Birch Drive, Chatham, ME5 8YU

People

Gender

In the UK, the overall gender distribution is approximately 49% male and 51% female. However, the area surrounding ME5 8YU, has a female population slightly higher than UK average, with 52.2% of residents being female. Several factors can contribute to this. Women generally live longer than men, resulting in a higher proportion of women in neighborhoods with significant elderly populations. Typically, as people grow older, they tend to relocate from city center addresses to suburban areas, smaller towns, and rural locations. Consequently, these areas often have a higher number of females. A higher female population can also be found in areas with industries that employ more women, such as healthcare, education, and retail.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Female	52.5%	52.2%	-0.3%	51.0%	1.2%
Male	47.5%	47.8%	0.3%	49.0%	-1.2%

Partnership Status

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

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Single	38.3%	36.1%	-2.2%	37.9%	-1.8%
Married: Opposite sex	46.1%	42.7%	-3.4%	44.2%	-1.5%
Separated	4.4%	3.1%	-1.3%	2.2%	0.9%
Divorced	9.2%	12.5%	3.3%	9.1%	3.4%
Widowed	2%	5.5%	3.5%	6.1%	-0.6%

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.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Very good health	46.7%	46.7%	0.0%	48.4%	-1.7%
Good health	42.6%	36.5%	-6.1%	33.6%	2.9%
Fair health	8%	14%	6.0%	12.7%	1.3%
Bad health	2.7%	2.2%	-0.5%	4.0%	-1.8%
Very bad health	0%	0.6%	0.6%	1.2%	-0.6%

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.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No qualifications	12.9%	12.8%	-0.1%	18.2%	-5.4%
1-4 GCSEs or Equivalent	16.3%	10.1%	-6.2%	9.6%	0.5%
5 or more GCSEs, an A-Level or 1-2 AS Levels	23.7%	15.9%	-7.8%	13.4%	2.5%
Apprenticeship	7.1%	7.4%	0.3%	5.3%	2.1%
HNC, HND or 2+ A Levels	17.6%	28.3%	10.7%	16.9%	11.4%
Degree or Similar	19.7%	23.6%	3.9%	33.8%	-10.2%
Other	2.7%	1.9%	-0.8%	2.8%	-0.9%

Culture

Ethnic Group

In this area, the population is predominantly white, with 93.1% identifying as such, significantly higher than the UK average of 81.4%. This indicates a lower level of ethnic diversity compared to the broader UK population.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Indian	1.4%	1.3%	-0.1%	3.1%	-1.8%
Pakistani	0%	0.3%	0.3%	2.7%	-2.4%
Other Asian	0.8%	0.3%	-0.5%	1.6%	-1.3%
Black African	0.5%	1.9%	1.4%	2.5%	-0.6%
Black Caribbean	0.3%	0%	-0.3%	1.0%	-1.0%
Other Black	0.3%	0.6%	0.3%	0.5%	0.1%
Mixed White and Asian	1.1%	0.3%	-0.8%	0.8%	-0.5%
Mixed White and African	0.5%	0.3%	-0.2%	0.4%	-0.1%
Mixed White and Caribbean	0.5%	0.3%	-0.2%	0.9%	-0.6%
Mixed Other	0%	1.3%	1.3%	0.8%	0.5%
White	94.5%	93.1%	-1.4%	81.4%	11.7%
Other	0%	0.3%	0.3%	1.6%	-1.3%

Country of Birth

In this area, 97.5% of the population were born in the United Kingdom, which is higher than the UK average of 83.2%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	95.6%	97.5%	1.9%	83.2%	14.3%
European Union	1.4%	0%	-1.4%	6.1%	-6.1%
Africa	1.1%	0.9%	-0.2%	2.7%	-1.8%
Middle East and Asia	1.4%	1.3%	-0.1%	5.6%	-4.3%
The Americas and the Caribbean	0%	0.3%	0.3%	1.3%	-1.0%
Oceania	0.5%	0%	-0.5%	0.3%	-0.3%

