Writtle
Writtle is a town in Essex, England, with a population of around 4,840. It has around 1 restaurant and café, 16 bus stops, and the nearest railway station is Chelmsford, 3.6 km away. There were around 51 recorded street crimes in June 2026, most commonly violence & sexual offences. This page gathers weather, crime, food hygiene, transport, flood risk, house prices, population, deprivation and your local MP for the Writtle area — all from official UK open data.
On deprivation, the Chelmsford area is among the least deprived areas in England (IoD2019). The wider council area has around 181,523 residents at roughly 536 people per km².
- Council
- Chelmsford
- County
- Essex
- Constituency
- Saffron Walden
- Police force
- Essex
My Area Score
Good
Ranked 129th of 294 English council areas — better than 56% of them.
A percentile blend of eight open measures (100 = best in England); bars show this area’s England-wide percentile on each. See the rankings · methodology
Weather
17°CPatchy rain nearby
- Today: 18° / 11° · 9% rain
- Tomorrow: 21° / 11° · Overcast
Source: WeatherAPI
Daylight
Sunrise 06:21Sunset 19:29
13h 7m of daylight today
Next bank holiday: Christmas Day, Fri 25 Dec
Source: sunrise-sunset.org · gov.uk
Air quality
25US AQI · Good
Main pollutant: fine particles (PM2.5)
Source: WAQI · Stanford-le-Hope Roadside, United Kingdom
Crime
67 reported · July 2026▲ 56% YoY
- Violence & sexual offences28
- Anti-social behaviour12
- Other theft6
- Public order5
2 stop & searches
Neighbourhood team: Chelmsford West · Essex
Local policing priorities
- Concerns from residents about antisocial behaviour (ASB) in hotspot areas across Chelmsford and Maldon, including town centres, retail an…
- Concerns from residents regarding vehicle theft in higher-risk locations across Chelmsford and Maldon, including town centre car parks, r…
Source: data.police.uk (within ~1 mile)
Road safety
300 reported road collisions (2024)
77 killed or seriously injured · 393 casualties · 16.5 collisions per 10,000 residents
Source: DfT reported road collisions (STATS19)
Food hygiene
446 food businesses within 2 miles
- 399 rated 4–5 ★ (366 top)
- 6 rated 0–2 (poor)
Source: Food Standards Agency
Flood risk
Buses & trains
- Nearest station: Chelmsford (2.8 km)
- 15 bus stops within ~½ mile
Live trains from Chelmsford (2.9 km):
Loading live departures…
Source: OpenStreetMap, National Rail
House prices
£383,103 average▼ 1.2% YoY
Across Chelmsford · to 2026-06
Source: UK House Price Index (HM Land Registry)
Private rents
£1,442 average monthly rent▲ 3.3% YoY
- 1 bed £1,061
- 2 bed £1,294
- 3 bed £1,545
Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents · to 2026-07
Affordability
10.7× house price to earnings
A typical home costs 10.7 times median annual pay (11.2× for cheaper homes vs lower pay).
Source: ONS house price to workplace earnings ratio · 2025
Fuel prices
- Cheapest petrol: 159.9p · Esso (1.9 km)
- Cheapest diesel: 146.8p · AppleGreen (4.5 km)
8 stations within ~8 miles
Source: CMA fuel price scheme
EV charging
29 charging locations within ~8 km
- 10 with rapid charging (50 kW+)
- Fastest nearby: 150 kW
- Nearest: Chelmsford SF Connect (1.5 km)
Source: Open Charge Map
Sport & leisure
- Sports centres2
- Sports pitches25
- Playgrounds6
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Population
181,523 residents in Chelmsford · 536/km²
- Under 16: 19%
- 16–64: 62%
- 65+: 19%
Source: ONS Census 2021 (local authority)
Deprivation
Among the least deprived areas in England
Ranked 260 of 317 English local authorities (1 = most deprived)
Source: English Indices of Deprivation 2019
Council tax
£2,300 a year · Band D, 2026-27
Most homes here are Band C (29% of 81,730)
Source: VOA council-tax stock · MHCLG band levels 2026-27
Schools
86 schools · 31,575 pupils
55 primary · 10 secondary · 21 other
Ofsted: 27 of 31 graded schools rated Good or Outstanding (87%)
72inspected under Ofsted’s 2024+ framework (graded by area, no single overall grade)
Secondary schools:
- Chelmsford County High School for GirlsOutstanding
- King Edward VI Grammar School, ChelmsfordOutstanding
- Chelmer Valley High SchoolGood
- Moulsham High SchoolGood
- Hylands SchoolRequires improvement
- The Sandon SchoolRequires improvement
- Great Baddow High School
- St John Payne Catholic School, Chelmsford
- The Boswells School
- William de Ferrers School
Source: DfE Get Information about Schools · Ofsted · Chelmsford
Care & health services
1,571 CQC-registered services
- Care homes407
- GP practices230
- Dentists309
- Homecare agencies475
- Hospitals & hospices39
CQC ratings: 87% of rated services Good or Outstanding · 17 Inadequate
