Plaistow North
Newham 021 · 4 sub-areas · 7,624 residents
Newham 021 is a densely populated pocket of Newham in east London, home to around 7,600 people. A typical two-bedroom flat lets for about £1,977 a month — noticeably above the UK average but below what you'd pay in inner west London. Nearly half of all residents rent through social housing, making this one of the more tenure-mixed neighbourhoods in the borough.
Plaistow North is a commuter neighbourhood within Newham — train into London runs in around 13 minutes, and the rhythm of weekday mornings is shaped by it.
Overview
What's it like to live in Plaistow North?
The area is unusually green for its density — 6 parks and 12 playgrounds sit within five minutes' walk of the centroid; food and drink within walking distance is workable but not dense — around 18 restaurants and 3 pubs in five minutes; 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 £1,912 a month; gigabit broadband is effectively universal.
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.
Plaistow North in Newham
Living in Plaistow North
This part of Newham sits within easy reach of central London — roughly 13 minutes by public transport to the nearest major employment hub. That connectivity is one of its main draws, and it explains why a significant share of residents commute out rather than work locally: there are around 0.4 jobs per working-age resident here, well below what you'd need for the area to be self-contained. The result is a neighbourhood that functions largely as a place to live rather than a place to work.
Rents here are meaningful. A two-bed runs close to £2,000 a month, and rents rose around 7.7% in the past year — faster than most renters would want. The ratio of rent to take-home pay is stark: on the median resident salary of around £36,000, you'd be spending a very high proportion of your net income on housing. Buying is out of reach for most — the median sale price is just over £518,000, putting the deposit alone roughly seven years away on a typical salary.
The population skews young, with nearly 30% of residents aged 18 to 34, and a further 22% under 18 — so around half the neighbourhood is under 35. Only around a quarter own their home, while over 40% are in social housing and just under a third are private renters. It's a genuinely mixed community: the ethnic diversity index sits at 71, and fewer than half of residents were born in the UK. Around 37% hold a degree-level qualification, roughly in line with the London average.
Greenspace is closer than you might expect for this part of east London — the nearest is under 225 metres away, and around three in four residents can walk to green space easily. For transport, the nearest underground or metro station is roughly 340 metres away on foot, and there's a mainline rail station within about a kilometre (a 12–13 minute walk). See the streets and sub-areas below for more on how the neighbourhood breaks down.
What you'll need on day one
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Frequently asked
- Is Newham 021 a nice place to live?
- It depends on your priorities. The transport links to central London are excellent — roughly 13 minutes to a major employment hub — and greenspace is surprisingly close. The trade-off is a high crime rate, significant affordability pressure, and schools that fall well below the national average for Good or Outstanding ratings. It suits renters who need London access on a tighter budget and can tolerate those compromises.
- What is the rent in Newham 021?
- A one-bed runs around £1,618 a month, a two-bed around £1,977, and a three-bed around £2,187. These are estimates scaled from borough-level data using local sale prices. Rents rose roughly 7.7% in the past year, so expect further increases if you're signing a new tenancy.
- Is Newham 021 safe?
- The crime rate here is around 126 incidents per 1,000 residents annually — well above the UK average of roughly 80 per 1,000. Newham as a borough has historically higher crime levels than much of London, and this neighbourhood reflects that. It's worth researching specific streets rather than treating the whole area as uniform.
- What's the commute from Newham 021 to central London?
- Around 13 minutes by public transport to the nearest major employment hub. The nearest underground or metro station is only about 340 metres away — a short walk — and there's a mainline rail station roughly a kilometre away. Nearly half of residents commute by public transport, which gives a sense of how well-served the area is.
- Who lives in Newham 021?
- A young, diverse, mixed-tenure community. Nearly 30% of residents are aged 18–34, and the ethnic diversity index is 71 — one of the higher scores in England. Over 40% live in social housing, around 31% privately rent, and just 24% own their home. Fewer than half were born in the UK.
- What schools are near Newham 021?
- There are 206 schools within 2km, so choice isn't the issue. Around 43% of those are rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted — significantly below the national average of roughly 89%. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is just 323 metres away, so there is a strong option within walking distance, though places aren't guaranteed.
- Is Newham 021 affordable?
- Not really for private renters. On the median local salary of around £36,000, rent absorbs a very high share of take-home pay — the ratio runs close to 94%. Buying is harder still: the median sale price is just over £518,000, and saving a deposit at current salaries takes roughly seven years. The large social housing stock means some residents are better insulated from these pressures.