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Postcode insights

ME1 3AL

Shorts Way

Rochester West & Borstal

Interactive map showing ME1 3AL and surrounding area

Detailed insights for ME1 3AL

Overview

Postcode ME1 3AL is located in an urban city, within the Rochester West & Borstal ward of Medway in the South East region, and forms part of the Rochester West area. It has high deprivation and high crime levels, with around 74.4 crimes per 1,000 residents per year, about 12% below the South East average of 84 per 1,000. The average income per household in Rochester West is £58,793 per year. The nearest station is Rochester, about 1.1 miles away. There are 6 primary and 3 secondary schools in the area. There is 1 park nearby, the closest small park is Fort Clarence Gardens.

Crime rate
7/10
Crimes per 1k residents
74
Deprivation level
8/10
Income level
4/10
Social housing
53.7%
Connectivity
N/A
Flood Risk
No risk
Noise Level
Medium

Deprivation level

8/10

Rochester West has a high level of deprivation, ranked at position 8,656 out of 32,844 areas in the United Kingdom, placing it within the top 26% most deprived areas in England.

Crime level

7/10

Rochester West has a high crime rate, with approximately 74.4 reported incidents per 1,000 population each year.

Social housing

53.7%

Approximately 53.7% of homes on this street are social housing provided by a local council or housing association. Across the surrounding area, around 23.4% of dwellings are socially rented.

Income level

4/10

The average income per household in Rochester West is £58,793 per year.

Noise Level

Medium

Medium noise level (60.0-64.9 dB) from road, approximately 165 ft away from ME1 3AL.

Flood risk

No risk

Rochester West near ME1 3AL has no flood risk (less than 0.1% chance of a flood each year) from rivers and sea.

Transport

The nearest station is Rochester located about 1.1 miles away. There are no other stations nearby.

Parks

Nearby parks and green spaces for ME1 3AL
DistanceNameSizeDirections
0.4 miFort Clarence GardensSmallWalking directions to Fort Clarence Gardens

Area Profile

Population
324
Population density
5,859 per km²

Crime

Crime per 1,000 population

Violence and sexual offences
37.94(+20%)
Anti-social behaviour
26.3(+114%)
Criminal damage and arson
10.62(+65%)
Drugs
6.58(+138%)
Other theft
5.56(-1%)
South East average

Demographics

Ethnic groups

British
250
76.92%
African
19
5.85%
Other White
16
4.92%
White and Black Caribbean (mixed)
13
4%
Other Black
6
1.85%
Total population: 325

Economics

Education (age 16+)

Level 4+ (Degree)
50
24.63%
Level 1 (GCSEs 3-1)
36
17.73%
Level 3 (A level)
36
17.73%
No qualifications
32
15.76%
Level 2 (GCSEs 9-4)
30
14.78%
Total 16+ residents: 203

Housing

Housing tenure

Other social rented
59
43.38%
Owns with a mortgage
26
19.12%
Private landlord or letting agency
25
18.38%
Social rents from council
14
10.29%
Owns outright
9
6.62%
Total households: 136

Property prices in Rochester West & Borstal

Median price£305,000
Price per sq ft£344
Sales (last 12 months)155
Typical range (middle 50%)£208K – £433K

Based on 155 recent sales, the median property price is £305,000 (about £344 per square foot) in Rochester West & Borstal area, with individual transactions ranging from £65,000 up to £1,300,000.

Prices by property typelast 12 months

Median sale price, median price per square foot, sales count, and percentile information for each property type in Rochester West & Borstal over the last year.
TypeSalesMedian£/sq ft
Detached19£515,000£369
Semi-Detached32£402,500£359
Terraced46£322,500£350
Flats58£197,500£313

10-year price trendmedian sale price in Rochester West & Borstal

Sale price

Ten year median sale price trend for each property type in Rochester West & Borstal.
YearDetachedFlatsSemi-DetachedTerraced
2016£408,750£160,000£300,000£290,000
2017£478,750£171,500£340,000£282,500
2018£507,000£186,000£302,000£292,500
2019£525,000£214,998£353,500£410,000
2020£500,000£208,500£325,000£365,000
2021£551,000£235,000£424,000£348,500
2022£579,000£245,000£478,000£367,500
2023£672,500£250,000£370,000£382,500
2024£600,000£217,000£385,000£317,000
2025£562,500£210,000£379,000£365,000
2026£499,000£160,000£382,500£287,000
Ten year median sale price trend for each property type in Rochester West & Borstal.

Price per sq ft

Ten year median sale price per square foot trend for each property type in Rochester West & Borstal.
YearDetachedFlatsSemi-DetachedTerraced
2016£315£273£289£279
2017£382£278£305£292
2018£338£293£312£311
2019£337£340£322£299
2020£297£323£309£324
2021£368£370£366£336
2022£400£385£383£356
2023£489£398£362£366
2024£397£355£371£340
2025£406£333£347£357
2026£377£291£351£331
Ten year median sale price per square foot trend for each property type in Rochester West & Borstal.