Source: Care Quality Commission · Essex
Heritage & planning
- In a conservation area (Writtle Conservation Area)
- Not in the Green Belt
- 50 listed buildings within ~1.5 km
Source: planning.data.gov.uk (England)
Planning decisions
307 applications decided
83.1% granted · 255 granted, 52 refused
Source: MHCLG planning statistics (PS2) · 2026 Q1
Your MP
Mrs Kemi Badenoch
Conservative
North West Essex
Recent votes:
- AyeHealth Bill: Report Stage: Amendment 1
- AyeHealth Bill: Report Stage: New Clause 143
- AyeHealth Bill: Report Stage: New Clause 142
- NoDraft Code of Practice on Electronic and Workplace Ballots for Statutory Trade Union Ballots
Source: UK Parliament
Council control
Liberal Democrat majority
- Con 19
- LD 31
- Ref 2
- Oth 5
Source: Open Council Data UK (CC BY-SA)
Amenities nearby
- Schools5
- GPs & clinics1
- Pharmacies1
- Supermarkets2
- Parks & greens7
- Restaurants & cafés11
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Local businesses
9,385 active business enterprises in the area
Source: ONS UK Business Counts (2025)
Jobs
32 jobs advertised · £28,967 avg
e.g. Online French Tutor - Part Time, Become a Accounting Tutor in Writtle – Flexible & Remote, Parts Advisor
Source: Adzuna
Local economy
£878 median full-time weekly pay
2.7% of residents aged 16–64 claim unemployment-related benefits
£28,603 disposable income per head (2024)
Source: ONS / Nomis (claimant count · ASHE) · ONS regional GDHI
Energy efficiency
49% of homes rated EPC C or above
Most common band: D · 82,010 certificates
7.5% of households were in fuel poverty (2023)
Source: MHCLG EPC statistics · DESNZ sub-regional fuel poverty
Grid electricity
82% low-carbon electricity
Wind 33% · Solar 25% · Nuclear 19% · Gas 17%
75 gCO₂/kWh · low intensity
Latest estimate for East England · National Grid ESO
Health
Life expectancy: 85.2 yrs women · 81.5 yrs men
60% of adults overweight or obese
Source: OHID Fingertips · 2025
Wellbeing
- Life satisfaction7.5
- Feeling worthwhile7.7
- Happiness yesterday7.8
- Anxiety yesterday (lower is better)2.8
Average rating out of 10 · ONS personal well-being 2022-23
Local petitions
Open UK Parliament petitions most signed in North West Essex:
- Make a public animal abuser register & automatically ban ownership423 local signatures · 242,705 nationwide
- Ban anyone convicted of terrorism offences from standing for public office417 local signatures · 205,058 nationwide
- Review the evidence and fund the addition of SMA to the Newborn Screening Test399 local signatures · 151,287 nationwide
- Do not ban social media for under 16s387 local signatures · 217,501 nationwide
- Change surrogacy law to recognise intended parents from birth308 local signatures · 112,809 nationwide
Source: petition.parliament.uk · as of 2026-08-06
Notable places nearby
Writtle · 0.2 kmWrittle is a village and civil parish in the Chelmsford district of Essex, England. It lies 2 miles (3.2 km) west of the centre of Chelmsford. It has a traditional village green complete with duck pond and a Norman ch…
- 2MT · 0.3 km
2MT was the first British radio station to make regular entertainment broadcasts, and the "world's first regular wireless broadcast" for entertainment. Transmissions began on 14 February 1922 from an ex-Army hut next…
- River Wid · 1.2 km
River Wid is a river in the county of Essex, England, a tributary of the River Can. It runs to the south of Chelmsford, following the A1016, previously the A12 out of Chelmsford at Widford.
Writtle University College · 1.6 kmWrittle University College was a university college located in Writtle near Chelmsford, Essex. It was founded in 1893 and obtained University College status in May 2016.
- Sturgeons House · 1.8 km
Sturgeons House is a Grade II listed country estate located west of the small village of Writtle in Essex, England. At its height, the estate comprised around 500 acres (2,000,000 m2). However, it currently holds only…
Hylands House · 2.0 kmHylands House is a Grade II* neo-classical villa situated within Hylands Park a 232-hectare park southwest of Chelmsford in Essex in South East England. It is owned and operated by Chelmsford City Council.
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA)
Nearby towns
Compare Chelmsford with nearby areas
Frequently asked questions
- Where is Writtle?
- Writtle is a town in Essex, England, in the Chelmsford local authority.
- What is the population of Writtle?
- Writtle has an approximate settlement population of 4,840.
- How deprived is Writtle?
- The Chelmsford local authority, which includes Writtle, is among the least deprived areas in England on the IoD2019.