Buying a home in OL12 (Rochdale)
OL12 covers the Bamford, Central Rochdale, Healey, Kingsway, Milkstone & Deeplish, Norden, Smallbridge & Firgrove, Spotland & Falinge, Wardle, Shore & West Littleborough and Whitworth wards, in Rochdale and Rossendale.
What the records show in OL12 (Rochdale): surface water flood risk is medium or high at 1 of the 7 postcodes we checked; parts of the area are a radon Affected Area, with up to 10–30% of homes above the action level; the British Geological Survey rates landslides as significant near all 8 postcodes we checked; old landfill lies within 500 m of all 8 postcodes we checked; and 2 postcodes we checked are in a conservation area or on a listed building's site, including Immediate Article 4 Direction for small Houses in Multiple Occupation.
Land Registry recorded 9 sales there in the last 3 years, with a median price of £250,000, and the most common were semi-detached homes.
From official records at 8 postcodes. Conditions change from street to street, so check the home you're buying.
Check a home in OL12
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 7 postcodes we checked
- RadonUp to 10–30% of homes above the action level
- GroundLandslides and clay shrink-swell recorded nearby
- Median sale£250,000 across 9 sales in the last 3 years
Facts from official records at sample postcodes, not a rating of OL12 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.
- High: 1 of 7 postcodes (OL12 0SZ)
- Low: 1 of 7 postcodes
- Very low: 5 of 7 postcodes
We couldn't check 1 postcode when this guide was built, so they aren't counted above.
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 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.
- Landslides: significant near all 8 postcodes we checked
- Clay shrink-swell: moderate near all 8 postcodes we checked
Non-coal mining hazard is moderate or significant at 2 of the 8 postcodes 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.
- OL12 0SZ: 1 site within 500 m, nearest 120 m
- OL12 0TQ: 1 site within 500 m, nearest 90 m
- OL12 9TW: 1 site within 500 m, nearest 310 m
- OL12 0BE: 2 sites within 500 m, nearest 210 m
- OL12 6XA: 1 site within 500 m, nearest 360 m
- OL12 6PA: 2 sites within 500 m, nearest 160 m
- OL12 0TT: 2 sites within 500 m, nearest 160 m
- OL12 6DL: 2 sites within 500 m, nearest 270 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.
You need consent for many changes, such as new windows or an extension.
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 Rochdale was £211,022 in August 2026, up 3.3% on a year earlier, across every home in the council area.
At the postcodes we checked, Land Registry has 9 sales in the last 3 years, with a median of £250,000 and a range of £150,000 to £275,000.
| Type | Sales | Median price |
|---|---|---|
| Semi-detached | 6 | £220,500 |
| Detached | 2 | £257,500 |
| Other | 1 | £252,000 |
Crime
Measured around OL12 0SZ, near the centre of OL12.
4 crimes were reported within about a mile of the centre in August 2026. Town centres usually have more, because of shops and nightlife.
- Burglary1
- Other theft1
- Vehicle crime1
- Violence and sexual offences1
Schools near the centre
The nearest schools by distance. Distance doesn't decide a place: each council's admissions rules do.
- Shawclough Community Primary School
Primary · ages 2–11 · Community school · 210 m
- Healey Foundation Primary School
Primary · ages 4–11 · Foundation school · 260 m
- Greenbank Primary School
Primary · ages 3–11 · Community school · 1.2 km
- All Saints Church of England Primary School
Primary · ages 3–11 · Voluntary aided school · 1.3 km
- St Patrick's Roman Catholic Primary School
Primary · ages 4–11 · Academy converter · 1.4 km
- Healey Learning Centre
Secondary · ages 11–16 · Other independent special school · 750 m
- Rochdale Islamic Academy
Primary and secondary · ages 11–16 · Other independent school · 1.2 km
- Falinge Park High School
Secondary · ages 11–16 · Academy converter · 1.2 km
Rochdale 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OL12 0SZ | Outside | High | 10–30% | Significant: landslides | 1 within 500 m |
| OL12 0TQ | Outside | Low | 3–5% | Significant: landslides | 1 within 500 m |
| OL12 9TW | Outside | Very low | 10–30% | Significant: landslides | 1 within 500 m |
| OL12 0BE | Outside | Very low | 10–30% | Significant: landslides | 2 within 500 m |
| OL12 6XA | Outside | Very low | 3–5% | Significant: landslides | 1 within 500 m |
| OL12 6PA | Outside | Not checked | 3–5% | Significant: landslides | 2 within 500 m |
| OL12 0TT | Outside | Very low | 10–30% | Significant: landslides | 2 within 500 m |
| OL12 6DL | Outside | Very low | 3–5% | Significant: landslides | 2 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 OL12 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.
- Planning Data England (planning.data.gov.uk)
- 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)