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Postcode insights

AL1 2PJ

Wilshere Avenue

Sopwell

Interactive map showing AL1 2PJ and surrounding area

Detailed insights for AL1 2PJ

Overview

Postcode AL1 2PJ is located in an urban city, within the Sopwell ward of St Albans in the East of England region, and forms part of the Cottonmill & Sopwell area. It has high deprivation and very high crime levels, with around 136.2 crimes per 1,000 residents per year, roughly 1.7× the East of England average of 82 per 1,000. The average income per household in Cottonmill & Sopwell is £66,948 per year. The nearest station is St Albans Abbey, about 0.2 miles away. There are 9 primary and 1 secondary schools in the area. There are 2 parks nearby, the closest large park is Former Abbey View Golf Course.

Crime rate
10/10
Crimes per 1k residents
136
Deprivation level
7/10
Income level
8/10
Social housing
35.1%
Connectivity
N/A
Flood Risk
No risk
Noise Level
Low

Deprivation level

7/10

Cottonmill & Sopwell has a high level of deprivation, ranked at position 12,653 out of 32,844 areas in the United Kingdom, placing it within the top 39% most deprived areas in England.

Crime level

10/10

Cottonmill & Sopwell has a very high crime rate, with approximately 136.2 reported incidents per 1,000 population each year.

Social housing

35.1%

Approximately 35.1% of homes on this street are social housing provided by a local council or housing association. Across the surrounding area, around 23.7% of dwellings are socially rented.

Income level

8/10

The average income per household in Cottonmill & Sopwell is £66,948 per year.

Noise Level

Low

Low noise level (55.0-59.9 dB) from road, approximately 298 ft away from AL1 2PJ.

Flood risk

No risk

Cottonmill & Sopwell near AL1 2PJ has no flood risk (less than 0.1% chance of a flood each year) from rivers and sea.

Transport

The nearest station is St Albans Abbey located about 0.2 miles away. There are 2 stations nearby.

Nearby public transport stations for AL1 2PJ
DistanceNameLinesDirections
0.2 mi

St Albans Abbey

N/A

Walking directions to St Albans Abbey
0.9 mi

St Albans City

N/A

Walking directions to St Albans City

Parks

Nearby parks and green spaces for AL1 2PJ
DistanceNameSizeDirections
0.3 miFormer Abbey View Golf CourseLargeWalking directions to Former Abbey View Golf Course
0.4 miSt Stephen's ParkMediumWalking directions to St Stephen's Park

Area Profile

Population
485
Population density
5,471.9 per km²

Crime

Crime per 1,000 population

Shoplifting
84.78(+1139%)
Anti-social behaviour
51.45(+345%)
Violence and sexual offences
42.75(+35%)
Other theft
35.51(+549%)
Criminal damage and arson
14.49(+128%)
East of England average

Demographics

Ethnic groups

Bangladeshi
153
31.35%
British
142
29.1%
Other White
63
12.91%
Pakistani
31
6.35%
Other
17
3.48%
Total population: 488

Economics

Education (age 16+)

Level 4+ (Degree)
122
34.27%
No qualifications
74
20.79%
Level 2 (GCSEs 9-4)
51
14.33%
Level 1 (GCSEs 3-1)
45
12.64%
Level 3 (A level)
43
12.08%
Total 16+ residents: 356

Housing

Housing tenure

Social rents from council
46
34.33%
Owns with a mortgage
40
29.85%
Owns outright
25
18.66%
Private landlord or letting agency
22
16.42%
Other social rented
1
0.75%
Total households: 134

Property prices in Sopwell

Median price£535,000
Price per sq ft£622
Sales (last 12 months)81
Typical range (middle 50%)£410K – £683K

Based on 81 recent sales, the median property price is £535,000 (about £622 per square foot) in Sopwell area, with individual transactions ranging from £150,000 up to £1,525,000.

Prices by property typelast 12 months

Median sale price, median price per square foot, sales count, and percentile information for each property type in Sopwell over the last year.
TypeSalesMedian£/sq ft
Detached4£807,500£736
Semi-Detached21£585,000£605
Terraced29£555,000£656
Flats27£410,000£569

10-year price trendmedian sale price in Sopwell

Sale price

Ten year median sale price trend for each property type in Sopwell.
YearDetachedFlatsSemi-DetachedTerraced
2016£305,000£551,000£480,000
2017£910,000£301,000£572,527£455,000
2018£1,735,000£285,750£500,000£540,000
2019£1,047,500£308,750£563,000£480,000
2020£707,500£286,000£675,000£508,500
2021£1,015,000£312,000£680,000£550,000
2022£1,200,000£325,000£726,500£562,500
2023£625,000£315,000£735,000£530,000
2024£725,000£300,000£612,500£750,000
2025£807,500£372,500£600,000£595,000
2026£585,000£313,750£607,500£460,000
Ten year median sale price trend for each property type in Sopwell.

