services Domain measures how easy or hard it is to access housing and local services. It has two parts: one looks at how close local services are, and the other looks at issues like how affordable housing is.
Living Environment Deprivation Domain - 2/10 (very low )
The Living Environment Deprivation Domain measures the quality of the local environment. It has two parts: the "indoors" part looks at housing quality, and the "outdoors" part looks at air quality and road traffic accidents.
Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) - 6/10 (average )
The Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) measures how many children aged 0 to 15 live in low-income families. It is part of the Income Deprivation Domain, which looks at how many people in an area have low incomes. This includes both those who are unemployed and those who work but earn very little (and who satisfy the respective means tests).
Income Deprivation Affecting Older People Index (IDAOPI) - 3/10 (low )
The Income Deprivation Affecting Older People Index (IDAOPI) measures the percentage of people aged 60 or older who have low income. It is part of the Income Deprivation Domain, which looks at how many people in an area have low income, including both unemployed people and those with low-paying jobs (and who satisfy the respective means tests).

Property Prices

Average property prices on Purvis Way are based on 57 property sales since the beginning of 1995. Estimated property prices are calculated by adjusting the last sale price by current House Price Index for Colchester.
StreetScan downloads house price data directly from the HM Land Registry and uses it to create these statistics.

House Prices for Purvis Way, Highwoods, Colchester, CO4 9FN

Estimated Average Property Prices for CO4 9FN

Average Price
£343,940

Semi-Detached
£335,498

Terraced
£330,884

Detached
£353,215

Flats/Maisonettes
no sales

Other
no sales

Estimated Average Property Prices for Purvis Way

Average Price
£349,559

Semi-Detached
£338,086

Terraced
£354,453

Detached
£358,352

Flats/Maisonettes
no sales

Other
no sales

Property Prices Comparison

Latest Property Sales on Purvis WayStreet

Address	Sale Price	Sale Date	Price Estimate 2025
11 Purvis Way, Colchester, Essex Detached, an established residential building	£400,000	2025-10-03	£400,417
43 Purvis Way, Colchester, Essex Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£370,000	2024-10-22	£382,907
29 Purvis Way, Colchester, Essex Terraced, an established residential building	£365,000	2024-10-04	£374,979
10 Purvis Way, Colchester, Essex Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£255,000	2022-12-05	£249,396
4 Purvis Way, Colchester, Essex Terraced, an established residential building	£330,000	2022-03-21	£350,065

View All Property Sales and Other Statistics for CO4 9FN

Employment

The percentage of student residents living in CO4 9FN area is much higher than the country's average. Usually places with high percentage of students are near Universities and near entertainment places.

Economic Activity

Full-Time Employee	81
Part-Time Employee	38
Looking after home or family	34
Self-Employed	27
Long-Term Sick or disabled	18
Student (economically inactive)	17
Unemployed	13
Full-Time Student (with or without job)	9
Retired	9
Other	8

Employment Industry

Human health and social work activities	28
Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles	27
Education	22
Construction	19
Accommodation and food service activities	12
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	10
Administrative and support service activities	8
Manufacturing	7
Transport and storage	6
Other	5
Professional, scientific and technical activities	4
Information and communication	4
Financial and insurance activities	3
Real estate activities	3
Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities	1
Agriculture, forestry and fishing	1

Schools

Primary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Brinkley Grove Primary School Rawlings Crescent , Highwoods CO4 9GF	3out of 4	169 yd	Foundation school	No	Mixed	More About School
Highwoods Community Primary School Tynedale Square , Highwoods CO4 9SN	3out of 4	751 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School
Highwoods Community Primary School Tynedale Square , Highwoods CO4 9SN	- not rated	751 yd	Community school	No	Mixed	More About School
St John's Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School, Colchester Clay Lane Grove , CO4 0HH	3out of 4	1,149 yd	Voluntary controlled school	No	Mixed	More About School
Camulos Academy Whitmore Drive , Via Urbis Romanea CO4 6AL	3out of 4	1,254 yd	Academy sponsor led	No	Mixed	More About School

