Buying a home in OL8 (Oldham)
OL8 covers the Alexandra, Coldhurst, Failsworth East, Hollinwood, Medlock Vale, St Mary's and Werneth wards, in Oldham.
What the records show in OL8 (Oldham): 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 1 of the 8 postcodes we checked; and old landfill lies within 500 m of all 8 postcodes we checked.
Land Registry recorded 18 sales there in the last 3 years, with a median price of £167,500, 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 OL8
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 7 postcodes we checked
- RadonUp to 5–10% of homes above the action level
- GroundLandslides and clay shrink-swell recorded nearby
- Median sale£167,500 across 18 sales in the last 3 years
Facts from official records at sample postcodes, not a rating of OL8 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: 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 1 and moderate near 7 of the 8 postcodes we checked
- Clay shrink-swell: moderate near 7 of the 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.
- OL8 3DN: 7 sites within 500 m, nearest 80 m
- OL8 4JG: 5 sites within 500 m, nearest 170 m
- OL8 3EW: 7 sites within 500 m, nearest 100 m
- OL8 4HU: 5 sites within 500 m, nearest 120 m
- OL8 2AW: 11 sites within 500 m, nearest 200 m
- OL8 1RJ: 6 sites within 500 m, nearest 10 m
- OL8 3WE: 5 sites within 500 m, nearest 160 m
- OL8 4HG: 7 sites 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 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 £167,500 and a range of £80,000 to £330,000.
| Type | Sales | Median price |
|---|---|---|
| Terraced | 12 | £130,000 |
| Semi-detached | 5 | £170,500 |
| Detached | 1 | £280,000 |
Crime
Measured around OL8 3DN, near the centre of OL8.
2 crimes were reported within about a mile of the centre in August 2026. Town centres usually have more, because of shops and nightlife.
- Violence and sexual offences2
Schools near the centre
The nearest schools by distance. Distance doesn't decide a place: each council's admissions rules do.
- Hulme Grammar School
Primary and secondary · ages 4–18 · Other independent school · 540 m
- Coppice Primary Academy
Primary · ages 3–11 · Academy sponsor led · 570 m
- Lyndhurst Primary and Nursery School
Primary · ages 3–11 · Academy sponsor led · 570 m
- Broadfield Primary School
Primary · ages 2–11 · Academy converter · 680 m
- Werneth Primary School
Primary · ages 3–11 · Academy converter · 770 m
- The Hathershaw College
Secondary · ages 11–16 · Academy converter · 520 m
- Oasis Academy Oldham
Secondary · ages 11–16 · Academy sponsor led · 890 m
- Darul Hadis Latifiah Northwest
Secondary · ages 11–16 · Other independent school · 1.4 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OL8 3DN | Outside | Very low | 5–10% | Moderate | 7 within 500 m |
| OL8 4JG | Outside | Very low | 5–10% | Moderate | 5 within 500 m |
| OL8 3EW | Outside | Very low | 1–3% | Significant: landslides | 7 within 500 m |
| OL8 4HU | Outside | Very low | 5–10% | Moderate | 5 within 500 m |
| OL8 2AW | Outside | Very low | 5–10% | Moderate | 11 within 500 m |
| OL8 1RJ | Outside | Not checked | 5–10% | Moderate | 6 within 500 m |
| OL8 3WE | Outside | Very low | 1–3% | Moderate | 5 within 500 m |
| OL8 4HG | Outside | Very low | 5–10% | Moderate | 7 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 OL8 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)