Length of Residence

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Born in the UK	94.8%	97.5%	2.7%	83.2%	14.3%
10+ Years	0%	2.5%	2.5%	9.8%	-7.3%
5-10 Years	0.5%	0%	-0.5%	2.9%	-2.9%
2-5 Years	0.5%	0%	-0.5%	2.2%	-2.2%
Less than 2 years	4.1%	0%	-4.1%	1.9%	-1.9%

Passport Held

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	87.4%	76.7%	10.7%
Ireland	0.3%	0.6%	-0.3%
Southern Asia	0.6%	1.2%	-0.6%
No passport held	11.6%	13.5%	-1.9%

Religion

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No religion	51.1%	37.2%	13.9%
Christian	43.8%	46.2%	-2.4%
Sikh	1.3%	0.9%	0.4%
Other religion	0.3%	0.6%	-0.3%
Not answered	3.5%	6.0%	-2.5%

Safety

Is Birch Drive Street dangerous?

Over the last 12 months, the overall crime rate around Birch Drive was 12.5 per 1,000 residents, which is 82.4% lower than the Boxley Downs average. The most reported crime type was Anti-social behaviour.

Birch Drive has the lowest crime rate of 52 local areas in Boxley Downs and the 28th lowest crime rate of 511 local areas in Maidstone .

Violent and sexual offences accounted for around 0.0 crimes per 1,000 residents and have been falling year on year. Over the last decade, overall crime has fallen by about -52.4%.

🔎 See full breakdown of local crime, hotspots & trends

Affluence

Household Income

Households in this area have a much higher level of wealth compared to the average household in England and Wales. 91% of analyzed areas in England and Wales have lower average household annual income than this area.

Average Household Income
£61,900

Income Rank
10/10

Household Income in ME5 8YU, 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 - 3/10 (low )
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 - 3/10 (low )
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 - 6/10 (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 - 3/10 (low )
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 - 10/10 (very 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 - 3/10 (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) - 3/10 (low )
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) - 2/10 (very 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 Birch Drive are based on 102 property sales since the beginning of 1995. Estimated property prices are calculated by adjusting the last sale price by current House Price Index for Maidstone.
StreetScan downloads house price data directly from the HM Land Registry and uses it to create these statistics.

House Prices for Birch Drive, Chatham, ME5 8YU

Estimated Average Property Prices for ME5 8YU

Average Price
£303,207

Semi-Detached
£315,284

Terraced
£276,918

Detached
£431,809

Flats/Maisonettes
no sales

Other
no sales

Estimated Average Property Prices for Birch Drive

Average Price
£287,657

Semi-Detached
£292,120

Terraced
£268,424

Detached
£429,482

Flats/Maisonettes
£157,247

Other
no sales

Property Prices Comparison

Latest Property Sales on Birch DriveStreet

Address	Sale Price	Sale Date	Price Estimate 2025
40 Birch Drive, Chatham, Kent Terraced, an established residential building	£345,000	2025-03-14	£347,382
3 Birch Drive, Chatham, Kent Terraced, an established residential building	£310,000	2024-10-18	£321,657
48 Birch Drive, Chatham, Kent Terraced, an established residential building	£200,000	2023-12-04	£210,515
59 Birch Drive, Chatham, Kent Semi-Detached, an established residential building	£255,500	2023-02-24	£261,583
26 Birch Drive, Chatham, Kent Terraced, an established residential building	£222,000	2022-12-20	£220,703

View All Property Sales and Other Statistics for ME5 8YU

Employment

ME5 8YU area has a low unemployment rate. According to Census 2021, 2% residents of this area were unemployed, while the average in the UK was 4.83%. A low level of unemployment in an area indicates a strong job market, where most people who are seeking work can find employment. This generally reflects a healthy economy in the area.