Secondary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
The Trinity School Carris Close , CO4 6ED	- not rated	149 yd	Free schools	No	Mixed	More About School
The Gilberd School Brinkley Lane , CO4 9PU	4out of 4	170 yd	Academy converter	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
The Gilberd School Brinkley Lane , CO4 9PU	- not rated	170 yd	Foundation school	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Colchester Academy Hawthorn Avenue , CO4 3JL	3out of 4	3,147 yd	Academy sponsor led	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Sir Charles Lucas Arts College Hawthorn Avenue , CO4 3JL	- not rated	3,147 yd	Foundation school	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School

16 plus

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Colchester Institute Sheepen Road , CO3 3LL	- not rated	3,606 yd	Further education	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
The Sixth Form College Colchester North Hill , CO1 1SN	- not rated	3,615 yd	Further education	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
The Sixth Form College Colchester North Hill , CO1 1SN	- not rated	3,615 yd	Academy 16-19 converter	No	Mixed	More About School

Not applicable

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Oxley Parker School Mill Road , CO4 5JF	- not rated	724 yd	Non-maintained special school	Not Applicable	Boys	More About School
North East Essex Co-operative Academy Walnut Tree Way , CO2 9BS	3out of 4	1,451 yd	Academy alternative provision converter	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
North East Essex Additional Provision School The Mile End Centre , Turner Road CO4 5LB	- not rated	1,451 yd	Pupil referral unit	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
The St Aubyn Centre Education Department St Aubyn Centre , CO4 5HG	4out of 4	1,698 yd	Pupil referral unit	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
St Mary's Convent School 48 Priory Street , CO1 2QB	- not rated	3,535 yd	Other independent school	Not Applicable	Girls	More About School

School statistics for this postcode are based on Ofsted rankings.

Food and Drink

Restaurants, Cafes, Canteens

Business Name	Address	Distance
Refresh Cafe	Unit 2, Phoenix Square	584 yd
Fitness For Less	Unit 2, Phoenix Square	584 yd
Cafe Plus	Unit C5 And C6, The Seedbed Centre	813 yd
Tesco Family Dining Ltd	Tesco Family Dining Tesco Supermarket, Highwoods Square	846 yd
Sarah's Coffee Shop	The Centre, 707 The Crescent	944 yd

Takeaway, Sandwich Shops

Business Name	Address	Food hygiene rating	Distance
Delish hot pot catering services	133 Gavin Way, Colchester		456 yd
KFC Ardleigh	Unit 1 Colonels Place, Ipswich Road		1,015 yd

Sport

Facility Name	Sport Objects	Distance
Brinkley Grove Primary School RAWLINGS CRESCENT	grass pitches	171 yd
Fitness4Less (Colchester) UNIT 2 UNIT 2 WYNCOLLS ROAD	health and fitness suite, swimming pool	581 yd
Royal London Insurance Sports Ground (Closed) Mill Road	grass pitches	659 yd
Crossfit Colchester HECKWORTH CLOSE	health and fitness suite	662 yd
Mill Road Playing Fields MILL ROAD	grass pitches	747 yd
Highwood Community Primary School TYNEDALE SQUARE	grass pitches	748 yd
Hamilton'S Fitness Centre Telford Way	health and fitness suite	956 yd

Broadband

Technology Aviability

Percentage of premises that have Superfast Broadband (30Mbit/s or greater) coverage from fixed broadband	100.0%
Percentage of premises that have Ultrafast Broadband (100Mbit/s or greater) coverage from fixed broadband	75.0%
Percentage of premises that have Ultrafast Broadband (300Mbit/s or greater) coverage from fixed broadband	75.0%
Percentage of premises that have coverage from a Gigabit capable service from fixed broadband	75.0%

Speed Aviability

Percentage of premises unable to receive 2Mbit/s	0.0%
Percentage of premises unable to receive 5Mbit/s	0.0%
Percentage of premises unable to receive 10Mbit/s	0.0%
Percentage of premises unable to receive 30Mbit/s	0.0%

Download Speed

Median download speed	64.9 Mbit/s
Average download speed	103.1 Mbit/s
Minimum download speed	600 Mbit/s
Maximum download speed	600 Mbit/s

Upload Speed

Median upload speed	20 Mbit/s
Average upload speed	18.6 Mbit/s
Maximum upload speed	40 Mbit/s

Broadband statistics are based on Ofcom's Communications Market Report (CMR) 2022.