Andover Charlton & Bourne Valley
Test Valley 001 · 4 sub-areas · 6,957 residents
Test Valley 001, in the Test Valley district of the South East, is home to around 6,957 people and sits firmly in owner-occupier territory — three in four households own their home. A typical two-bedroom property lets for around £1,114 a month, broadly in line with the UK median, though rents have risen 7.3% in the past year. The area is noticeably more car-dependent than most urban neighbourhoods.
Andover Charlton & Bourne Valley is a mid-density neighbourhood of Test Valley 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. 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 Andover Charlton & Bourne Valley?
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; rents are roughly in line with the national norm, at around £1,203 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.
Andover Charlton & Bourne Valley in Test Valley
Living in Andover Charlton & Bourne Valley
Test Valley 001 is a predominantly owner-occupied, settled corner of Test Valley — the kind of area where nearly three-quarters of residents have bought rather than rented, and where the private rental market is correspondingly small. It has the feel of a place where people put down roots: the age profile skews older, with a quarter of residents aged 50–64 and a further one in five aged 65 or over.
Rent here sits roughly in line with the national average for a two-bedroom property, at around £1,114 a month, but affordability is genuinely stretched — the typical renter spends around 54% of take-home pay on rent, which is well above a comfortable threshold. Buying is the predominant route in for a reason: the median sale price is around £349,000, and saving a deposit takes an estimated 4.9 years on local earnings.
The population is predominantly UK-born, at over 90%, and has low ethnic diversity relative to the wider South East region. The degree-holder share — around 34% — is above the national average, pointing to a reasonably qualified resident workforce. Just under 40% of residents work from home, which is high, and helps explain how a rural or semi-rural location with limited public transport remains attractive to working-age households.
Getting around without a car is difficult. Only around 1.5% of residents commute by public transport, and the nearest mainline rail station is roughly 3.7 km away — about a 46-minute walk, so effectively car-or-bike territory for most. For those who do commute by rail, London is accessible in just under two hours by public transport. The nearest major employment hub is around 108 minutes away by public transport. Broadband coverage is solid, with 70% of premises able to access gigabit speeds and no properties falling below the universal service obligation.
See the streets and sub-areas below for more detail on how this neighbourhood breaks down.
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Frequently asked
- Is Test Valley 001 a nice place to live?
- It's a quiet, settled area with low crime — around 36 incidents per 1,000 residents annually, well below the national rate. Most residents own their homes, and the area scores in the top 15% nationally on the deprivation index. The trade-off is limited public transport and a school quality picture that falls well below the national average within typical catchment distances.
- What is the rent in Test Valley 001?
- A one-bedroom property runs around £864 a month, a two-bedroom around £1,114, and a three-bedroom around £1,369. These are estimates scaled from council-level data using local sale prices. Rents have risen about 7.3% in the past year, and the private rental market here is small — only around 14% of households rent privately.
- Is Test Valley 001 safe?
- Yes, relatively so. The recorded crime rate is around 36 per 1,000 residents a year — less than half the UK national average of roughly 80. The area's low density, high owner-occupancy and low deprivation all tend to associate with lower crime rates.
- What's the commute from Test Valley 001 to the nearest major city?
- London is reachable in around 108 minutes by public transport, but the nearest mainline rail station is about 3.7 km away — you'll need a car or bike to reach it. Very few residents commute by public transport (around 1.5%), and nearly 39% work from home, which is one reason the area works for people not tied to a daily office commute.
- Who lives in Test Valley 001?
- Mostly older, settled owner-occupiers — a quarter of residents are aged 50–64 and a further 20% are 65 or over. Around 75% own their home. The population is predominantly UK-born, with low ethnic diversity, and a degree-holder share of around 34% points to a professional resident base.
- What schools are near Test Valley 001?
- There are 34 schools within typical catchment distance, but only around 18% are rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted — significantly below the national average of roughly 89%. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is approximately 3.9 km away. Check individual catchment boundaries carefully before making decisions based on school proximity.
- Is Test Valley 001 affordable for renters?
- It's a stretch. The typical renter here spends around 54% of take-home pay on rent — well above the 30–35% threshold most financial guidance recommends. Two-bedroom rents at around £1,114 a month are close to the national median, but local wages (median around £35,300 a year) don't make it comfortable. Buying is the dominant route, with median sale prices around £349,000.