Bishops Lydeard & Cotford St Luke
Somerset West and Taunton 006 · 4 sub-areas · 7,518 residents
Somerset West and Taunton 006 is a residential area within Somerset, home to around 7,500 people. A typical two-bedroom property lets for about £880 a month — noticeably below the UK median for a 2-bed, making it one of the more accessible corners of the South West. The area skews older and is overwhelmingly owner-occupied, with renting the exception rather than the norm.
Bishops Lydeard & Cotford St Luke is a green, lower-density part of Somerset — parks within walking distance of most addresses, a slower weekday rhythm, and a population skewed toward longer-tenure households rather than transient renters. 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 Bishops Lydeard & Cotford St Luke?
Day-to-day life sits close to greenery — a park or playing field is within easy walking distance of most addresses; The streets feel safe by national standards — police-recorded crime is well below the country-wide median; Transport links are limited — a car or e-bike is a practical assumption for most regular trips; rents are roughly in line with the national norm, at around £980 a month for a typical home.
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.
Bishops Lydeard & Cotford St Luke in Somerset
Living in Bishops Lydeard & Cotford St Luke
This part of Somerset is firmly suburban in character — quiet, largely owner-occupied, and shaped by an older demographic. Nearly a quarter of residents are aged 65 or over, and the area has a settled, established feel that's quite distinct from the younger, more transient parts of Taunton closer to the town centre. Green space is close by: around two thirds of residents are within a short walk of parkland or open countryside, and the nearest patch is under 300 metres away on average.
Rents here are low by almost any comparison. A two-bedroom home runs about £880 a month, which is well under the UK median of around £1,200 for the same size. Even a three-bedroom property averages just over £1,090 a month — affordable territory by South West standards, and a fraction of what equivalent space costs in Bristol or Bath. That said, if you're renting here on a typical local salary of around £30,000 a year, rent still takes up roughly half your take-home pay, so it's not cheap relative to local wages.
Ownership is the dominant tenure: nearly three quarters of homes are owner-occupied, and only around one in six households rents privately. That makes this area unusual — most of the housing stock simply doesn't come up for rent very often. If you're buying, the median price paid is around £366,000, and it takes roughly six years to save a deposit on local earnings.
Getting around is overwhelmingly car-dependent. Nearly 60% of residents drive to work, and just 1.5% use public transport for their commute. Working from home is more common than average — nearly a third of residents do so at least some of the time. The nearest mainline rail station is roughly 7.6 km away in a straight line, about a 95-minute walk or a short drive. Broadband coverage is reasonably solid, with 70% of premises able to access gigabit speeds.
For more on specific streets and sub-areas, see the breakdown below.
What you'll need on day one
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Frequently asked
- Is Somerset West and Taunton 006 a nice place to live?
- It's a quiet, settled area with good access to green space and below-average crime. It suits people who want a calm, suburban environment and don't rely on public transport. The trade-off is limited rental stock, an older community feel, and a long drive or rail journey if you need to reach a major city regularly.
- What is the rent in Somerset West and Taunton 006?
- A one-bedroom property averages around £667 a month, a two-bedroom around £880, and a three-bedroom just over £1,090. These are below both the South West and UK medians. Note that the private rental market here is small — most homes are owner-occupied and rarely come up for rent.
- Is Somerset West and Taunton 006 safe?
- Yes, relatively. The crime rate runs at around 49.5 incidents per 1,000 residents a year, well below the UK national rate of roughly 80 per 1,000. The area sits in the less deprived half of English neighbourhoods, and the settled, owner-occupied community profile tends to correlate with lower crime.
- What's the commute from Somerset West and Taunton 006 to the nearest city centre?
- Most residents drive — nearly 60% commute by car. The nearest mainline rail station is around 7.6 km away. By public transport, the nearest major employment hub is roughly two hours away. London takes over three hours by rail. Working from home is common here, with nearly a third of residents doing so.
- Who lives in Somerset West and Taunton 006?
- Predominantly older, settled owner-occupiers. Nearly a quarter of residents are aged 65 or over, and almost three quarters own their home. It's a low-diversity, low-turnover community — not the kind of area that attracts large numbers of young renters or recent arrivals.
- What schools are near Somerset West and Taunton 006?
- There are four schools within typical catchment distance. Around 26% are currently rated Good or Outstanding by Ofsted, which is well below the national average of around 89% — though with only four schools in range, a single rating can skew the picture significantly. The nearest Outstanding school is roughly 6.9 km away.
- How affordable is buying a home in Somerset West and Taunton 006?
- The median sale price is around £366,000. On a typical local salary of around £30,000, it takes roughly six years to save a 10% deposit. That's a moderate stretch — better than much of the South East, but not as accessible as cheaper parts of the North or Midlands.