West Leigh
Havant 009 · 5 sub-areas · 7,140 residents
Havant 009 is a residential pocket of Havant in the South East, home to around 7,140 people. Rents are noticeably below the national average — a typical two-bedroom lets for around £1,060 a month — and the area has one of the highest social housing concentrations in the district. The trade-off is a schools picture and crime rate that lag behind broader South East benchmarks.
West Leigh is a settled residential pocket of Havant. The bigger gravitational centre is London, around 108 minutes away by direct train, but most days don't require leaving — local life is what people are here for.
Overview
What's it like to live in West Leigh?
The area is unusually green for its density — 19 parks and 6 playgrounds sit within five minutes' walk of the centroid; there's effectively nothing within walking distance — eating out, drinking and shopping mean a drive; 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; rents are roughly in line with the national norm, at around £1,127 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.
West Leigh in Havant
Living in West Leigh
Havant 009 feels distinctly residential and community-oriented, with a demographic profile shaped by a large social housing presence — around four in ten households are in social tenure, which is well above the South East norm. That gives the area a more settled, mixed-income feel than the private-rental-heavy neighbourhoods closer to the coast or commuter belt.
On cost, this neighbourhood sits at the more affordable end of the Havant district. A two-bedroom property runs around £1,060 a month, below the UK national median, and a median home price of roughly £253,000 means a deposit is achievable in just over four years at median earnings — reasonably competitive for the South East. Council tax (Band D) comes to around £2,320 a year.
Nearly a quarter of residents are under 18, reflecting a notably family-heavy population. Couples with children make up around 18% of households, and single-person households account for just under a third. The area is predominantly UK-born — around 95% — with an ethnic diversity index of 6.4, one of the lower readings in the region.
For getting around, most residents drive — nearly two in three commute by car — and the nearest mainline rail station is roughly 1,600 metres away, around a 20-minute walk. The rail commute to London runs to just under two hours by public transport. Working from home accounts for around 15% of residents. See the streets and sub-areas below for more on specific pockets within the neighbourhood.
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Frequently asked
- Is Havant 009 a nice place to live?
- It depends what you're after. It's affordable by South East standards, genuinely family-oriented, and has full gigabit broadband. The trade-offs are a crime rate above the national average and a schools picture that's well below the national Ofsted benchmark. For buyers or renters on a tighter budget who need space, it's a practical choice — but it's worth researching specific streets.
- What is the rent in Havant 009?
- A one-bedroom averages around £835 a month, a two-bedroom around £1,060, and a three-bedroom around £1,325. Rents rose around 2% year-on-year. These figures are estimates scaled from district-level ONS data using local sale prices, so treat them as a guide rather than a guarantee.
- Is Havant 009 safe?
- The crime rate here is around 126 incidents per 1,000 residents annually, noticeably above the UK national rate of roughly 80. The area sits in the lower deprivation deciles nationally, which tends to push crime figures higher. That said, rates vary significantly by street, so it's worth checking recent local crime data for specific roads you're considering.
- What's the commute from Havant 009 to London?
- By public transport, the rail journey to London takes just under two hours. The nearest mainline rail station is roughly 1,600 metres away — around a 20-minute walk. Most residents drive rather than use public transport, with only around 7% commuting by rail or bus.
- Who lives in Havant 009?
- Mostly families and long-term residents. Around a quarter of the population are under 18, and nearly 40% of households are in social housing — far above the South East average. The area is predominantly UK-born and has lower degree attainment than the wider region, with a resident median salary of around £30,800 a year.
- What schools are near Havant 009?
- There are 59 schools within 2km, so options aren't scarce. However, only around 29% of those are rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted — well below the national benchmark of around 89%. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is about 775 metres away. Families should check individual school Ofsted reports before making decisions.
- Is Havant 009 affordable to buy in?
- The median house price is around £253,000, and at median local earnings a deposit takes roughly four years to save — relatively accessible by South East standards. The rent-to-take-home ratio sits at around 59%, though, so renters saving for a purchase will need to budget carefully.