Bush Fair & Brays Grove
Harlow 006 · 5 sub-areas · 8,474 residents
Harlow 006 is a residential patch of Harlow, in the East of England, home to around 8,500 people. A typical two-bedroom flat lets for about £1,320 a month — slightly above the Harlow average but well below what you'd pay in London. The neighbourhood stands out for its unusually high share of social housing and some of the lowest private-renting rates in the area.
Bush Fair & Brays Grove is a commuter neighbourhood within Harlow — train into London runs in around 60 minutes, and the rhythm of weekday mornings is shaped by it.
Overview
What's it like to live in Bush Fair & Brays Grove?
The area is unusually green for its density — 8 parks and 3 playgrounds sit within five minutes' walk of the centroid; 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 £1,513 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.
Bush Fair & Brays Grove in Harlow
Living in Bush Fair & Brays Grove
Harlow 006 sits within one of Essex's most distinctly planned towns, and this part of it has a settled, community-oriented feel. Over a third of households here are in social housing — well above what you'd find in most comparable Essex neighbourhoods — which shapes the character of the area. It's predominantly residential, with green space genuinely close by: around 84% of residents can reach parkland within a short walk, and the nearest green space is barely 200 metres away on average.
On cost, Harlow 006 sits in a middle band for Harlow itself. A typical two-bed comes to around £1,320 a month, and a one-bed around £1,020. That's noticeably cheaper than commuter-belt towns closer to the M25, and a long way south of London prices. Council tax (Band D) runs to about £2,299 a year — roughly in line with the wider Harlow district. Deposit-saving takes around five years at typical local salaries, which is manageable compared to much of the South East.
The population skews young — nearly a quarter of residents are under 18, and the 18–34 age group makes up roughly another fifth. Couples with children account for around one in five households. The degree-qualification rate is relatively low at around 20%, and the area sits in the fourth deprivation decile nationally, meaning it faces moderate levels of economic disadvantage. Around four in five residents were born in the UK.
For getting around, most residents drive — over six in ten commute by car. The nearest mainline rail station is roughly 2.6 km away in a straight line, about a 33-minute walk or a short drive. The public-transport rail commute to London takes just under an hour, which makes this a realistic choice for commuters who don't need to be in the capital every day. Broadband coverage is strong: 100% gigabit-capable with no premises below the universal service obligation threshold. See the streets and sub-areas below for more.
What you'll need on day one
Compare Bush Fair & Brays Grove with
Frequently asked
- Is Harlow 006 a nice place to live?
- It depends on your priorities. Green space is genuinely accessible — around 84% of residents can reach it on foot — and it's affordable relative to much of Essex. The social housing concentration gives it a settled, community feel, but Ofsted ratings for nearby schools are well below the national average and the crime rate sits above typical UK levels.
- What is the rent in Harlow 006?
- A one-bed flat runs around £1,020 a month, a two-bed around £1,320 and a three-bed around £1,560. Rents rose roughly 6.7% in the past year. These are estimates scaled from council-level data using local sale prices rather than direct neighbourhood-level surveys.
- Is Harlow 006 safe?
- The crime rate is around 102 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, which is above the UK national average of roughly 80. That's consistent with Harlow as a whole, which tends to record higher rates than surrounding rural Essex. Check the crime breakdown below for the specific categories affecting this area.
- What's the commute from Harlow 006 to London?
- By public transport the journey takes just under an hour — around 59 minutes. The nearest mainline rail station is roughly 2.6 km away, so most residents drive or cycle there rather than walking. Over six in ten commuters use a car for their daily journey.
- Who lives in Harlow 006?
- Mostly families — couples with children make up around one in five households, and nearly a quarter of residents are under 18. Over a third of households are in social housing. The degree-qualification rate is relatively low at around 20%, and around four in five residents were born in the UK.
- What schools are near Harlow 006?
- There are 129 schools within 2 km of typical residents, but only around 23% are rated Good or Outstanding — well below the national average of roughly 89%. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is about 1,850 metres away. It's worth checking Essex county council's school finder for current catchment boundaries and admissions policies.
- How does Harlow 006 compare to the rest of Harlow for rent?
- It sits in the middle of the Harlow range. Two-bed rents of around £1,320 a month are typical for the town rather than at either extreme. Private renting is less common here than in some other Harlow neighbourhoods — only about 12% of households rent privately, compared with the much larger social-rented sector.