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Neighbourhood profile
Squirrels Heath
Havering, London
PocketsGidea Park (Main Road · Balgores Lane · The Ravensbourne · Haynes Park)Ardleigh Green (Squirrels Heath Lane · south-west · The Ravensbourne)Romford East (Brentwood Road · Heath Park Road)
Squirrels Heath sits in the south of the London Borough of Havering, in the area south-east of Romford. The name preserves the heath that was here in the 18th century — formerly known as Hardley Green — and the ward's character was set by the Romford Garden Suburb exhibition of 1910–11, which laid out Squirrels Heath Avenue and built around 159 cottages and houses designed by more than 100 architects as a showcase of Edwardian domestic design. Around six of those exhibition houses are listed. There are four listed buildings in total including the Grade II* Royal Liberty School, the Grade II Coffee Pot and the Grade II Railway Factory. Safety and air-quality scores are strong, and 23 Ofsted-outstanding schools sit within reach. Haynes Park at 11.9 hectares anchors the limited green space — total cover is 13.3 hectares. Around 57 food venues line the local parade. The drawbacks: moderate public-transport access limited to Gidea Park and Romford stations, only 6.1 percent conservation-area cover, and a culture score that reflects a quiet residential feel rather than a destination.
- Strongest71Safety
Low recorded crime relative to the rest of London
- Also strong68Air & Quiet
Clean air and low ambient noise by London standards
- Watch out1Area development
Little recent major-development activity
At a glance
- Moderate public-transport access
- 4 listed buildings
- 6.1% covered by a conservation area
- 4 schools rated Outstanding by Ofsted within 1 km
- Largest green space: Haynes Park (11.9 hectares)
- 95 open venues (60 food and drink, 35 other)
9 pockets across 3 named areas · coloured by overall score.See on full map ↗
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The Romford Garden Suburb, which opened in spring 1911, was constructed on the Gidea Hall and Balgores estates as an exhibition of Edwardian domestic design, and included Squirrels Heath Avenue and around 159 cottages and houses by more than 100 architects.
Squirrels Heath, layer by layer
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Scores as of 23 Aug 2026 · prices to 2026 · crime to Jun 2026 · air 2022 · sources
Property prices & growth
67Better than 92% of London
How scores work - Purchase affordability75
- Rent affordability65
- Price momentum (5yr)51
- Activity (turnover)84
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Prices, rent & trends
£ per square foot to buy, an estimated 2-bed rent, and decades of sale-price history for this ward.
For Squirrels Heath: 204 sales recorded (2025)32-yr price trend £—
Safety
71Better than 89% of London
- Personal safety70
- Property crime71
- Anti-social behaviour72
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Safety deep-dive
Every recorded crime type — burglary, robbery, vehicle crime and more — grouped into personal, property and anti-social behaviour, with the monthly trend for this ward.
For Squirrels Heath: personal, property & anti-social breakdown24-mo trend to Jun 2026counts —
Connectivity
35Better than 26% of London
Median public-transport access is moderate (TfL PTAL 3.0 of 8 across this ward).
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Connectivity deep-dive
Real TfL journey times to London's major hubs, plus this ward's transport access rank across London.
For Squirrels Heath: — min by TfL to 8 major hubsaccess rank —
Air & Quiet
68Better than 81% of London
- Air quality95
- Quietness25
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Air & noise deep-dive
NO₂, PM2.5 and road/rail noise for this ward, each against WHO / UK limits.
Cultural Signal
16Better than 26% of London
- Nightlife7
- Dining7
- Arts & culture0
- Retail & shops0
- Sports & recreation0
- Independent scene21
- Vitality (openings, diversity)38
95 open venues nearby — 60 food & drink, 35 other.
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Culture deep-dive
What's open nearby — the venue mix, share of independents, and recent openings.
For Squirrels Heath: the mix behind 95 open venues—% independent
Education
55Better than 60% of London
- Primary schools54
- Secondary schools56
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School inspection history
Every school in this ward with its current Ofsted rating and multi-year trend.
For Squirrels Heath: 5 schools, each with its inspection record
Heritage
7Better than 20% of London
4 listed buildings · 6% under a conservation area
- The Royal Liberty SchoolGrade II*
- The Coffee PotGrade II
- Railway FactoryGrade II
From Historic England's National Heritage List for England.
Nature Access
60Better than 42% of London
- Green spaces80
- Waterways25
Largest green space: Haynes Park (12 ha). ~13 ha of green space in total.
Area development
1Better than 33% of London
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Planning pipeline
Named recent approvals with homes and floorspace, the local homes pipeline, and the affordable share.
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- Prices — £ per square foot, an estimated rent, and the ward’s full price history
- Safety — crime by type with its monthly trend
- Getting around — real TfL journey times to the big hubs
- Schools, air & noise — every school’s inspection record, air & noise against WHO limits
- What's next — the venue mix, what’s been approved to build nearby, and cheaper areas that score like Squirrels Heath
For Squirrels Heath: 204 sales recorded (2025)32-yr price history £—24-mo crime trend to Jun 2026TfL times to 8 hubs — min5 schools' inspection records95 venues mapped
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What's changing in Squirrels Heath
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Squirrels Heath, quick answers
- Is Squirrels Heath safe?
- Squirrels Heath scores 71 for safety, based on street-level recorded crime (police.uk) — one of London's safer wards on this measure. The score weighs personal safety, property crime and anti-social behaviour separately rather than ranking on one raw total, so the mix of crime matters as well as the volume.
- Is Squirrels Heath a good place to live?
- Squirrels Heath scores 42 overall when all nine data layers are weighted equally. The London comparison beside the score shows how that number ranks against every ward. Its strongest suits are safety (71) and air & quiet (68); its weakest is area development (1). Whether it suits you depends on what you weight — the same data re-ranked around your own priorities can read very differently.
- How well connected is Squirrels Heath?
- Moderate public-transport access: Transport for London rates the typical spot in Squirrels Heath 3 on its 0–8 public-transport access scale, which puts the ward at 35 for connectivity relative to the rest of London.
- Is Squirrels Heath expensive to buy in?
- Relative to the rest of London, Squirrels Heath is among London's more affordable areas to buy: its purchase-affordability score is 15/20, where higher means cheaper per square foot (HM Land Registry sold prices matched to floor areas).
- What are the schools like near Squirrels Heath?
- Squirrels Heath scores 55 for education, based on Ofsted ratings and walking distance to the nearest rated primary and secondary schools. 4 schools within a kilometre hold an Outstanding rating.
Where else to look
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