Meadowhead
Blackburn with Darwen 012 · 5 sub-areas · 7,403 residents
Blackburn with Darwen 012 is a residential neighbourhood within Blackburn with Darwen, home to around 7,400 people. A typical two-bedroom flat lets for about £655 a month — well below the UK median for a two-bed and one of the more affordable pockets in the North West. The high share of owner-occupiers and a significant social housing presence set it apart from newer-build commuter areas nearby.
Meadowhead is a commuter neighbourhood within Blackburn with Darwen — train into Manchester runs in around 48 minutes, and the rhythm of weekday mornings is shaped by it.
Overview
What's it like to live in Meadowhead?
Day-to-day life sits close to greenery — a park or playing field is within easy walking distance of most addresses; 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 are below the national norm, with a typical home letting at around £707 a month; 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.
Meadowhead in Blackburn with Darwen
Living in Meadowhead
This part of Blackburn with Darwen has a settled, mostly owner-occupied feel. Over six in ten households own their home — noticeably high for an urban neighbourhood — and there's a substantial social housing presence at around a quarter of all tenures. That mix tends to mean long-term residents, established communities, and less of the churn you get in rental-heavy city-centre zones.
Rents here are genuinely low by national standards. A two-bed runs around £655 a month — roughly half the UK national median for a two-bed — and even a three-bed comes in under £800. That affordability reflects the local economy and deprivation picture: the area sits in the bottom 30% of the national deprivation index, which means services are stretched even if your housing costs are manageable.
The age spread is broad, with notable shares of both under-18s at around 22% and older residents aged 65-plus at nearly 20%. That roughly matches a neighbourhood that's home to a mix of families with children and longer-settled, older owner-occupiers. Degree-level qualifications sit at around 23%, slightly below the national average, and the unemployment claimant rate at 5.4% is elevated compared to the UK baseline.
For getting around, the neighbourhood is car-dependent — roughly two-thirds of residents drive to work, and public transport use is low at under 4%. The nearest rail station is under 800 metres away in a straight line, roughly a ten-minute walk, and the public-transport journey to Manchester takes around 50 minutes. Greenspace is accessible on foot for the majority of residents, with a typical distance of under 300 metres to the nearest green area. See the streets and sub-areas below for more.
What you'll need on day one
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Frequently asked
- Is Blackburn with Darwen 012 a nice place to live?
- It's a settled, affordable neighbourhood with strong owner-occupation and good greenspace access — most residents are within a short walk of green areas. The trade-off is a crime rate above the national average and a relatively low share of top-rated schools nearby. It suits people who prioritise low housing costs and community stability over urban amenities.
- What is the rent in Blackburn with Darwen 012?
- A one-bed typically costs around £529 a month, a two-bed around £655, and a three-bed around £773. These figures are estimates scaled from council-level data using local sale prices. Rents rose about 7% year-on-year, but the area remains significantly cheaper than the national average.
- Is Blackburn with Darwen 012 safe?
- The crime rate runs at around 118 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, which is noticeably above the UK national rate of roughly 80. It's not the worst in the country, but it's a consideration. Street-level crime data is worth checking for the specific streets you're looking at, as the picture varies across the neighbourhood.
- What's the commute from Blackburn with Darwen 012 to Manchester?
- The public-transport journey to Manchester takes around 50 minutes. The nearest rail station is roughly a ten-minute walk away. Most residents drive rather than use public transport — around two-thirds commute by car — so journey times by road will vary with traffic.
- Who lives in Blackburn with Darwen 012?
- Mostly long-term, settled residents — a mix of families with children and older owner-occupiers. Over 60% own their home. The area is predominantly UK-born with low ethnic diversity relative to most urban neighbourhoods. About a quarter of households are in social housing, and private renting is relatively rare at around 14%.
- What schools are near Blackburn with Darwen 012?
- There are 88 schools within 2 kilometres, so options are plentiful. However, only around 37% are rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted — well below the national average of roughly 89%. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is just over 2 kilometres away. Checking individual school ratings before choosing a street is advisable.
- Is it worth buying rather than renting in Blackburn with Darwen 012?
- The numbers make a reasonable case for it. The median house price is around £157,000 and the typical deposit-saving timeline is under three years on local wages. With rents at 40% of typical take-home pay and house prices well below the national average, buying is within reach for many households here.