Economic Activity

Full-Time Employee	114
Part-Time Employee	40
Retired	33
Self-Employed	29
Looking after home or family	10
Student (economically inactive)	8
Long-Term Sick or disabled	8
Unemployed	5
Full-Time Student (with or without job)	4
Other	2

Employment Industry

Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles	51
Human health and social work activities	27
Construction	25
Education	21
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	21
Information and communication	12
Administrative and support service activities	11
Other	11
Manufacturing	11
Professional, scientific and technical activities	10
Accommodation and food service activities	9
Transport and storage	8
Financial and insurance activities	7
Water supply; sewerage, waste management and remediation activities	2
Real estate activities	2
Electricity, gas, steam and air conditioning supply	1
Agriculture, forestry and fishing	1

Schools

Primary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Swingate Primary School Sultan Road , Lordswood ME5 8TJ	3out of 4	467 yd	Community school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
St Benedict's Catholic Primary School Lambourn Way , Lordswood ME5 8PU	3out of 4	951 yd	Voluntary aided school	No	Mixed	More About School
Lordswood School Lordswood Lane , ME5 8NN	3out of 4	1,580 yd	Academy sponsor led	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Bredhurst Church of England Voluntary Controlled Primary School The Street , Bredhurst ME7 3JY	4out of 4	2,097 yd	Voluntary controlled school	No	Mixed	More About School
Tunbury Primary School Tunbury Avenue , Walderslade ME5 9HY	3out of 4	2,183 yd	Community school	No	Mixed	More About School

Secondary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Greenacre Academy 157 Walderslade Road , Walderslade ME5 0LP	3out of 4	3,042 yd	Academy converter	No	Boys	More About School
Walderslade Girls' School Bradfields Avenue , Walderslade ME5 0LE	2out of 4	3,115 yd	Academy converter	Not Applicable	Girls	More About School
The Victory Academy Magpie Hall Road , ME4 5JB	3out of 4	4,907 yd	Academy sponsor led	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Holcombe Grammar School Holcombe , Maidstone Road ME4 6JB	3out of 4	4,936 yd	Academy converter	Not Applicable	Boys	More About School
Rainham School for Girls Derwent Way , Rainham ME8 0BX	3out of 4	5,080 yd	Academy converter	Not Applicable	Girls	More About School

Not applicable

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Bradfields Academy Churchill Avenue , ME5 0LB	4out of 4	3,221 yd	Academy special converter	No	Mixed	More About School
INSPIRE Free Special School Churchill Avenue , ME5 0LB	3out of 4	3,221 yd	Free schools special	No	Mixed	More About School
The Rowans Silverbank , Churchill Avenue ME5 0LB	4out of 4	3,546 yd	Academy alternative provision converter	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Bryony School 157 Marshall Road , Rainham ME8 0AJ	- not rated	4,382 yd	Other independent school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Danecourt School Hotel Road , ME8 6AA	3out of 4	5,239 yd	Academy special converter	Yes	Mixed	More About School

School statistics for this postcode are based on Ofsted rankings.

Food and Drink

Restaurants, Cafes, Canteens

Business Name	Address	Food hygiene rating	Distance
Lordswood CafÉ	4 Kestrel Road, Lordswood		817 yd

Pubs, Bars, Nightclubs

Business Name	Address	Food hygiene rating	Distance
The Harrow Inn	The Harrow, Lidsing Road		958 yd

Takeaway, Sandwich Shops

Business Name	Address	Distance
Farmhouse Lordswood Pizza	9 Kestrel Road, Lordswood	804 yd
Lordswood Chinese Takeaway	5 Kestrel Road, Lordswood	814 yd
Lordswood Kebab	1 Kestrel Road, Lordswood	824 yd

Sport

Facility Name	Sport Objects	Distance
Swingate Primary School SULTAN ROAD	grass pitches	518 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	100.0%
Percentage of premises that have Ultrafast Broadband (300Mbit/s or greater) coverage from fixed broadband	100.0%
Percentage of premises that have coverage from a Gigabit capable service from fixed broadband	100.0%

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	80 Mbit/s
Average download speed	180.1 Mbit/s
Minimum download speed	1000 Mbit/s
Maximum download speed	1000 Mbit/s

Upload Speed

Median upload speed	10 Mbit/s
Average upload speed	16.3 Mbit/s
Maximum upload speed	50 Mbit/s

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

Overview of ME5 8YU