Shrub End
Colchester 015 · 6 sub-areas · 10,216 residents
Colchester 015 is a residential area within Colchester, home to around 10,200 people and skewed noticeably younger than most of the town. A typical two-bedroom flat lets for about £1,080 a month — slightly below the UK median for a 2-bed — though renters here typically spend well over half their take-home pay on rent, making affordability a real consideration.
Shrub End is a mid-density neighbourhood of Colchester 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 demographic profile leans family-aged, with a clear share of households with school-age children.
Overview
What's it like to live in Shrub End?
Greenspace is reachable but isn't on the immediate doorstep — most residents walk a few blocks to reach a park; Crime sits around the national average — neither a notable concern nor a notable selling point; 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 6 sub-areas — population-weighted means for rates, sums for counts. Sources cited beneath each section.
Shrub End in Colchester
Living in Shrub End
This part of Colchester has a distinctly family-oriented feel. Nearly three in ten residents are under 18, and couples with children make up nearly a third of all households — figures that sit well above typical urban averages. That mix shapes the character of the area: it's quieter and more settled than the town centre, but with the practical infrastructure families need close by.
The cost picture is moderately manageable by national standards, but tight relative to local incomes. At £1,080 a month for a two-bedroom home, rents are roughly in line with the UK median, and you're paying noticeably less than you would in the London commuter belt proper. The trade-off is that local salaries are modest — the median resident earns around £31,600 a year — which means the typical renter is devoting nearly 59% of their take-home pay to rent. That's a squeeze, and it's worth factoring in before committing.
Ownership levels are relatively low for a suburban area: only around four in ten homes are owner-occupied, with a third rented privately and a quarter in social housing. That social-housing share is higher than you'd expect in a mid-sized Essex town, which gives the area a more mixed demographic profile than its suburban appearance might suggest. Degree-level qualifications are held by just over a quarter of residents — below the national average — and the ethnic diversity index sits at 28.5, slightly more diverse than many comparable outer-Essex neighbourhoods.
Rents rose roughly 6% in the past year, which is above the general rate of wage growth locally. If you're looking at the area, it's worth noting that our per-neighbourhood rent figures are estimates — the official ONS data covers Colchester as a whole, and we scale it using local sale prices to get a more accurate neighbourhood figure. The median sale price here is around £314,000, and at current rates it takes roughly five years to save a deposit. See the streets and sub-areas below for more on how costs vary across the area.
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Frequently asked
- Is Colchester 015 a nice place to live?
- It's a family-oriented suburban area with decent green space nearby and good broadband, but affordability is tight — renters typically spend nearly 59% of take-home pay on rent. Crime rates are above the national average, and school Ofsted ratings in the immediate area are below the national norm. It suits families and younger residents more than professionals seeking a commuter base.
- What is the rent in Colchester 015?
- A one-bedroom flat runs around £833 a month, a two-bedroom around £1,080, and a three-bedroom around £1,320. Rents rose nearly 6% in the past year. These are estimates scaled from Colchester-wide ONS data using local sale prices, so treat them as a reliable guide rather than a precise figure.
- Is Colchester 015 safe?
- The area records around 93 crimes per 1,000 residents a year — above the UK national rate of roughly 80. That's worth noting, though rates vary across the neighbourhood. Checking street-level crime data for your specific street before moving is advisable.
- What's the commute from Colchester 015 to London?
- By public transport (rail), London is around 105 minutes away — a long daily commute by most standards. The nearest mainline station is roughly 2.9 km from the centre of the area, so factor in getting there too. Most residents drive rather than commute by rail.
- Who lives in Colchester 015?
- Predominantly young families — nearly a third of households are couples with children, and 28% of residents are under 18. There's a meaningful social-housing presence (around one in four homes), giving the area a more mixed profile than typical Essex suburbs. Just over a quarter of residents hold degree-level qualifications.
- What schools are near Colchester 015?
- There are 85 schools within typical catchment distance, though only around 42% are rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted — well below the national share of approximately 89%. The nearest Outstanding school is just under 2km away. Use Ofsted's own search tool to check current ratings for specific schools.
- How affordable is Colchester 015 for renters?
- It's tight. The median resident earns around £31,600 a year, and a typical two-bedroom rent of £1,080 a month eats up nearly 59% of take-home pay. That's significantly above the recommended one-third threshold. Saving a deposit takes around five years at current prices.