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Neighbourhood · Colchester · East of England

Colchester CO4

Colchester 024 · 5 sub-areas · 7,812 residents

Colchester 024 is a residential area within Colchester, home to around 7,800 people and sitting at a relatively accessible point in the East of England rental market. A typical two-bedroom flat lets for about £1,080 a month — close to the UK median for a 2-bed — and London is reachable by rail in just under an hour, making this a genuine commuter option for those priced out of the capital.

Best for Young professionals (87/100)Watch-out: Families (52/100)Liveability 76/100 · Top quartileCommuter neighbourhood

Colchester CO4 is a commuter neighbourhood within Colchester — train into London runs in around 55 minutes, and the rhythm of weekday mornings is shaped by it. A high share of adults are degree-educated, which often shows up in the kind of jobs people commute to.

2-bed rent
£1,080/mo+5.9%
1-bed £833 · 3-bed £1,320
Crime / 1k / yr
98.1
Above median
Best hub commute
55 min
Direct to London
Good schools 2 km
11%
11 schools within 2 km
Liveability
76/100
Top quartile
Population
7,812
5 sub-areas

Overview

Overview

What's it like to live in Colchester CO4?

A snapshot of Colchester CO4

2 parks and 3 playgrounds are within five minutes' walk, so greenspace is reliably close at hand; Crime sits around the national average — neither a notable concern nor a notable selling point; 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 £1,216 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.

Colchester CO4 in Colchester

Overview

Living in Colchester CO4

What sets this part of Colchester apart is the balance it strikes between affordability and connectivity. Rents sit broadly in line with the national median, which is notable given how close the neighbourhood sits to the London commuter belt — a direct rail journey of under 57 minutes puts the City and Liverpool Street within reach for a daily commute without the premium you'd pay in Essex towns like Chelmsford or Brentwood.

The cost picture is relatively straightforward. A one-bed runs around £833 a month, a two-bed around £1,080, and a three-bed around £1,320. Those figures have risen about 6% over the past year, which is meaningful but not unusual for commuter-adjacent areas in the East of England. Council tax (Band D) comes to roughly £2,283 a year — a figure worth factoring in alongside rent.

Who lives here is a mix that skews slightly younger than you might expect from a commuter suburb. Just over a quarter of residents are under 18, and the 18–34 age bracket accounts for more than a quarter of the population too, suggesting a blend of families and younger renters rather than a purely settled owner-occupier demographic. Around half the homes are owner-occupied, with private renters making up just over a third — a reasonable split for an area at this price point.

Practically, the nearest mainline rail station is roughly 850 metres away — about an 11-minute walk — which makes it one of the more walkable setups in the borough. Working from home is genuinely embedded here: more than a third of residents work remotely on any given day, which partly explains why car use for commuting (around 36%) is relatively contained. Full gigabit broadband coverage across the area makes the WFH picture a realistic one. See the streets and sub-areas below for more.

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FAQ

Frequently asked

Is Colchester 024 a nice place to live?
It's a solid mid-range choice within Colchester — affordable by commuter-belt standards, well connected to London by rail, and with a reasonable mix of families and younger professionals. The main trade-off is that Ofsted ratings for nearby schools are well below the national average, and the crime rate is above the UK norm, so it suits people who prioritise affordability and connectivity over those specific factors.
What is the rent in Colchester 024?
A one-bedroom property runs around £833 a month, a two-bedroom around £1,080, and a three-bedroom around £1,320. Rents have risen roughly 6% over the past year. These figures are estimates scaled from city-level data using local sale prices rather than directly measured neighbourhood rents.
Is Colchester 024 safe?
The crime rate is around 127 incidents per 1,000 residents annually — noticeably above the UK national rate of roughly 80 per 1,000. The area scores in the seventh deprivation decile, so it's not among the most deprived parts of the country, but the elevated crime figure is worth investigating at a street level before choosing a specific address.
What's the commute from Colchester 024 to London?
The rail commute to London takes just under 57 minutes by public transport, and the nearest mainline station is roughly 850 metres away — about an 11-minute walk. That makes this one of the more accessible parts of Colchester for London commuters, especially given the relatively moderate rents compared to closer-in Essex towns.
Who lives in Colchester 024?
A mix of families and younger professionals, with a notably high share of degree-holders (46%) and a meaningful 18–34 population. Around half of homes are owner-occupied, with just over a third privately rented. More than a third of residents work from home on any given day, which shapes the neighbourhood's daytime character.
What schools are near Colchester 024?
There are 61 schools within typical catchment distance — a high count — but only around 14% are rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted, well below the national average of roughly 89%. The nearest Outstanding school is just over 2km away. It's worth checking individual school ratings and catchment boundaries directly with Colchester's local authority before deciding.
How does working from home work in Colchester 024?
Well, as it happens. Full gigabit broadband coverage means connectivity isn't a constraint, and more than a third of residents already work remotely on any given day. That high WFH rate is one reason public transport use for commuting is relatively low despite the strong rail links into London.
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