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Postcode insights

AL8 6AL

Howardsgate

Handside

Interactive map showing AL8 6AL and surrounding area

Detailed insights for AL8 6AL

Overview

Postcode AL8 6AL is located in an urban city, within the Handside ward of Welwyn Hatfield in the East of England region, and forms part of the Welwyn Garden City Central & Handside area. It has average deprivation and very high crime levels, with around 233.2 crimes per 1,000 residents per year, roughly 2.8× the East of England average of 82 per 1,000. The average income per household in Welwyn Garden City Central & Handside is £69,367 per year. The nearest station is Welwyn Garden City, about 0.2 miles away. There are 5 primary and 1 secondary schools in the area. There is 1 park nearby, the closest large park is The Campus Parkway.

Crime rate
10/10
Crimes per 1k residents
233
Deprivation level
5/10
Income level
9/10
Social housing
13.3%
Connectivity
N/A
Flood Risk
No risk
Noise Level
No noise

Deprivation level

5/10

Welwyn Garden City Central & Handside has an average level of deprivation, ranked at position 19,249 out of 32,844 areas in the United Kingdom, placing it within the bottom 41% least deprived areas in England.

Crime level

10/10

Welwyn Garden City Central & Handside has a very high crime rate, with approximately 233.2 reported incidents per 1,000 population each year.

Social housing

13.3%

Approximately 13.3% of homes on this street are social housing provided by a local council or housing association. Across the surrounding area, around 22.9% of dwellings are socially rented.

Income level

9/10

The average income per household in Welwyn Garden City Central & Handside is £69,367 per year.

Noise Level

No noise

No significant noise sources from railways or roads near AL8 6AL.

Flood risk

No risk

Welwyn Garden City Central & Handside near AL8 6AL has no flood risk (less than 0.1% chance of a flood each year) from rivers and sea.

Transport

The nearest station is Welwyn Garden City located about 0.2 miles away. There are 1 stations nearby.

Nearby public transport stations for AL8 6AL
DistanceNameLinesDirections
0.2 mi

Welwyn Garden City

N/A

Walking directions to Welwyn Garden City

Parks

Nearby parks and green spaces for AL8 6AL
DistanceNameSizeDirections
0.1 miThe Campus ParkwayLargeWalking directions to The Campus Parkway

Area Profile

Population
368
Population density
2,448.4 per km²

Crime

Crime per 1,000 population

Shoplifting
204.63(+2892%)
Anti-social behaviour
144.86(+1152%)
Violence and sexual offences
95.85(+204%)
Public order
33.39(+552%)
Criminal damage and arson
22.08(+248%)
East of England average

Demographics

Ethnic groups

British
293
80.05%
Other White
21
5.74%
Caribbean
9
2.46%
Other Asian
6
1.64%
Other Mixed or Multiple ethnic groups
6
1.64%
Total population: 366

Economics

Education (age 16+)

Level 4+ (Degree)
184
55.93%
Level 3 (A level)
43
13.07%
Level 2 (GCSEs 9-4)
42
12.77%
No qualifications
28
8.51%
Level 1 (GCSEs 3-1)
17
5.17%
Total 16+ residents: 329

Housing

Housing tenure

Owns outright
96
53.33%
Owns with a mortgage
34
18.89%
Private landlord or letting agency
21
11.67%
Other social rented
16
8.89%
Social rents from council
8
4.44%
Total households: 180

Property prices in Handside

Median price£500,000
Price per sq ft£552
Sales (last 12 months)78
Typical range (middle 50%)£403K – £665K

Based on 78 recent sales, the median property price is £500,000 (about £552 per square foot) in Handside area, with individual transactions ranging from £145,000 up to £1,410,000.

Prices by property typelast 12 months

Median sale price, median price per square foot, sales count, and percentile information for each property type in Handside over the last year.
TypeSalesMedian£/sq ft
Detached9£912,500£635
Semi-Detached18£709,500£576
Terraced29£480,000£583
Flats22£283,500£464

10-year price trendmedian sale price in Handside

Sale price

Ten year median sale price trend for each property type in Handside.
YearDetachedFlatsSemi-DetachedTerraced
2016£780,000£275,000£593,000£430,000
2017£785,000£255,000£600,000£457,000
2018£712,500£271,250£651,500£445,000
2019£852,500£257,500£640,000£400,000
2020£810,000£248,255£650,000£421,250
2021£925,500£275,000£677,170£533,000
2022£1,035,000£295,000£730,000£515,000
2023£815,000£316,250£680,000£509,000
2024£998,500£272,500£704,000£515,000
2025£900,000£269,000£648,750£495,000
2026£950,000£315,000£712,500£483,750
Ten year median sale price trend for each property type in Handside.

