Buying a home in OL1 (Oldham)
OL1 covers the Chadderton Central, Chadderton North, Coldhurst, Royton North, Royton South, Saddleworth North, Shaw, St James' and St Mary's wards, in Oldham.
What the records show in OL1 (Oldham): parts of the area are a radon Affected Area, with up to 10–30% of homes above the action level; and old landfill lies within 500 m of all 8 postcodes we checked.
Land Registry recorded 10 sales there in the last 3 years, with a median price of £122,000, 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 OL1
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 10–30% of homes above the action level
- GroundClay shrink-swell and landslides recorded nearby
- Median sale£122,000 across 10 sales in the last 3 years
Facts from official records at sample postcodes, not a rating of OL1 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.
- Very low: 8 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 10–30% 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.
- Clay shrink-swell: moderate near all 8 postcodes we checked
- 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.
- OL1 3RH: 7 sites within 500 m, nearest 160 m
- OL1 2XR: 5 sites within 500 m, nearest 190 m
- OL1 3LZ: 10 sites within 500 m, nearest 80 m
- OL1 3DR: 5 sites within 500 m, nearest 260 m
- OL1 3LX: 7 sites within 500 m, nearest 80 m
- OL1 4DQ: 10 sites within 500 m, nearest 160 m
- OL1 3UZ: 10 sites within 500 m, nearest 70 m
- OL1 3RL: 3 sites within 500 m, nearest 400 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 Oldham was £217,214 in August 2026, up 4.6% on a year earlier, across every home in the council area.
At the postcodes we checked, Land Registry has 10 sales in the last 3 years, with a median of £122,000 and a range of £85,000 to £165,000.
| Type | Sales | Median price |
|---|---|---|
| Terraced | 7 | £106,500 |
| Semi-detached | 2 | £162,500 |
| Other | 1 | £142,000 |
Crime
Measured around OL1 3RH, near the centre of OL1.
1 crimes were reported within about a mile of the centre in August 2026. Town centres usually have more, because of shops and nightlife.
- Vehicle crime1
Schools near the centre
The nearest schools by distance. Distance doesn't decide a place: each council's admissions rules do.
- Beever Primary School
Primary · ages 3–11 · Community school · 350 m
- Holy Cross Ceva Primary School
Primary · ages 3–11 · Voluntary aided school · 460 m
- Mayfield Primary School
Primary · ages 3–11 · Academy converter · 900 m
- Willowpark Primary Academy
Primary · ages 2–11 · Academy sponsor led · 960 m
- St Hilda's CofE Primary School
Primary · ages 3–11 · Voluntary aided school · 990 m
- SEE (Oldham)
Secondary · ages 11–16 · Other independent special school · 420 m
- The Blue Coat CofE School
Secondary · ages 11–18 · Academy converter · 450 m
- Westwood Boys School
Secondary · ages 11–19 · Other independent school · 980 m
- The Springboard Project
Secondary · ages 14–19 · Free schools special · 1.3 km
Oldham 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OL1 3RH | Outside | Very low | 5–10% | Moderate | 7 within 500 m |
| OL1 2XR | Outside | Very low | 5–10% | Moderate | 5 within 500 m |
| OL1 3LZ | Outside | Very low | 5–10% | Moderate | 10 within 500 m |
| OL1 3DR | Outside | Very low | 5–10% | Moderate | 5 within 500 m |
| OL1 3LX | Outside | Very low | 10–30% | Moderate | 7 within 500 m |
| OL1 4DQ | Outside | Very low | 10–30% | Moderate | 10 within 500 m |
| OL1 3UZ | Outside | Very low | 5–10% | Moderate | 10 within 500 m |
| OL1 3RL | Outside | Very low | 5–10% | Moderate | 3 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 OL1 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)