Buying a home in OL3 (Oldham)
OL3 covers the Failsworth East, Royton North, Saddleworth North and Saddleworth South wards, in Oldham.
What the records show in OL3 (Oldham): 2 of the 8 postcodes we checked are in a mapped river or sea flood area; parts of the area are a radon Affected Area, with up to 5–10% 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 5 postcodes we checked are in a conservation area or on a listed building's site, including Uppermill.
Land Registry recorded 18 sales there in the last 3 years, with a median price of £417,500, and the most common were 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 OL3
Enter a postcode or address for the free area check at that exact postcode.
At a glance
- Rivers and sea2 of the 8 postcodes we checked in a mapped flood area
- Surface waterLow or very low at all 7 postcodes we checked
- RadonUp to 5–10% of homes above the action level
- GroundLandslides recorded nearby
- Median sale£417,500 across 18 sales in the last 3 years
Facts from official records at sample postcodes, not a rating of OL3 or of any home.
Flooding from rivers and the sea
We checked each postcode centre against the Environment Agency's flood zones.
2 of the 8 postcodes we checked are in a mapped flood area:
A home in a mapped flood area can cost more to insure. Ask the seller about past flooding and any claims.
Surface water flooding
Flooding from heavy rain that can't drain away.
- Very low: 7 of 7 postcodes
We couldn't check 1 postcode when this guide was built, so they aren't counted above.
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 5–10% 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
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.
- OL3 5NP: 2 sites within 500 m, nearest 330 m
- OL3 6HS: 1 site within 500 m, nearest 40 m
- OL3 5RR: 1 site within 500 m, nearest 250 m
- OL3 6DW: 1 site within 500 m, nearest 380 m
- OL3 5QH: 2 sites within 500 m, nearest 260 m
- OL3 5QW: 2 sites within 500 m, nearest 230 m
- OL3 5GB: 1 site within 500 m, nearest 80 m
- OL3 6BE: 1 site within 500 m, nearest 460 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.
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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 18 sales in the last 3 years, with a median of £417,500 and a range of £180,000 to £685,000.
| Type | Sales | Median price |
|---|---|---|
| Detached | 12 | £458,625 |
| Flats and maisonettes | 3 | £185,000 |
| Terraced | 2 | £391,250 |
| Semi-detached | 1 | £405,000 |
Crime
Measured around OL3 5NP, near the centre of OL3.
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.
- Holy Trinity CofE Dobcross Primary School
Primary · ages 3–11 · Academy converter · 590 m
- St Chad's Church of England Primary School
Primary · ages 2–11 · Academy converter · 790 m
- Greenfield Primary School
Primary · ages 3–11 · Community school · 1.9 km
- Diggle School
Primary · ages 3–11 · Foundation school · 1.9 km
- Delph Primary School
Primary · ages 3–11 · Foundation school · 2.0 km
- Saddleworth School
Secondary · ages 11–16 · Academy converter · 530 m
- Bright Futures School
Secondary · ages 5–16 · Other independent special school · 2.4 km
- Mossley Hollins High School
Secondary · ages 11–16 · Academy converter · 4.0 km
- Co-op Academy Strinesdale
Secondary · ages 11–16 · Academy sponsor led · 4.0 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OL3 5NP | Outside | Very low | 1–3% | Significant: landslides | 2 within 500 m |
| OL3 6HS | Flood Zone 2 | Very low | 1–3% | Significant: landslides | 1 within 500 m |
| OL3 5RR | Outside | Not checked | 5–10% | Significant: landslides | 1 within 500 m |
| OL3 6DW | Outside | Very low | 1–3% | Significant: landslides | 1 within 500 m |
| OL3 5QH | Outside | Very low | 1–3% | Significant: landslides | 2 within 500 m |
| OL3 5QW | Outside | Very low | 5–10% | Significant: landslides | 2 within 500 m |
| OL3 5GB | Outside | Very low | 1–3% | Significant: landslides | 1 within 500 m |
| OL3 6BE | Flood Zone 2 | Very low | 1–3% | Significant: landslides | 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 OL3 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 flood risk zones via Planning Data England
- 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)