Andover West
Test Valley 005 · 6 sub-areas · 10,291 residents
Test Valley 005 is a predominantly residential area within Test Valley, home to around 10,300 people. A typical two-bedroom home lets for about £1,114 a month — broadly in line with the national median for a 2-bed — and owner-occupation is high at nearly three in four households. Crime runs well below the UK average, which helps explain why so many people here have put down roots.
Andover West 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 West?
Greenspace is reachable but isn't on the immediate doorstep — most residents walk a few blocks to reach a park; 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 6 sub-areas — population-weighted means for rates, sums for counts. Sources cited beneath each section.
Andover West in Test Valley
Living in Andover West
Test Valley 005 sits in the heart of Test Valley and has the feel of a settled, largely owner-occupied community rather than a transient rental market. Nearly three in four homes are owned outright or with a mortgage, giving it a stability you notice — quieter streets, longer-term neighbours, less churn. Crime is low too, at around 42 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, roughly half the UK-wide rate.
Rents here sit close to the national median. A two-bedroom home runs around £1,114 a month, and a three-bedroom comes in at roughly £1,369. Those figures are estimates — official rent data only goes down to council level, so we scale it using local sale prices to get a more accurate per-neighbourhood figure. What that context adds is this: median sale prices are around £365,000, which means buyers face a significant price-to-income stretch. At current incomes, saving a deposit takes roughly five years, and rent absorbs over half of a typical take-home pay.
The demographic picture is skewed older than many comparable areas. More than one in five residents are aged 65 or over, and the 50–64 bracket is similarly well-represented. Families with children make up about a fifth of households. Young renters in their 20s and early 30s are a smaller presence — only around 18% of residents are aged 18–34.
Practically, you'll need a car. Just over 1% of residents commute by public transport, while more than half drive to work and a notable 36% work from home. The nearest mainline rail station is roughly 2.6 km away — about a 33-minute walk, though most people drive or cycle. The rail journey to London runs around 95 minutes. Broadband is solid, with over 80% of premises having access to gigabit-capable connections.
See the streets and sub-areas below for a more granular breakdown of this neighbourhood.
What you'll need on day one
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Frequently asked
- Is Test Valley 005 a nice place to live?
- For settled households — particularly older residents, families and owner-occupiers — it scores well. Crime is low, deprivation is minimal (IMD decile 9), and the area has a stable, community feel. The trade-off is car dependency and limited public transport, and a schools picture that's weaker than you might expect for an otherwise low-deprivation area.
- What is the rent in Test Valley 005?
- A one-bedroom home runs around £864 a month, a two-bedroom about £1,114, and a three-bedroom roughly £1,369. These are estimates scaled from local sale prices rather than a direct ONS sample. Rents rose around 7.3% in the past year. Council tax (Band D) adds about £2,306 a year on top.
- Is Test Valley 005 safe?
- Yes — crime sits at around 42 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, roughly half the UK national average of about 80 per 1,000. The area is in the least deprived 10% of English neighbourhoods, which correlates with low crime across most categories. It's one of the clearest selling points for the area.
- What's the commute from Test Valley 005 to the nearest major city?
- The rail journey to London takes around 95 minutes by public transport. Most residents commute by car — over half drive to work — and a substantial 36% work from home. The nearest mainline station is about 2.6 km away, so you'd typically drive or cycle to it rather than walk.
- Who lives in Test Valley 005?
- Predominantly older, settled owner-occupiers. Nearly half the population is aged 50 or over, and almost three in four homes are owned. Families with children make up around a fifth of households. Young renters aged 18–34 are a smaller share — roughly 18% of residents — so it's not a typical young-professional hotspot.
- What schools are near Test Valley 005?
- There are 33 schools within 2 km of typical residents. Around 27% are rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted, which is notably below the national share of roughly 89%. The nearest Outstanding-rated school is about 1,944 metres away. Families should check individual catchment areas, as quality varies across nearby provision.
- Is Test Valley 005 good for families?
- It has some clear family-friendly credentials — low crime, low deprivation, and a quiet residential character. Around a fifth of households are couples with children. The main caveat is the schools picture: only about 27% of nearby schools are rated Good or Outstanding, so catchment research is essential before committing.