Kennington West & Vauxhall North
Lambeth 003 · 6 sub-areas · 10,207 residents
Lambeth 003 sits within the London borough of Lambeth, home to around 10,200 people and notable for its unusually high proportion of social housing alongside a highly educated, predominantly renting population. A typical two-bedroom flat lets for about £2,341 a month — broadly in line with the wider Lambeth average — while central London is reachable in under ten minutes by public transport.
Kennington West & Vauxhall North is a commuter neighbourhood within Lambeth — train into London runs in around 9 minutes, and the rhythm of weekday mornings is shaped by it. The population skews young, with a high concentration of 18- to 34-year-olds; a high share of adults are degree-educated, which often shows up in the kind of jobs people commute to.
Overview
What's it like to live in Kennington West & Vauxhall North?
The area is unusually green for its density — 10 parks and 21 playgrounds sit within five minutes' walk of the centroid; food and drink within walking distance is workable but not dense — around 31 restaurants and 11 pubs in five minutes; the cultural offer is one of the area's draws — dozens of theatres, museums and galleries within two kilometres; Recorded crime is higher than the national norm — common for built-up urban areas, but worth weighing if you're looking for a quieter base; Public transport is genuinely strong; most errands and a fair share of social life don't need a car; rents sit firmly in the upper bracket nationally, with a typical home letting at around £2,525 a month; 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.
Kennington West & Vauxhall North in Lambeth
Living in Kennington West & Vauxhall North
Lambeth 003 is a densely populated inner London neighbourhood where the housing mix tells you everything about who lives here. Social renting accounts for over four in ten households — a striking concentration even by inner-city standards — sitting alongside a substantial private rented sector. Owner-occupation is rare at under a quarter of homes, which shapes the neighbourhood's character: it's transient in some pockets, long-established in others, with a genuine mix of long-term council tenants and newer arrivals renting privately.
On costs, you're paying inner London prices without quite reaching the premium of neighbourhoods further north or west. A two-bedroom flat runs around £2,341 a month, a three-bedroom closer to £2,680 — well above the national average of roughly £1,200 for a two-bed, but not exceptional for this part of the capital. Council tax (Band D) adds around £2,047 a year. Buying is a stretch: the median sale price sits just above £573,000, and on a typical resident salary of around £43,700 a year, you're looking at roughly six and a half years just to save a deposit.
The people living here skew young — over a third are aged 18 to 34 — and unusually well-qualified, with more than half holding a degree. Single-person households make up 38% of all homes, pointing to a population that's largely professional and independent rather than family-oriented. Ethnic diversity is high, with an index score of 62.6 and just under 60% of residents UK-born.
Practically speaking, the neighbourhood is well-connected: the nearest underground station is roughly 425 metres away, and central London is accessible in under nine minutes by public transport. Greenspace is genuinely close — 93% of residents are within a walkable distance of a park or open space, with the nearest green area averaging under 200 metres. For more detail on specific streets and sub-areas, see the streets and sub-areas section below.
What you'll need on day one
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Frequently asked
- Is Lambeth 003 a nice place to live?
- It depends on your priorities. The transport links are excellent — central London in under nine minutes — and green space is close by for the vast majority of residents. But crime runs high, around 187 incidents per 1,000 people annually, and rents are stretched relative to incomes. It suits young professionals who want fast access to central London and don't mind the trade-offs of a dense, mixed inner-city neighbourhood.
- What is the rent in Lambeth 003?
- A one-bedroom flat typically costs around £1,880 a month, a two-bedroom around £2,341, and a three-bedroom around £2,680. Rents rose roughly 6.7% in the past year. These figures are estimates scaled from borough-level data using local sale prices, so treat them as a guide rather than a precise figure.
- Is Lambeth 003 safe?
- Crime sits at around 187 incidents per 1,000 residents annually — roughly two and a half times the UK national average. That's consistent with much of inner south London rather than being specific to this area. Quieter residential streets tend to be calmer than main roads and transport hubs, but it's worth factoring into your decision, particularly if safety is a priority.
- What's the commute from Lambeth 003 to central London?
- Under nine minutes by public transport — one of the faster connections you'll find in inner London. The nearest underground station is around a five-minute walk, and a mainline rail station is roughly nine minutes on foot. That said, half of residents currently work from home, so the commute question is less pressing here than in many comparable neighbourhoods.
- Who lives in Lambeth 003?
- Mostly young professionals in their 20s and 30s, with over a third of residents aged 18 to 34 and more than half holding a degree. Social housing accounts for 41% of all households — well above the London norm — sitting alongside a significant private rental sector. Single-person households make up 38% of homes; families with children are relatively uncommon.
- What schools are near Lambeth 003?
- There are 327 schools within 2km of typical residents, so access to options isn't a problem. Around 39% are rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted — below the national average of roughly 89% — though the nearest Outstanding-rated school is only about 455 metres away. School quality varies considerably across short distances, so researching individual catchment areas carefully before committing is strongly advisable.
- Is Lambeth 003 affordable?
- Not particularly. Rent can consume close to all of a median resident's take-home pay — the rent-to-income ratio approaches 92% at the median — and buying is a serious stretch, with a median sale price of around £573,000. On a typical local salary of about £43,700, saving a deposit takes an estimated six and a half years. It's affordable relative to the most expensive parts of London, but tough by any other measure.