Fornham, Great Barton & Rougham
West Suffolk 016 · 4 sub-areas · 10,232 residents
West Suffolk 016 is a largely owner-occupied corner of West Suffolk, home to around 10,200 people. A typical two-bedroom home rents for about £1,050 a month — slightly below the UK median for a 2-bed — and nearly seven in ten residents own their home outright or with a mortgage, giving the area a settled, residential character.
Fornham, Great Barton & Rougham is a mid-density neighbourhood of West Suffolk 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 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 Fornham, Great Barton & Rougham?
Greenspace is reachable but isn't on the immediate doorstep — most residents walk a few blocks to reach a park; there's effectively nothing within walking distance — eating out, drinking and shopping mean a drive; 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 £1,176 a month for a typical home.
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.
Fornham, Great Barton & Rougham in West Suffolk
Living in Fornham, Great Barton & Rougham
This part of West Suffolk sits firmly in owner-occupier territory. The streets here feel quiet and established — the kind of place where families put down roots rather than pass through. With nearly a quarter of residents aged 65 or over, the demographic is noticeably older than in most urban areas, and the housing stock reflects that: predominantly houses rather than flats, with plenty of three-bedroom family homes.
On rent, West Suffolk 016 is genuinely affordable by most English standards. A two-bedroom property runs around £1,050 a month — close to, and slightly below, the UK national median of roughly £1,200. That said, private renting is a minority tenure here: only about one in seven households rent privately, so availability can be limited compared with more urban markets.
The population skews older and settled. Around a third of residents hold a degree-level qualification — above the regional average for much of rural East of England. Single-person households account for roughly one in four homes, pointing to a mix of older individuals and some younger working-age residents living alone. Ethnic diversity is low: just over nine in ten residents were UK-born.
For day-to-day practicalities, the nearest mainline rail station is roughly 3.5 km away — about a 43-minute walk, so most residents drive. Car use dominates commuting at over 61% of journeys, while nearly a third of residents work from home — well above the national norm, reflecting the area's professional and semi-rural character. Broadband is decent, with around half of premises able to access a gigabit connection. See the streets and sub-areas below for more.
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Frequently asked
- Is West Suffolk 016 a nice place to live?
- It's a quiet, settled area with relatively low crime — around 60 incidents per 1,000 residents annually, well below the national average. Most residents own their homes, the area scores in the less-deprived half of English neighbourhoods, and nearly a third of people work from home. It suits those wanting a calmer pace rather than urban convenience.
- What is the rent in West Suffolk 016?
- A one-bedroom property runs roughly £810 a month, a two-bedroom around £1,050, and a three-bedroom about £1,310. These are neighbourhood-level estimates scaled from local sale prices. Rents rose around 5.5% over the past year. Private rental stock is limited — only about one in seven households here rents privately.
- Is West Suffolk 016 safe?
- Yes, relatively so. The crime rate is around 60 per 1,000 residents a year, which is noticeably below the UK national rate of roughly 80 per 1,000. The area sits in deprivation decile 7 out of 10 (where 10 is least deprived), which broadly tracks with the lower crime picture.
- What's the commute from West Suffolk 016 to the nearest city centre?
- The nearest mainline rail station is roughly 3.5 km away — most residents drive to it. The public-transport journey to London takes around 140 minutes. Over 61% of residents commute by car, and nearly a third work from home, which reduces the daily commute pressure for many.
- Who lives in West Suffolk 016?
- Mostly older, settled owner-occupiers. Around a quarter of residents are 65 or over, and nearly 70% own their home. About a third hold degree-level qualifications, and over 90% were UK-born. It's a low-turnover, family-and-retiree neighbourhood rather than a transient or student-heavy one.
- What schools are near West Suffolk 016?
- There are eight schools within typical catchment distance, but only around 54% are rated Good or Outstanding — well below the national share of roughly 89%. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is approximately 11 km away. If school quality is a priority, it's worth researching individual catchments carefully before committing to the area.
- How affordable is buying a home in West Suffolk 016?
- The median house price is around £362,000. At typical saving rates, it takes roughly 5.4 years to build a deposit — moderate by southern English standards. Renting a two-bed instead runs about £1,050 a month, which eats up around 54% of median take-home pay — a stretch, making this more of an ownership market than a renter's one.