Price per sq ft

Ten year median sale price per square foot trend for each property type in Sopwell.
YearDetachedFlatsSemi-DetachedTerraced
2016£495£473£557
2017£483£516£497£577
2018£579£470£529£555
2019£740£544£553£596
2020£497£522£561£519
2021£632£530£617£619
2022£710£513£614£663
2023£734£488£657£636
2024£667£493£639£652
2025£791£549£672£646
2026£632£583£628£673
Ten year median sale price per square foot trend for each property type in Sopwell.

Price distribution by property typelast 12 months

Price distribution by property type for Sopwell in the last year.

Recent sales

There were 33 recent sold properties in the last 18 months near AL1 2PJ.

Recent sold properties in the last 18 months near AL1 2PJ
DateAddressTypeTenurePriceMap
08 Jan 202640, Doggetts Way, St Albans, AL1 2NGSemi-DetachedFreehold£560,000
02 Apr 202662, Wilshere Avenue, St Albans, AL1 2PHSemi-DetachedFreehold£960,000
14 May 20265, Mercers Row, St Albans, AL1 2QSTerracedFreehold£470,000
25 Apr 20269, Mercers Row, St Albans, AL1 2QSSemi-DetachedFreehold£560,000
17 Jul 202518, Mercers Row, St Albans, AL1 2QSTerracedFreehold£280,000

Schools

In the AL1 2PJ postcode area, located within Cottonmill & Sopwell, there are 9 primary and 1 secondary schools in close proximity.

Nearby primary and secondary schools for AL1 2PJ
DistancePhaseNameTypeRating
0.2 miNot applicableSt Columba's CollegeOther independent school

N/A

0.3 miPrimarySt Adrian Roman Catholic Primary SchoolVoluntary aided school

Good

0.3 miSecondaryThe Marlborough Science AcademyAcademy converter

Good

Local amenities

5 nearby supermarkets & convenience stores within mi of AL1 2PJ

Nearby supermarkets & convenience stores for AL1 2PJ
DistanceNameAddressDirections
0.2 miAldi5 Graham Close, St Albans, AL1 2DFWalking directions to Aldi
0.2 miSainsbury'sEverard Close, St Albans, AL1 2QUWalking directions to Sainsbury's
0.2 miSainsbury'sEverard Close, St Albans, AL1 2QUWalking directions to Sainsbury's
0.3 miIcelandGriffiths Way, St Albans, AL1 2RJWalking directions to Iceland
0.4 miS M & Sons30-32 Abbots Avenue West, St Albans, AL1 2JZWalking directions to S M & Sons

Council Tax Bands

Annual council tax rates for St Albans district (2025-26).

Band A£1,537
Band B£1,794
Band C£2,050
Band D£2,306
Band E£2,818
Band F£3,331
Band G£3,843
Band H£4,612

Council tax bands are based on the value of your property. Most homes fall into bands A to D.

Local councillor and member of parliament

Elected local representatives for AL1 2PJ, including ward councillors and the local member of parliament.

Local councillors

Sarwar Shamsher

Sopwell - Elected 7 May 2026

Liberal Democrats

Member of parliament

Daisy Cooper

St Albans - Elected 4 Jul 2024

Liberal Democrats

Geographic Information

DistrictSt AlbansE07000240
Parliamentary ConstituencySt AlbansE14001507
WardSopwellE05013963
ParishSt Albans, unparished areaE43000290
MSOA (Middle Layer Super Output Area)Cottonmill & SopwellE02004940
LSOA (Lower Layer Super Output Area)St Albans 017AE01023737
Police ForceHertfordshire
Postcode Introduced1980-01-01

Frequently asked questions about AL1 2PJ

Is AL1 2PJ (Cottonmill & Sopwell) safe?

The area around AL1 2PJ records about 136 crimes per 1,000 residents per year, which is a very high crime rate for England: it scores 10 out of 10 on the Area360 crime scale, where 10 is the highest crime level. Across East of England as a whole the rate is about 82 per 1,000. The most common offences locally are violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and shoplifting.

What is the average house price near AL1 2PJ?

The median sale price around AL1 2PJ in Cottonmill & Sopwell is £535,000 (about £622 per square foot) based on 81 registered sales according to HM Land Registry data.

What schools are near AL1 2PJ?

There are 15 schools close to AL1 2PJ, including St Columba's College, St Adrian Roman Catholic Primary School (Good) and The Marlborough Science Academy (Good). Ratings are from the latest Ofsted inspections.

What is the nearest station to AL1 2PJ?

The closest station to AL1 2PJ is St Albans Abbey, about 361 m away.

How deprived is the area around AL1 2PJ?

AL1 2PJ scores 7 out of 10 on the deprivation scale, where 10 is the most deprived. Its neighbourhood ranks 12,653 of 32,844 in England on the official Index of Multiple Deprivation (rank 1 is the most deprived).

Who represents AL1 2PJ (Cottonmill & Sopwell) in Parliament and on the local council?

The Member of Parliament for St Albans covering AL1 2PJ is Daisy Cooper (Liberal Democrats), elected at the 2024 general election. The area is represented by 1 local councillor: Sarwar Shamsher (Liberal Democrats).

Data Sources

All data is sourced from official UK government agencies and public datasets. Last updated: 16/07/2026. Read more about how our statistics are calculated.