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Neighbourhood · St Albans

How Wood & Park Street: house prices and how the area is changing

Official figures for the How Wood & Park Street neighbourhood of St Albans, England (ONS area St Albans 019). Headline figures assembled 4 November 2026. Postcodes AL2, WD7. Figures that read a point use the neighbourhood's centre, near AL2 2TB.

An affluent neighbourhood, with signals pointing away from gentrification

How Wood & Park Street is an affluent neighbourhood. But area signals point away from gentrification against St Albans (2 of 18 signals falling, 2 rising). Houses here typically resell for £600,000 and flats for £292,615 (median resale prices, 2023-2025). Recorded crime is higher than across St Albans (1.7 times the borough's rate) and the nearest station, How Wood (Herts), is about a 3-minute walk from the neighbourhood's centre.

The neighbourhood in brief, from the figures on this page. Summary updated 4 November 2026; source dates are shown below.

Typical house price

£600,000

Median resale price of houses in the neighbourhood, 2023-2025; +16% against 2017-2019.

Source: HM Land Registry Price Paid Data

Typical flat price

£292,615

Median resale price of flats in the neighbourhood, 2023-2025; +24% against 2017-2019.

Source: HM Land Registry Price Paid Data

Affluence today

Affluent

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

Moving the other way

Weighted balance -0.12; 2 of 18 signals up, 2 down, against the borough.

Source: Official statistics on prices, incomes, benefits, businesses, schools and more (a full report shows every signal)

Deprivation

Decile 4 of 10

English Indices of Deprivation 2025: 1 is the most deprived tenth of neighbourhoods, 10 the least. At the neighbourhood's centre; its 4 small areas range from decile 4 to 10.

Source: MHCLG English Indices of Deprivation 2025

Average household income

£69,500

ONS estimate for the neighbourhood (modelled, with a margin of error).

Source: Office for National Statistics

Recorded crime

1.7 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

Where How Wood & Park Street sits in St Albans

  • Typical house price: 3rd lowest of 20 neighbourhoods in St Albans
  • Typical flat price: 8th lowest of the 18 neighbourhoods in St Albans with enough flat sales for one
  • Average household income: 5th lowest of 20 neighbourhoods in St Albans

Ranked among the council's neighbourhoods by the figures on each one's own page, checked 4 November 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 How Wood & Park Street

House prices: How Wood & Park Street against St Albans: This neighbourhood £98k (1995) to £593k (2026); St Albans £99k (1995) to £700k (2026).£178k£648k2026202120162011200620011995This neighbourhood£593kSt Albans£700k
Median resale price of houses each year here and across St Albans, 1995 to 2026 (HM Land Registry Price Paid Data: standard sales, new builds left out). Years with fewer than 10 sales here are left out. 2026 is the year so far (dashed).
Flat prices: How Wood & Park Street against St Albans: This neighbourhood £51k (1996) to £305k (2025); St Albans £56k (1996) to £329k (2026).£87k£294k2026202120162011200620011996This neighbourhood£305kSt Albans£329k
Median resale price of flats each year here and across St Albans, 1996 to 2026 (HM Land Registry Price Paid Data: standard sales, new builds left out). Years with fewer than 10 sales here are left out. 2026 is the year so far (dashed).

Source: HM Land Registry Price Paid Data, held locally and checked 4 November 2026. Medians each year, not a valuation of any home.

How the area is changing, signal by signal

2 of 18 counted signals point towards rising affluence against St Albans, 2 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

  • Anti-social behaviour
  • New-build activity

Falling behind the borough

  • Income deprivation ranking
  • Benefit claims (DWP)

Stations and schools nearby

Nearest station

  • How Wood (Herts) Railway station, about a 3-minute walk from the neighbourhood's centre (200 m in a straight line). About 2.3 trains an hour leave between 07:00 and 19:00 on a weekday: West Midlands Railway or London Northwestern to St Albans Abbey (about 5 min) and Watford Junction (about 11 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 Park Street Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School 200 m from the neighbourhood's centre. Ofsted: Report card: Strong standard in 3 areas, Expected standard in 4 (May 2026).
  • Nearest state secondary school The Marlborough Science Academy 2.3 km from the neighbourhood's centre. Ofsted: Good (Nov 2023).

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.

Nearest A&E

  • Nearest major A&E Watford General Hospital 8.8 km from the neighbourhood's centre, in a straight line.

Hospitals: NHS England, NHS Wales and Public Health Scotland site lists. Waiting times: NHS England's Emergency Care Data Set (experimental statistics), StatsWales and Public Health Scotland, Open Government Licence v3.0. The NHS standard is 95% within 4 hours. Ambulances go to the most suitable A&E, which is not always the nearest.

Questions about How Wood & Park Street

What is the typical house price in How Wood & Park Street?

£600,000. Median resale price of houses in the neighbourhood, 2023-2025; +16% against 2017-2019.

How does How Wood & Park Street compare with the rest of St Albans?

Typical house price: 3rd lowest of 20 neighbourhoods in St Albans. Typical flat price: 8th lowest of the 18 neighbourhoods in St Albans with enough flat sales for one. Average household income: 5th lowest of 20 neighbourhoods in St Albans.

Is How Wood & Park Street an affluent area?

Affluent. How well off the neighbourhood is now, from household income, home prices and deprivation.

Is How Wood & Park Street gentrifying?

Moving the other way. Weighted balance -0.12; 2 of 18 signals up, 2 down, against the borough.

What is the nearest station to How Wood & Park Street?

How Wood (Herts). Railway station, about a 3-minute walk from the neighbourhood's centre (200 m in a straight line). About 2.3 trains an hour leave between 07:00 and 19:00 on a weekday: West Midlands Railway or London Northwestern to St Albans Abbey (about 5 min) and Watford Junction (about 11 min).

Which state schools are nearest to How Wood & Park Street?

Nearest state primary school. Park Street Church of England Voluntary Aided Primary School. 200 m from the neighbourhood's centre. Ofsted: Report card: Strong standard in 3 areas, Expected standard in 4 (May 2026). Nearest state secondary school. The Marlborough Science Academy. 2.3 km from the neighbourhood's centre. Ofsted: Good (Nov 2023).

Each answer repeats a figure shown above, with its source there.

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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.