Buying a home in BL4 (Bolton)
BL4 covers the Farnworth North, Farnworth South, Horwich South & Blackrod, Hulton and Kearsley wards, in Bolton.
What the records show in BL4 (Bolton): old landfill lies within 500 m of 7 of the 8 postcodes we checked.
Land Registry recorded 15 sales there in the last 3 years, with a median price of £122,000, and the most common were flats and maisonettes homes.
From official records at 8 postcodes. Conditions change from street to street, so check the home you're buying.
Check a home in BL4
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 waterLow or very low at all 8 postcodes we checked
- RadonUp to 1–3% of homes above the action level
- GroundNo moderate or significant hazards
- Median sale£122,000 across 15 sales in the last 3 years
Facts from official records at sample postcodes, not a rating of BL4 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.
- Low: 2 of 8 postcodes
- Very low: 6 of 8 postcodes
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 1–3% 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.
No moderate or significant natural ground hazards near the postcodes we checked.
Non-coal mining hazard is low or none at every postcode we checked.
Old landfill sites
Historic landfill sites within 500 m of each postcode centre.
- BL4 9TL: 1 site within 500 m, nearest 150 m
- BL4 7AR: 1 site within 500 m, nearest 410 m
- BL4 7DW: 1 site within 500 m, nearest 210 m
- BL4 9DN: 1 site within 500 m, nearest 500 m
- BL4 7EF: 2 sites within 500 m, nearest 220 m
- BL4 9PP: 2 sites within 500 m, nearest 280 m
- BL4 7BB: 1 site within 500 m, nearest 120 m
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 15 sales in the last 3 years, with a median of £122,000 and a range of £70,500 to £240,000.
| Type | Sales | Median price |
|---|---|---|
| Flats and maisonettes | 7 | £97,500 |
| Semi-detached | 5 | £172,496 |
| Terraced | 3 | £220,000 |
Crime
Measured around BL4 9TL, near the centre of BL4.
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.
- Queensbridge Primary School
Primary · ages 3–11 · Community school · 230 m
- St James CofE Primary School, Farnworth
Primary · ages 2–11 · Academy converter · 530 m
- St Peter's CofE Primary School
Primary · ages 4–11 · Voluntary aided school · 580 m
- The Ferns Primary Academy
Primary · ages 3–11 · Academy sponsor led · 660 m
- St Gregory's RC Primary School, A Voluntary Academy
Primary · ages 4–11 · Academy sponsor led · 870 m
- Harper Green School
Secondary · ages 11–16 · Academy converter · 810 m
- St James's Church of England High School
Secondary · ages 11–16 · Academy converter · 1.0 km
- Kearsley Academy
Secondary · ages 11–16 · Academy sponsor led · 1.3 km
- Mount St Joseph RC High School a Voluntary Academy
Secondary · ages 11–16 · Academy converter · 1.6 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BL4 9TL | Outside | Very low | 1–3% | Low | 1 within 500 m |
| BL4 7AR | Outside | Very low | 1–3% | Low | 1 within 500 m |
| BL4 7DW | Outside | Very low | 1–3% | Low | 1 within 500 m |
| BL4 9DN | Outside | Very low | 1–3% | Low | 1 within 500 m |
| BL4 9PB | Outside | Very low | 1–3% | Low | None within 500 m |
| BL4 7EF | Outside | Very low | 1–3% | Low | 2 within 500 m |
| BL4 9PP | Outside | Low | 1–3% | Low | 2 within 500 m |
| BL4 7BB | Outside | Low | 1–3% | Low | 1 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 BL4 or any home.
Sources
Checked 30 October 2026. We refresh these guides every month.
- HM Land Registry Price Paid Data
- Environment Agency, Historic Landfill Sites (Environment Agency Conditional Licence). Contains Environment Agency information © Environment Agency and/or database right.
- Contains British Geological Survey materials © UKRI 2026. BGS/UKHSA Indicative Atlas of Radon
- 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)