Bicester East
Cherwell 013 · 5 sub-areas · 7,894 residents
Cherwell 013 is a residential part of Cherwell district in the South East, home to around 7,900 people. A typical two-bedroom home lets for about £1,200 a month — roughly in line with the UK median for a 2-bed — and the area skews noticeably toward owner-occupation, with over two-thirds of households owning their home. Greenspace is easy to reach, with most residents within a short walk of a park or open ground.
Bicester East is a mid-density neighbourhood of Cherwell in the South East 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.
Overview
What's it like to live in Bicester East?
The area is unusually green for its density — 8 parks and 2 playgrounds sit within five minutes' walk of the centroid; 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 £1,289 a month for a typical home; 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.
Bicester East in Cherwell
Living in Bicester East
What stands out about Cherwell 013 is how settled and residential it feels compared to many parts of the South East. Owner-occupation is high — around 68% of households own their home — which gives the area a stable, community-rooted character that's less common in commuter-belt districts closer to London.
Rents here sit at a reasonable level for the region. A typical two-bedroom property runs about £1,200 a month, and three-bedroom homes come in around £1,450. That's not cheap by national standards, but it's significantly more manageable than equivalent properties in Oxford or across much of outer London. The median house price is around £328,000, and a first-time buyer saving a typical deposit would need roughly four and a half years of disciplined saving — a meaningful but not extraordinary timeline for the South East.
The population is broadly spread across age groups, with families and working-age adults both well represented. Around one in five households has a couple with children, and nearly 20% of residents are under 18 — both signs of a genuine family presence rather than a transient renter-heavy area. About 29% of residents hold a degree-level qualification, which is moderate rather than high by South East standards.
Practically speaking, the nearest rail station is less than a kilometre away — roughly a nine-minute walk — which makes the area more car-independent than much of rural Cherwell. That said, over half of residents commute by car, and public transport mode share is low at around 4%. Working from home is common: more than a quarter of residents do so, which reflects a wider shift across the district. Broadband coverage is strong, with 100% of premises able to access gigabit-capable connections. See the streets and sub-areas below for more detail on specific pockets within the neighbourhood.
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Frequently asked
- Is Cherwell 013 a nice place to live?
- For most families and settled professionals, yes. It's a low-deprivation, owner-occupied area with good rail access, strong broadband, and crime well below the national average. The trade-off is that Ofsted ratings for nearby schools are weaker than the national picture, and public transport beyond the train is limited — most people drive.
- What is the rent in Cherwell 013?
- A one-bedroom property runs around £963 a month, a two-bedroom about £1,200, and a three-bedroom around £1,450. These are estimates scaled from district-level data using local sale prices. Rents rose roughly 4% over the past year. Council tax (Band D) adds around £215 a month on top.
- Is Cherwell 013 safe?
- It's noticeably safer than the UK average. The crime rate is around 52 incidents per 1,000 residents annually, compared to a national figure of roughly 80. The area sits in the 8th deprivation decile nationally, meaning it's among the less deprived parts of England, which typically correlates with lower crime.
- What's the commute from Cherwell 013 to London?
- By public transport, it's approximately 55 minutes to London — workable for a few days a week but a long daily grind. The nearest rail station is under a kilometre away, roughly a nine-minute walk. Birmingham is around 73 minutes by rail. Most residents still drive for their daily commute.
- Who lives in Cherwell 013?
- Mainly settled owner-occupiers, with a broad age mix and a strong family presence — about one in five households is a couple with children. Around 81% of residents were born in the UK. It's not a high-turnover renter area; under 18% of households privately rent, giving it a more rooted, community feel.
- What schools are near Cherwell 013?
- There are 63 schools within a typical catchment radius, but only around 21% are rated Good or Outstanding — well below the national average of roughly 89%. The nearest Outstanding school is about 16 kilometres away. Families should check current catchment boundaries with Oxfordshire County Council before making decisions based on specific schools.
- Is Cherwell 013 good for families?
- The area has genuine family credentials — low crime, high owner-occupation, good greenspace access (74% of residents are within a short walk of green space), and a settled community feel. The main caveat is school quality: nearby provision rated Good or Outstanding is significantly below the national average, so school research is essential before committing.