Buying a home in BL1 (Bolton)
BL1 covers the Astley Bridge, Bradshaw, Halliwell, Heaton, Lostock & Chew Moor, Horwich North, Queens Park & Central, Smithills and Tonge with the Haulgh wards, in Bolton.
What the records show in BL1 (Bolton): surface water flood risk is medium or high at 1 of the 8 postcodes we checked; parts of the area are a radon Affected Area, with up to 3–5% of homes above the action level; and old landfill lies within 500 m of 3 of the 8 postcodes we checked.
Land Registry recorded 8 sales there in the last 3 years, with a median price of £135,000, and the most common were terraced homes.
From official records at 8 postcodes. Conditions change from street to street, so check the home you're buying.
Check a home in BL1
Enter a postcode or address for the free area check at that exact postcode.
At a glance
- Rivers and seaOutside mapped flood areas at all 8 postcodes we checked
- Surface waterMedium or high at 1 of the 8 postcodes we checked
- RadonUp to 3–5% of homes above the action level
- GroundLandslides recorded nearby
- Median sale£135,000 across 8 sales in the last 3 years
Facts from official records at sample postcodes, not a rating of BL1 or of any home.
Flooding from rivers and the sea
We checked each postcode centre against the Environment Agency's flood zones.
All 8 postcodes we checked are outside mapped river and sea flood areas. Homes nearer a river or the coast can still be in one.
Surface water flooding
Flooding from heavy rain that can't drain away.
- Medium: 1 of 8 postcodes (BL1 8DF)
- Very low: 7 of 8 postcodes
Medium means a 1% to 3.3% chance of flooding each year, and high more than that. It changes over a few metres, so look at the drainage when you view.
Radon
From the UK Health Security Agency's map of each 1 km square.
At all 8 postcodes we checked, parts of the surrounding square are a radon Affected Area. The highest is up to 3–5% of homes above the action level.
The map shows the highest value in each square, not a measurement for any home. A three-month test tells you about a particular house.
Ground stability
British Geological Survey ratings for the surrounding area, not a particular plot.
- Landslides: moderate near all 8 postcodes we checked
Non-coal mining hazard is low or none at every postcode we checked.
Ask your surveyor to look for cracking and movement, and the seller about subsidence claims.
Old landfill sites
Historic landfill sites within 500 m of each postcode centre.
Most old landfill causes no problems, but a home on or next to one can be harder to mortgage.
Conservation areas and listed buildings
Whether each postcode centre falls in a conservation area, on a listed building's site, or under similar protections.
None of the 8 postcode centres we checked falls in a conservation area or on a listed building's site.
Broadband and mobile
Ofcom's predictions for every address at the 8 postcodes we checked.
We couldn't get Ofcom's figures when this guide was built.
House prices
The average price in Bolton was £203,951 in August 2026, up 4.8% on a year earlier, across every home in the council area.
At the postcodes we checked, Land Registry has 8 sales in the last 3 years, with a median of £135,000 and a range of £80,000 to £250,000.
Crime
Measured around BL1 3EG, near the centre of BL1.
0 crimes were reported within about a mile of the centre in the latest month. Town centres usually have more, because of shops and nightlife.
Schools near the centre
The nearest schools by distance. Distance doesn't decide a place: each council's admissions rules do.
- Al-Huda Primary School
Primary · ages 2–11 · Other independent school · 90 m
- St Joseph's RC Primary School, Halliwell, Bolton
Primary · ages 3–11 · Voluntary aided school · 190 m
- Brownlow Fold Primary School
Primary · ages 3–11 · Community school · 200 m
- St Thomas C of E Primary School, Halliwell
Primary · ages 3–11 · Voluntary aided school · 250 m
- Oxford Grove Primary School
Primary · ages 3–11 · Community school · 250 m
- Eden Boys' School, Bolton
Secondary · ages 11–18 · Free schools · 670 m
- Madrasatul Imam Muhammad Zakariya
Secondary · ages 11–19 · Other independent school · 1.1 km
- Smithills School
Secondary · ages 11–16 · Academy converter · 1.1 km
- Bolton School Boys' Division
Secondary · ages 7–18 · Other independent school · 1.2 km
Bolton Metropolitan Borough Council: Primary admissions ↗ · Secondary admissions ↗
Postcode by postcode
Each row is one postcode centre we checked. Open a postcode for the full free area check.
| Postcode | Rivers and sea | Surface water | Radon | Ground | Landfill |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BL1 3EG | Outside | Very low | 3–5% | Moderate | None within 500 m |
| BL1 3DL | Outside | Very low | 3–5% | Moderate | None within 500 m |
| BL1 8DF | Outside | Medium | 3–5% | Moderate | 5 within 500 m |
| BL1 3JZ | Outside | Very low | 3–5% | Moderate | 2 within 500 m |
| BL1 3BU | Outside | Very low | 3–5% | Moderate | None within 500 m |
| BL1 3NY | Outside | Very low | 1–3% | Moderate | 3 within 500 m |
| BL1 6DX | Outside | Very low | 3–5% | Moderate | None within 500 m |
| BL1 3XH | Outside | Very low | 3–5% | Moderate | None within 500 m |
What this guide can't tell you
- It covers 8 postcodes, not every street, and leaves out planning applications: check the postcode you're buying in.
- It isn't a survey, a search or advice, and doesn't rate BL1 or any home.
Sources
Checked 30 October 2026. We refresh these guides every month.
- HM Land Registry Price Paid Data
- Contains British Geological Survey materials © UKRI 2026. BGS/UKHSA Indicative Atlas of Radon
- Environment Agency, Historic Landfill Sites (Environment Agency Conditional Licence). Contains Environment Agency information © Environment Agency and/or database right.
- British Geological Survey, GeoSure 5 km and mining hazard 1 km hex grids (Open Government Licence). Contains NERC materials ©NERC 2026.
- Environment Agency, Risk of Flooding from Surface Water (Open Government Licence)
- UK House Price Index (HM Land Registry and Registers of Scotland), Open Government Licence. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right. Contains Registers of Scotland data © Crown copyright and database right.
- data.police.uk street-level crime (Open Government Licence)
- Department for Education, Get Information about Schools (Open Government Licence)
- Planning Data England (planning.data.gov.uk)