Galleywood
Chelmsford 017 · 5 sub-areas · 7,054 residents
Chelmsford 017 is a largely residential corner of Chelmsford, home to around 7,054 people and skewing noticeably older than most of the city. A typical two-bedroom property lets for about £1,294 a month — broadly in line with the Chelmsford average. Three quarters of homes here are owner-occupied, making it one of the more settled, established parts of the borough.
Galleywood is a green, lower-density part of Chelmsford — parks within walking distance of most addresses, a slower weekday rhythm, and a population skewed toward longer-tenure households rather than transient renters. The population skews older, with a long-settled feel and a high share of retirees; most homes are owner-occupied, so turnover is low and many residents have been here a long time.
Overview
What's it like to live in Galleywood?
2 parks and 4 playgrounds are within five minutes' walk, so greenspace is reliably close at hand; The streets feel safe by national standards — police-recorded crime is well below the country-wide median; Transport links are limited — a car or e-bike is a practical assumption for most regular trips; 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 5 sub-areas — population-weighted means for rates, sums for counts. Sources cited beneath each section.
Galleywood in Chelmsford
Living in Galleywood
This part of Chelmsford sits firmly in the owner-occupier belt — around three in four homes are owned outright or with a mortgage, which sets the tone. It's quieter and more settled than the city centre neighbourhoods, with a noticeably older age profile: nearly a quarter of residents are 65 or over, and the 50–64 cohort adds another fifth. Younger renters make up a smaller slice of the population here than elsewhere in Chelmsford.
Rent sits roughly in the middle of the Chelmsford range. A one-bedroom flat runs about £1,061 a month, a two-bedroom around £1,294, and a three-bedroom closer to £1,544. Rents rose around 7.7% in the past year — a sharp increase, though in line with wider Essex trends. Council tax (Band D) comes to around £2,300 a year. The rent-to-take-home ratio here is steep at around 62%, so affordability is a real consideration for anyone on a typical local salary.
The area has a low ethnic diversity index of around 12.8, and over 92% of residents were born in the UK — one of the more homogeneous parts of the borough. Around 30% of residents hold a degree-level qualification, slightly below what you'd find in the more professional commuter zones closer to Chelmsford station. Single-person households account for roughly one in four homes.
Day-to-day, the car is king here — over half of residents drive to work, and only around 5% use public transport for their commute. Just over a third work from home, which is a notably high share and reflects the older, more established professional demographic. Greenspace is genuinely accessible: nearly 59% of residents are within a short walk of open space, and the average distance to the nearest green area is only around 312 metres. See the streets and sub-areas below for more detail on specific pockets within this neighbourhood.
What you'll need on day one
Compare Galleywood with
Frequently asked
- Is Chelmsford 017 a nice place to live?
- It's a quiet, well-established part of Chelmsford that suits older residents and settled families better than young renters or professionals looking for city-centre energy. Crime is low, greenspace is close by, and the area ranks in the seventh deprivation decile nationally — meaning it's comfortably above average on most quality-of-life measures. The trade-off is that public transport is limited and you'll almost certainly need a car.
- What is the rent in Chelmsford 017?
- A one-bedroom flat runs about £1,061 a month, a two-bedroom around £1,294, and a three-bedroom roughly £1,544. These are estimates scaled from borough-level data using local sale prices. Rents rose around 7.7% in the past year, so expect the market to stay competitive. Council tax (Band D) adds around £2,300 a year on top.
- Is Chelmsford 017 safe?
- Yes, relatively. The crime rate is around 60 incidents per 1,000 residents per year, which is noticeably below the UK national rate of around 80 per 1,000. The combination of high owner-occupation, an older population, and low deprivation tends to keep crime figures down in areas like this.
- What's the commute from Chelmsford 017 to London?
- The rail commute to London takes around 82 minutes by public transport. The catch is getting to the station — the nearest mainline rail station is roughly 4.3 km away, so you'll need to factor in a bus or drive to the station. Over half of residents commute by car rather than public transport.
- Who lives in Chelmsford 017?
- Predominantly older, owner-occupying residents — nearly a quarter of the population is 65 or over, and three quarters own their home. It's one of the most settled parts of the borough, with a very high share of UK-born residents and a low proportion of private renters. Young professionals and families with school-age children are underrepresented compared to other parts of Chelmsford.
- What schools are near Chelmsford 017?
- There are 24 schools within typical catchment distance, but only around 25% are rated Good or Outstanding. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is approximately 4.6 km away. If school quality is a priority, it's worth checking specific catchment boundaries carefully and looking at options slightly further into the borough.
- How good is broadband in Chelmsford 017?
- Excellent. Full gigabit-capable broadband is available to 100% of premises, and there are no connections below the minimum Universal Service Obligation speed. Given that over a third of residents already work from home, this is a genuine practical strength of living here.