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Postcode insights

ME9 8BZ

Bir Lane

West Downs

Interactive map showing ME9 8BZ and surrounding area

Detailed insights for ME9 8BZ

Overview

Postcode ME9 8BZ is located in a rural hamlet, within the West Downs ward of Swale in the South East region, and forms part of the Sittingbourne South, Bapchild & Bredgar area. It has very low deprivation and low crime levels, with around 41.3 crimes per 1,000 residents per year, about 51% below the South East average of 84 per 1,000. The average income per household in Sittingbourne South, Bapchild & Bredgar is £66,374 per year. The nearest station is Sittingbourne, about 2.2 miles away. There are 1 primary and no secondary schools in the area.

Crime rate
4/10
Crimes per 1k residents
41
Deprivation level
1/10
Income level
7/10
Social housing
1.2%
Connectivity
N/A
Flood Risk
No risk
Noise Level
Low

Deprivation level

1/10

Sittingbourne South, Bapchild & Bredgar has a very low level of deprivation, ranked at position 31,022 out of 32,844 areas in the United Kingdom, placing it within the bottom 6% least deprived areas in England.

Crime level

4/10

Sittingbourne South, Bapchild & Bredgar has a low crime rate, with approximately 41.3 reported incidents per 1,000 population each year.

Social housing

1.2%

Approximately 1.2% of homes on this street are social housing provided by a local council or housing association. Across the surrounding area, around 7.2% of dwellings are socially rented.

Income level

7/10

The average income per household in Sittingbourne South, Bapchild & Bredgar is £66,374 per year.

Noise Level

Low

Low noise level (55.0-59.9 dB) from road, approximately 0 ft away from ME9 8BZ.

Flood risk

No risk

Sittingbourne South, Bapchild & Bredgar near ME9 8BZ has no flood risk (less than 0.1% chance of a flood each year) from rivers and sea.

Transport

The nearest station is Sittingbourne located about 2.2 miles away. There are no other stations nearby.

Parks

No parks nearby

Area Profile

Population
215
Population density
77.9 per km²

Crime

Crime per 1,000 population

Violence and sexual offences
22.77(-28%)
Anti-social behaviour
15.58(+27%)
Criminal damage and arson
5.39(-16%)
Other theft
4.79(-15%)
Vehicle crime
4.19(+13%)
South East average

Demographics

Ethnic groups

British
192
89.3%
African
8
3.72%
Irish
8
3.72%
Other Asian
3
1.4%
Other White
2
0.93%
Total population: 215

Economics

Education (age 16+)

Level 4+ (Degree)
66
37.71%
Level 3 (A level)
32
18.29%
Level 2 (GCSEs 9-4)
27
15.43%
No qualifications
21
12%
Level 1 (GCSEs 3-1)
14
8%
Total 16+ residents: 175

Housing

Housing tenure

Owns outright
46
53.49%
Owns with a mortgage
28
32.56%
Private landlord or letting agency
10
11.63%
Other social rented
1
1.16%
Other forms of private rent
1
1.16%
Total households: 86

Property prices in West Downs

Median price£420,000
Price per sq ft£336
Sales (last 12 months)21
Typical range (middle 50%)£335K – £580K

Based on 21 recent sales, the median property price is £420,000 (about £336 per square foot) in West Downs area, with individual transactions ranging from £270,000 up to £1,080,000.

Prices by property typelast 12 months

Median sale price, median price per square foot, sales count, and percentile information for each property type in West Downs over the last year.
TypeSalesMedian£/sq ft
Detached10£615,000£395
Semi-Detached6£392,500£337
Terraced5£300,000£317

10-year price trendmedian sale price in West Downs

Sale price

Ten year median sale price trend for each property type in West Downs.
YearDetachedSemi-DetachedTerraced
2016£385,000£297,750£260,000
2017£425,000£330,000£320,000
2018£457,500£333,000£230,000
2019£527,500£357,500£230,000
2020£520,000£347,500£375,000
2021£562,500£332,500£233,500
2022£550,000£365,000£370,000
2023£516,000£372,500£441,500
2024£510,000£390,000£250,000
2025£650,000£352,500£307,500
2026£598,125£410,000£290,000
Ten year median sale price trend for each property type in West Downs.

Price per sq ft

Ten year median sale price per square foot trend for each property type in West Downs.
YearDetachedSemi-DetachedTerraced
2016£320£322£283
2017£316£301£307
2018£315£313£319
2019£305£339£323
2020£322£313£308
2021£346£358£319
2022£395£390£382
2023£380£392£424
2024£386£350£352
2025£392£355£339
2026£412£305£317
Ten year median sale price per square foot trend for each property type in West Downs.

Price distribution by property typelast 12 months

Price distribution by property type for West Downs in the last year.

Recent sales

No sales records found in the last 18 months.

Schools

In the ME9 8BZ postcode area, located within Sittingbourne South, Bapchild & Bredgar, there are 1 primary and 0 secondary schools in close proximity.

Nearby primary and secondary schools for ME9 8BZ
DistancePhaseNameTypeRating
1.0 miPrimaryBredgar Church of England Primary SchoolAcademy converter

Good

Local amenities

No amenities nearby

Council Tax Bands

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

Band A£1,537
Band B£1,793
Band C£2,050
Band D£2,306
Band E£2,818
Band F£3,330
Band G£3,843
Band H£4,611

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 ME9 8BZ, including ward councillors and the local member of parliament.

Local councillors

Monique Bonney

West Downs - Elected 4 May 2023

Independent

Member of parliament

Helen Whately

Faversham and Mid Kent - Elected 4 Jul 2024

Conservative

Geographic Information

RegionSouth EastUKJ
DistrictSwaleE07000113
Parliamentary ConstituencyFaversham and Mid KentE14001235
WardWest DownsE05009566
ParishTunstallE04012440
MSOA (Middle Layer Super Output Area)Sittingbourne South, Bapchild & BredgarE02005127
LSOA (Lower Layer Super Output Area)Swale 013EE01024631
Police ForceKent
Postcode Introduced2004-04-01

Frequently asked questions about ME9 8BZ

Is ME9 8BZ (Sittingbourne South, Bapchild & Bredgar) safe?

The area around ME9 8BZ records about 41 crimes per 1,000 residents per year, which is a low crime rate for England: it scores 4 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 shoplifting.

What is the average house price near ME9 8BZ?

The median sale price around ME9 8BZ in Sittingbourne South, Bapchild & Bredgar is £420,000 (about £336 per square foot) based on 21 registered sales according to HM Land Registry data.

What schools are near ME9 8BZ?

There is 1 school close to ME9 8BZ, including Bredgar Church of England Primary School (Good). Ratings are from the latest Ofsted inspections.

How deprived is the area around ME9 8BZ?

ME9 8BZ scores 1 out of 10 on the deprivation scale, where 10 is the most deprived. Its neighbourhood ranks 31,022 of 32,844 in England on the official Index of Multiple Deprivation (rank 1 is the most deprived).

Who represents ME9 8BZ (Sittingbourne South, Bapchild & Bredgar) in Parliament and on the local council?

The Member of Parliament for Faversham and Mid Kent covering ME9 8BZ is Helen Whately (Conservative and Unionist Party), elected at the 2024 general election. The area is represented by 1 local councillor: Monique Bonney (Independent).

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.