Neighbourhood · Medway
Chatham Central and Rochester Riverside: house prices and how the area is changing
Official figures for the Chatham Central and Rochester Riverside neighbourhood of Medway, England (ONS area Medway 015). Headline figures assembled 25 October 2026. Postcodes ME1, ME4, ME5, ME7. Figures that read a point use the neighbourhood's centre, near ME4 6AD.
A neighbourhood with below-average incomes, changing little against Medway
Chatham Central and Rochester Riverside is a neighbourhood with below-average incomes; it is changing little against Medway (signals are mixed: 3 rising and 3 falling of 20). Houses here typically resell for £250,000 and flats for £185,000 (median resale prices, 2023-2025). Recorded crime is higher than across Medway (3.7 times the borough's rate), schools nearby are improving faster than the council's and the nearest station, Chatham, is about a 3-minute walk from the neighbourhood's centre.
The neighbourhood in brief, from the figures on this page. Summary updated 25 October 2026; source dates are shown below.
Typical house price
£250,000
Median resale price of houses in the neighbourhood, 2023-2025; +30% against 2017-2019.
Source: HM Land Registry Price Paid Data
Typical flat price
£185,000
Median resale price of flats in the neighbourhood, 2023-2025; +32% against 2017-2019.
Source: HM Land Registry Price Paid Data
Affluence today
Below average income
How well off the neighbourhood is now, from household income, home prices and deprivation.
Source: ONS, HM Land Registry, MHCLG Indices of Deprivation
Signs of gentrification
Mixed signs
Weighted balance +0.00; 3 of 20 signals up, 3 down, against the borough.
Source: Official statistics on prices, incomes, benefits, businesses, schools and more (a full report shows every signal)
Deprivation
Decile 1 of 10
English Indices of Deprivation 2025: 1 is the most deprived tenth of neighbourhoods, 10 the least. At the neighbourhood's centre; its 6 small areas range from decile 1 to 3.
Source: MHCLG English Indices of Deprivation 2025
Average household income
£44,200
ONS estimate for the neighbourhood (modelled, with a margin of error).
Source: Office for National Statistics
Recorded crime
3.7 times the borough's rate
Crimes recorded by the police over 12 months (not anti-social behaviour) per resident, against the borough. Crime per resident can overstate the risk in busy centres where many people work or visit.
Source: Police.uk
Schools getting better
Faster than the council's
Nearby state schools' latest Ofsted inspections and results, against the council's schools.
Source: Ofsted, Department for Education
Where Chatham Central and Rochester Riverside sits in Medway
- Typical house price: joint 5th lowest of 38 neighbourhoods in Medway
- Typical flat price: 4th highest of the 16 neighbourhoods in Medway with enough flat sales for one
- Average household income: the lowest of 38 neighbourhoods in Medway
Ranked among the council's neighbourhoods by the figures on each one's own page, checked 25 October 2026: typical prices are HM Land Registry resale medians over the latest three-year window, household income the ONS's modelled estimate, with a margin of error, so neighbourhoods a place or two apart may not really differ.
Prices over time in Chatham Central and Rochester Riverside
Source: HM Land Registry Price Paid Data, held locally and checked 25 October 2026. Medians each year, not a valuation of any home.
How the area is changing, signal by signal
3 of 20 counted signals point towards rising affluence against Medway, 3 the other way and 14 in line. A reading of official statistics against the borough, not a prediction; a full report shows every signal's figures and weight. Where this reading sits among every neighbourhood in England and Wales: the gentrification league table.
Rising against the borough
- Schools improving
- New-build activity
- Home improvement applications
Falling behind the borough
- Recorded crime
- Homes selling
- Benefit claims (DWP)
Stations and schools nearby
Nearest station
- Chatham Railway station, about a 3-minute walk from the neighbourhood's centre (210 m in a straight line). About 15 trains an hour leave between 07:00 and 19:00 on a weekday: Southeastern to London Victoria (46 to 57 min); Southeastern and Thameslink to Rainham (Kent) (about 10 min).
Station locations: NaPTAN (Department for Transport). Trains: Network Rail's timetable for Tuesday 6 October 2026, with the timetabled minutes of direct trains; timetabled, not live running. Distances from the neighbourhood's centre in a straight line, walked at 4.8 km/h; the real route is longer.
Nearest state schools
- Nearest state primary school St John's Church of England Infant School 440 m from the neighbourhood's centre. Ofsted: Good (Mar 2024).
- Nearest state secondary school Fort Pitt Grammar School 590 m from the neighbourhood's centre. Ofsted: Outstanding (Oct 2022).
Schools: Department for Education, Get Information about Schools (20 October 2026); inspections: Ofsted's management information as at 30 September 2026, in Ofsted's own words. Straight-line distances; not a catchment or admissions assessment.
Questions about Chatham Central and Rochester Riverside
What is the typical house price in Chatham Central and Rochester Riverside?
£250,000. Median resale price of houses in the neighbourhood, 2023-2025; +30% against 2017-2019.
How does Chatham Central and Rochester Riverside compare with the rest of Medway?
Typical house price: joint 5th lowest of 38 neighbourhoods in Medway. Typical flat price: 4th highest of the 16 neighbourhoods in Medway with enough flat sales for one. Average household income: the lowest of 38 neighbourhoods in Medway.
Is Chatham Central and Rochester Riverside an affluent area?
Below average income. How well off the neighbourhood is now, from household income, home prices and deprivation.
Is Chatham Central and Rochester Riverside gentrifying?
Mixed signs. Weighted balance +0.00; 3 of 20 signals up, 3 down, against the borough.
What is the nearest station to Chatham Central and Rochester Riverside?
Chatham. Railway station, about a 3-minute walk from the neighbourhood's centre (210 m in a straight line). About 15 trains an hour leave between 07:00 and 19:00 on a weekday: Southeastern to London Victoria (46 to 57 min); Southeastern and Thameslink to Rainham (Kent) (about 10 min).
Which state schools are nearest to Chatham Central and Rochester Riverside?
Nearest state primary school. St John's Church of England Infant School. 440 m from the neighbourhood's centre. Ofsted: Good (Mar 2024). Nearest state secondary school. Fort Pitt Grammar School. 590 m from the neighbourhood's centre. Ofsted: Outstanding (Oct 2022).
Each answer repeats a figure shown above, with its source there.
Thinking of buying in Chatham Central and Rochester Riverside?
A full report covers flood risk, schools, crime, your commute, energy, planning and how the area is changing, for the exact home.
Prepare a full report for a home here See a sample reportNearby neighbourhoods in Medway
- Chatham South West
- Chatham South East
- Rochester East
- Rochester West
- Gillingham Central
- Luton
- Gillingham South
- Chatham Maritime
- All 38 neighbourhoods in Medway
Postcode districts
Neighbourhood names: House of Commons Library, MSOA Names, Open Parliament Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains public sector information (MHCLG, Police.uk, Ofsted, Department for Education) licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Station locations from NaPTAN (Department for Transport), Open Government Licence v3.0. Trains: contains information of Network Rail Infrastructure Limited licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Figures describe the area, not any home, and are not a valuation or a prediction.