Chelmsford CM2
Chelmsford 022 · 4 sub-areas · 8,862 residents
Chelmsford 022 is a neighbourhood within Chelmsford, home to around 8,800 people and skewing notably young — four in ten residents are aged 18 to 34. A typical two-bedroom flat lets for around £1,300 a month, close to the UK median for a 2-bed, and the rail commute into London takes under 40 minutes.
Chelmsford CM2 is a mid-density neighbourhood of Chelmsford in the East of England region. It sits between busier and quieter parts of the local authority and isn't dominated by a single use — there's a mix of workplaces, housing and local services. The population skews young, with a high concentration of 18- to 34-year-olds; the rental market is active and turnover is high — people move through rather than stay.
Overview
What's it like to live in Chelmsford CM2?
Day-to-day life sits close to greenery — a park or playing field is within easy walking distance of most addresses; there's a serious food scene on the doorstep — 66 restaurants and lots of variety within a five-minute walk; 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 roughly in line with the national norm, at around £1,442 a month for a typical home; gigabit broadband is effectively universal.
Generated from the latest May 2026 data · refreshed automatically
Figures are aggregated across 4 sub-areas — population-weighted means for rates, sums for counts. Sources cited beneath each section.
Chelmsford CM2 in Chelmsford
Living in Chelmsford CM2
This part of Chelmsford draws a younger crowd than you might expect from an Essex commuter town. Around 40% of residents are between 18 and 34, and over four in ten households are single-person — so it has the density and energy of a place where people are starting out, not necessarily settling down for life. The nearest rail station is roughly 770 metres away, just under a 10-minute walk, which makes the London connection feel genuinely easy.
Rents here sit close to the national 2-bed benchmark. A two-bedroom runs about £1,300 a month and a one-bedroom around £1,060, which is competitive given the sub-40-minute London commute. The median property price is around £291,000, and if you're saving for a deposit the data suggests roughly four years to get there — modest by South East standards. Council tax (Band D) comes to around £2,300 a year.
Almost half of households rent privately, which is well above the national norm, and only 45% own their home. Social housing accounts for around one in nine households. The degree-qualification rate is 43%, noticeably above the East of England average, reflecting the influx of graduates who treat Chelmsford as an affordable stepping stone to London.
One standout is the work-from-home rate: nearly 44% of residents work from home, one of the higher shares you'll find in an East of England neighbourhood of this size. Gigabit broadband covers the whole area — 100% of premises — so remote working is well supported. For sub-areas and specific streets, see the full breakdown below.
What you'll need on day one
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Frequently asked
- Is Chelmsford 022 a nice place to live?
- It works well for young professionals and graduates who want a London-commutable base without London prices. The rail connection is under 40 minutes to the capital, broadband is excellent, and rents are close to the UK median. The trade-off is that the Ofsted picture for nearby schools is below the national average, and the crime rate is elevated compared with quieter suburban areas.
- What is the rent in Chelmsford 022?
- A one-bedroom flat runs around £1,060 a month, a two-bedroom about £1,300, and a three-bedroom roughly £1,540. Rents rose around 7.7% over the past year. These are estimates scaled from council-level ONS data using local sale prices.
- Is Chelmsford 022 safe?
- The recorded crime rate is around 399 incidents per 1,000 residents annually, which is above the UK national average of roughly 80. That said, town-centre adjacent areas with high young-adult populations tend to record higher figures. It's worth looking at the specific crime categories on Police.uk for a more granular picture.
- What's the commute from Chelmsford 022 to London?
- Around 38 minutes by rail. The nearest mainline station is roughly 770 metres away — about a 10-minute walk. It's a straightforward commute by Essex standards, and nearly 44% of residents now work from home, so many don't make the journey daily.
- Who lives in Chelmsford 022?
- Predominantly young adults — 40% are aged 18 to 34 — with a high share of single-person households (43%) and private renters (41.5%). Degree holders make up 43% of residents, and the work-from-home rate is unusually high at 44%, suggesting a graduate-heavy, professional demographic.
- What schools are near Chelmsford 022?
- There are 73 schools within 2 kilometres, so access isn't an issue. However, only around 37% are rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted within typical catchment distance — well below the national share of roughly 89%. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is just over 1 kilometre away. Check current Ofsted reports before making decisions.
- How good is broadband in Chelmsford 022?
- Excellent. Gigabit-capable broadband covers 100% of premises, and no connections fall below the universal service obligation minimum. It's one of the better-connected neighbourhoods in the East of England, which supports the area's high work-from-home rate.