Holmes Chapel
Cheshire East 023 · 4 sub-areas · 6,930 residents
Cheshire East 023 is a quietly residential corner of Cheshire East, home to around 6,930 people. A typical two-bedroom home lets for about £886 a month — well below the UK average for a 2-bed — and with over four in five households owner-occupied, it's one of the more settled, established parts of the borough. The nearest rail station is under a kilometre away.
Holmes Chapel is a mid-density neighbourhood of Cheshire East in the North West 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 Holmes Chapel?
Greenspace is on the doorstep — a park or playing field is within walking distance of most homes; The streets feel safe by national standards — police-recorded crime is well below the country-wide median; Public transport is genuinely strong; most errands and a fair share of social life don't need a car; rents are roughly in line with the national norm, at around £972 a month for a typical home; 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.
Holmes Chapel in Cheshire East
Living in Holmes Chapel
Cheshire East 023 has the feel of a well-established, largely owner-occupied community rather than a transient renting area. The overwhelming majority of residents own their homes — over four in five — which shapes the character of the streets: quieter, more family-oriented, less churned by short tenancies than many comparable areas closer to major cities. With just under 10% of homes privately rented, the rental market here is modest in size, though it does exist.
The cost picture is one of the area's clearest selling points. A two-bedroom home runs around £886 a month, noticeably below the UK median for a 2-bed. Three-bedroom properties sit at about £1,090 a month — genuinely affordable by national standards, though council tax (Band D) comes in at around £2,455 a year, which is on the higher side and worth factoring into any budget. Saving for a deposit takes roughly 5.3 years at local salary levels, which is manageable compared with most of southern England.
The population skews older than most urban neighbourhoods. More than a quarter of residents are aged 65 or over, and the 50–64 bracket adds another fifth on top of that. Families with children are present — around 23% of households are couples with children — but this isn't a neighbourhood dominated by young professionals or students. The under-35 share is relatively low at around 14%.
Practically, the area works well for those who drive — nearly 45% of residents commute by car, and a striking 46% work from home. Public transport use is minimal at just over 1%, so car ownership isn't optional for most households here. The nearest rail station is roughly 800 metres away — about a 10-minute walk — and gets you to Manchester in around 44 minutes by public transport. For a fuller picture of streets and sub-areas, see the sub-areas list below.
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Frequently asked
- Is Cheshire East 023 a nice place to live?
- It's a settled, low-crime, predominantly owner-occupied area with affordable rents by national standards. It suits people who value quiet residential streets and good broadband over urban buzz. The trade-off is limited public transport and an older community feel — it's not one for those who want nightlife on their doorstep.
- What is the rent in Cheshire East 023?
- A one-bedroom home runs around £687 a month, a two-bed around £886, and a three-bed about £1,090. These are estimates scaled from council-level data using local sale prices. Rents rose roughly 7.7% over the past year. Council tax (Band D) adds around £2,455 annually on top.
- Is Cheshire East 023 safe?
- Yes — it records around 30 crimes per 1,000 residents a year, well below the UK national rate of roughly 80. It sits in the least deprived 20% of English neighbourhoods, and the claimant unemployment rate is just 2.4%. It's one of the more secure areas in the region.
- What's the commute from Cheshire East 023 to Manchester?
- Around 44 minutes by public transport from the nearest rail station, which is roughly 800 metres away — about a 10-minute walk. That said, nearly 45% of residents commute by car, and nearly half work from home, so the rail link is used by relatively few people here.
- Who lives in Cheshire East 023?
- Mainly older, settled owner-occupiers — over a quarter of residents are 65 or above, and four in five households own their home. There's a significant share of couples with children (around 23% of households), a high degree-qualification rate of 45%, and very low population turnover overall.
- What schools are near Cheshire East 023?
- There are 12 schools within typical catchment distance. Around two-thirds are rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted — below the national average of roughly 89%. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is approximately 7.5 kilometres away. Check current Ofsted ratings and catchment boundaries directly before making decisions.
- How good is broadband in Cheshire East 023?
- Very good. Around 86% of premises have gigabit-capable broadband, and no properties fall below the minimum universal service obligation. For the 46% of residents who work from home, connectivity is unlikely to be a problem here.