Price per sq ft

Ten year median sale price per square foot trend for each property type in Handside.
YearDetachedFlatsSemi-DetachedTerraced
2016£564£485£545£488
2017£595£447£576£517
2018£530£473£523£513
2019£548£456£520£491
2020£547£465£508£532
2021£616£503£503£552
2022£685£467£592£571
2023£581£514£582£581
2024£619£473£554£590
2025£571£466£571£604
2026£679£464£591£524
Ten year median sale price per square foot trend for each property type in Handside.

Price distribution by property typelast 12 months

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

Recent sales

There were 34 recent sold properties in the last 18 months near AL8 6AL.

Recent sold properties in the last 18 months near AL8 6AL
DateAddressTypeTenurePriceMap
14 Nov 2025Flat 12, Theodores Place, Stonehills, Welwyn Garden City, AL8 6NAFlatsLeasehold£250,000
15 Oct 2025Apartment 2, 38 - 40, Stonehills, Welwyn Garden City, AL8 6PDFlatsLeasehold£180,000
28 Mar 2025Apartment 14, 38 - 40, Stonehills, Welwyn Garden City, AL8 6PDFlatsLeasehold£174,000
19 Nov 2025Flat 21, Stonehills House, Stonehills, Welwyn Garden City, AL8 6DLFlatsLeasehold£260,000
10 Nov 2025Flat 18, Stonehills House, Stonehills, Welwyn Garden City, AL8 6DLFlatsLeasehold£145,000

Schools

In the AL8 6AL postcode area, located within Welwyn Garden City Central & Handside, there are 5 primary and 1 secondary schools in close proximity.

Nearby primary and secondary schools for AL8 6AL
DistancePhaseNameTypeRating
0.5 miPrimaryTemplewood Primary SchoolCommunity school

Good

0.6 miPrimaryPeartree Primary SchoolAcademy converter

N/A

0.6 miPrimaryApplecroft SchoolAcademy converter

Good

Local amenities

5 nearby supermarkets & convenience stores within mi of AL8 6AL

Nearby supermarkets & convenience stores for AL8 6AL
DistanceNameAddressDirections
0.1 miLondis43 Howardsgate, Welwyn Garden City, AL8 6APWalking directions to Londis
0.1 miSainsbury'sChurch Road, Welwyn Hatfield, AL8 6SAWalking directions to Sainsbury's
0.1 miIcelandFretherne Road, Welwyn Garden City, AL8 6PZWalking directions to Iceland
0.2 miWaitroseCollege Way, Welwyn Hatfield, AL8 6ABWalking directions to Waitrose
0.5 miAldiBessemer Road, Welwyn Hatfield, AL7 1HHWalking directions to Aldi

Council Tax Bands

Annual council tax rates for Welwyn Hatfield district (2025-26).

Band A£1,556
Band B£1,815
Band C£2,074
Band D£2,333
Band E£2,852
Band F£3,371
Band G£3,889
Band H£4,667

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 AL8 6AL, including ward councillors and the local member of parliament.

Local councillors

Gemma May Louise Moore

Handside - Elected 7 May 2026

Liberal Democrats

Member of parliament

Andrew Lewin

Welwyn Hatfield - Elected 4 Jul 2024

Labour Party

Geographic Information

DistrictWelwyn HatfieldE07000241
Parliamentary ConstituencyWelwyn HatfieldE14001573
WardHandsideE05011060
ParishWelwyn Hatfield, unparished areaE43000083
MSOA (Middle Layer Super Output Area)Welwyn Garden City Central & HandsideE02004985
LSOA (Lower Layer Super Output Area)Welwyn Hatfield 006CE01023918
Police ForceHertfordshire
Postcode Introduced1980-01-01

Frequently asked questions about AL8 6AL

Is AL8 6AL (Welwyn Garden City Central & Handside) safe?

The area around AL8 6AL records about 233 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 shoplifting, anti-social behaviour and violence and sexual offences.

What is the average house price near AL8 6AL?

The median sale price around AL8 6AL in Welwyn Garden City Central & Handside is £500,000 (about £552 per square foot) based on 78 registered sales according to HM Land Registry data.

What schools are near AL8 6AL?

There are 8 schools close to AL8 6AL, including Templewood Primary School (Good), Peartree Primary School and Applecroft School (Good). Ratings are from the latest Ofsted inspections.

What is the nearest station to AL8 6AL?

The closest station to AL8 6AL is Welwyn Garden City, about 272 m away.

How deprived is the area around AL8 6AL?

AL8 6AL scores 5 out of 10 on the deprivation scale, where 10 is the most deprived. Its neighbourhood ranks 19,249 of 32,844 in England on the official Index of Multiple Deprivation (rank 1 is the most deprived).

Who represents AL8 6AL (Welwyn Garden City Central & Handside) in Parliament and on the local council?

The Member of Parliament for Welwyn Hatfield covering AL8 6AL is Andrew Lewin (Labour Party), elected at the 2024 general election. The area is represented by 1 local councillor: Gemma May Louise Moore (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.