Price distribution by property typelast 12 months

Price distribution by property type for Rochester West & Borstal in the last year.

Recent sales

There were 44 recent sold properties in the last 18 months near ME1 3AL.

Recent sold properties in the last 18 months near ME1 3AL
DateAddressTypeTenurePriceMap
25 Nov 202573, Shorts Way, Rochester, ME1 3ALFlatsLeasehold£145,000
10 Dec 202518, Shorts Way, Rochester, ME1 3ARFlatsLeasehold£111,000
05 Nov 202518, Shorts Way, Rochester, ME1 3ARFlatsLeasehold£86,000
28 Mar 20259, Goddings Drive, Rochester, ME1 3BASemi-DetachedFreehold£335,000
12 Nov 2025136B, Borstal Road, Rochester, ME1 3BBFlatsLeasehold£245,000

Schools

In the ME1 3AL postcode area, located within Rochester West, there are 6 primary and 3 secondary schools in close proximity.

Nearby primary and secondary schools for ME1 3AL
DistancePhaseNameTypeRating
0.4 miPrimaryThe Pilgrim School (A Church of England Primary With Nursery)Academy converter

N/A

0.4 miPrimarySt William of Perth Roman Catholic Primary SchoolVoluntary aided school

Good

0.6 miSecondarySir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical SchoolAcademy converter

Outstanding

Local amenities

3 nearby supermarkets & convenience stores within mi of ME1 3AL

Nearby supermarkets & convenience stores for ME1 3AL
DistanceNameAddressDirections
0.3 miBorstal Mini MarketBorstal Street, Medway, ME1 3JSWalking directions to Borstal Mini Market
0.4 miCo-op Food142 Borstal Street, Rochester, ME1 3JSWalking directions to Co-op Food
0.5 miSpar128 Maidstone Road, Rochester, ME1 3DTWalking directions to Spar

Council Tax Bands

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

Band A£1,472
Band B£1,717
Band C£1,962
Band D£2,207
Band E£2,698
Band F£3,188
Band G£3,679
Band H£4,415

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 ME1 3AL, including ward councillors and the local member of parliament.

Local councillors

Alex Paterson

Rochester West & Borstal - Elected 4 May 2023

Labour and Co-operative Party

Linda Jill Bowen

Rochester West & Borstal - Elected 4 May 2023

Labour and Co-operative Party

Paula Wilhelmina Hamilton

Rochester West & Borstal - Elected 4 May 2023

Labour and Co-operative Party

Member of parliament

Lauren Edwards

Rochester and Strood - Elected 4 Jul 2024

Labour Party

Geographic Information

RegionSouth EastUKJ
DistrictMedwayE06000035
Parliamentary ConstituencyRochester and StroodE14001447
ParishMedway, unparished areaE43000030
MSOA (Middle Layer Super Output Area)Rochester WestE02003327
LSOA (Lower Layer Super Output Area)Medway 014BE01016129
Police ForceKent
Postcode Introduced1980-01-01

Frequently asked questions about ME1 3AL

Is ME1 3AL (Rochester West) safe?

The area around ME1 3AL records about 74 crimes per 1,000 residents per year, which is a high crime rate for England: it scores 7 out of 10 on the Area360 crime scale, where 10 is the highest crime level. Across South East as a whole the rate is about 84 per 1,000. The most common offences locally are violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and criminal damage and arson.

What is the average house price near ME1 3AL?

The median sale price around ME1 3AL in Rochester West is £305,000 (about £344 per square foot) based on 155 registered sales according to HM Land Registry data.

What schools are near ME1 3AL?

There are 12 schools close to ME1 3AL, including The Pilgrim School (A Church of England Primary With Nursery), St William of Perth Roman Catholic Primary School (Good) and Sir Joseph Williamson's Mathematical School (Outstanding). Ratings are from the latest Ofsted inspections.

How deprived is the area around ME1 3AL?

ME1 3AL scores 8 out of 10 on the deprivation scale, where 10 is the most deprived. Its neighbourhood ranks 8,656 of 32,844 in England on the official Index of Multiple Deprivation (rank 1 is the most deprived).

Who represents ME1 3AL (Rochester West) in Parliament and on the local council?

The Member of Parliament for Rochester and Strood covering ME1 3AL is Lauren Edwards (Labour Party), elected at the 2024 general election. The area is represented by 3 local councillors: Alex Paterson (Labour and Co-operative Party), Linda Jill Bowen (Labour and Co-operative Party) and Paula Wilhelmina Hamilton (Labour and Co-operative Party).

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.