Sutton Forest Side & New Cross
Ashfield 004 · 5 sub-areas · 10,549 residents
Ashfield 004 is a residential neighbourhood within Ashfield, home to around 10,500 people. A typical two-bedroom property rents for about £708 a month — well under half the national median for a 2-bed and noticeably below the East Midlands average. With nearly two-thirds of residents owning their home, this is one of the more settled, owner-occupied corners of the district.
Sutton Forest Side & New Cross is a commuter neighbourhood within Ashfield — train into Sheffield runs in around 56 minutes, and the rhythm of weekday mornings is shaped by it.
Overview
What's it like to live in Sutton Forest Side & New Cross?
Day-to-day life sits close to greenery — a park or playing field is within easy walking distance of most addresses; Recorded crime is higher than the national norm — common for built-up urban areas, but worth weighing if you're looking for a quieter base; Public transport is genuinely strong; most errands and a fair share of social life don't need a car; rents are below the national norm, with a typical home letting at around £777 a month; gigabit broadband is effectively universal.
Generated from the latest May 2026 data · refreshed automatically
Figures are aggregated across 5 sub-areas — population-weighted means for rates, sums for counts. Sources cited beneath each section.
Sutton Forest Side & New Cross in Ashfield
Living in Sutton Forest Side & New Cross
Ashfield 004 is a predominantly residential neighbourhood where the overwhelming majority of people own rather than rent — around 56% of households are owner-occupied, giving the area a settled, community feel compared to many urban parts of the East Midlands. Nearly two-thirds of residents can reach green space within a short walk, and the typical distance to the nearest park or open space is under 300 metres, which makes day-to-day life feel noticeably less urban than the headline population figure might suggest.
The cost picture here is one of the most compelling reasons to consider Ashfield 004. A two-bedroom property runs around £708 a month, roughly £490 less than the UK median for the same size home. Even a three-bedroom costs only about £826 a month. For buyers, the median sale price sits at just over £164,000 — and first-time buyers can typically save a deposit in under three years. Council tax at Band D comes to around £2,609 a year, which is broadly typical for the East Midlands.
The neighbourhood skews younger than you might expect for an owner-occupied area: around 23% of residents are under 18 and a similar share are aged 18 to 34, suggesting a good number of young families alongside longer-established households. About 19% of households are couples with children, and single-person households make up roughly 30% — a fairly standard mix for a district like Ashfield. The degree-qualification rate, at 20%, is below the national average, reflecting the area's working-class and skilled-trades roots.
For getting around, the nearest mainline rail station is roughly 1 km away — about a 13-minute walk. The dominant mode of transport here is the car: nearly two-thirds of residents drive to work, and only around 5% use public transport. Around 15% work from home, which is in line with post-pandemic norms. See the streets and sub-areas below for more on how connectivity varies across the neighbourhood.
What you'll need on day one
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Frequently asked
- Is Ashfield 004 a nice place to live?
- It depends on your priorities. The area is genuinely affordable and has a settled, community feel — most residents own their homes and green space is close by. The trade-off is that crime runs higher than the national average and school quality within catchment distance is significantly below the national norm. It suits people who value space and low costs over urban amenities or top-rated schools.
- What is the rent in Ashfield 004?
- A one-bedroom property rents for around £546 a month, a two-bedroom around £708, and a three-bedroom around £826. These are estimates based on local sale prices scaled from district-level data. Rents rose about 4.3% over the past year. Even so, Ashfield 004 is one of the cheaper places to rent in the East Midlands.
- Is Ashfield 004 safe?
- Crime runs at around 152 incidents per 1,000 residents a year — roughly double the UK national average of around 80. The area sits in the third deprivation decile nationally, and crime tends to be higher in more deprived areas. It's worth researching specific streets rather than treating the neighbourhood as uniform, as safety varies within the area.
- What's the commute from Ashfield 004 to nearby cities?
- By public transport, Birmingham takes around 85 minutes, Manchester around 104 minutes, and London around 129 minutes. The nearest mainline station is about 1 km away — roughly a 13-minute walk. Most residents drive rather than use public transport; only around 5% commute by bus or train.
- Who lives in Ashfield 004?
- Predominantly working-age families and settled owner-occupiers. Around 23% of residents are under 18, and 56% of households own their home. The neighbourhood is ethnically homogeneous, with 90% of residents UK-born. Degree-holders make up 20% of residents — below the national average — pointing to a workforce centred on trades, health, and manual occupations.
- What schools are near Ashfield 004?
- There are 51 schools within 2 km of most residents, but only around 46% are rated Good or Outstanding — well below the national average of roughly 89%. The nearest Outstanding school is just over 6 km away. If school quality is a priority, checking individual Ofsted ratings and catchment maps before choosing a street is strongly advisable.
- Is it worth buying property in Ashfield 004?
- The numbers make a reasonable case for it. The median sale price is just over £164,000, and first-time buyers can typically save a deposit in under three years. With gigabit broadband available to all premises and strong owner-occupation rates, the area has real stability — though the lower school quality and above-average crime are factors to weigh.