Cowden
Cowden is a village in Kent, England, with a population of under 3,000. There are 5 bus stops and the nearest railway station is Cowden, 1.7 km away. In June 2026, there were 4 recorded street crimes, most commonly anti-social behaviour. This page gathers weather, crime, food hygiene, transport, flood risk, house prices, population, deprivation and your local MP for the Cowden area — all from official UK open data.
On deprivation, the Sevenoaks area is less deprived than the average in England (IoD2019). The wider council area has around 120,511 residents at roughly 326 people per km².
My Area Score
Good
Ranked 89th of 294 English council areas — better than 70% 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
18°CPatchy rain nearby
- Today: 19° / 16° · 76% rain
- Tomorrow: 24° / 16° · Mist
Source: WeatherAPI
Daylight
Sunrise 06:30Sunset 19:20
12h 51m of daylight today
Next bank holiday: Christmas Day, Fri 25 Dec
Source: sunrise-sunset.org · gov.uk
Air quality
6US AQI · Good
Main pollutant: coarse particles (PM10)
Source: WAQI · Greenwich - Fiveways Sidcup Rd A20, United Kingdom
Crime
3 reported · July 2026▲ 50% YoY
- Anti-social behaviour1
- Burglary1
- Other theft1
1 stop & searches · mostly article for use in theft
Neighbourhood team: Cowden and Hever · Kent
Local policing priorities
- Road safety.
- Nuisance vehicles.
Source: data.police.uk (within ~1 mile)
Road safety
237 reported road collisions (2024)
60 killed or seriously injured · 332 casualties · 19.7 collisions per 10,000 residents
Source: DfT reported road collisions (STATS19)
Food hygiene
8 food businesses within 2 miles
- 7 rated 4–5 ★ (7 top)
- 0 rated 0–2 (poor)
Source: Food Standards Agency
Flood risk
Buses & trains
- Nearest station: Cowden (1.7 km)
- 5 bus stops within ~½ mile
Live trains from Cowden (1.7 km):
Loading live departures…
Source: OpenStreetMap, National Rail
House prices
£543,081 average▲ 3.2% YoY
Across Sevenoaks · to 2026-06
Source: UK House Price Index (HM Land Registry)
Private rents
£1,803 average monthly rent▲ 4.2% YoY
- 1 bed £1,262
- 2 bed £1,574
- 3 bed £1,920
Source: ONS Price Index of Private Rents · to 2026-07
Affordability
13.4× house price to earnings
A typical home costs 13.4 times median annual pay (14.3× for cheaper homes vs lower pay).
Source: ONS house price to workplace earnings ratio · 2025
Fuel prices
- Cheapest petrol: 155.9p · Esso (11.3 km)
- Cheapest diesel: 186.9p · Morrisons (10.5 km)
6 stations within ~8 miles
Source: CMA fuel price scheme
EV charging
9 charging locations within ~8 km
- 1 with rapid charging (50 kW+)
- Fastest nearby: 160 kW
- Nearest: Chequer Mead Car Park, East Grinstead (7.2 km)
Source: Open Charge Map
Sport & leisure
- Swimming pools1
- Sports pitches5
- Golf courses2
Source: OpenStreetMap (within ~1 mile)
Local news
- Wheelie bin roadshows come to town!· 10 Sept 2026
- Chairman raises the flag in honour of Emergency Services Day· 9 Sept 2026
- Fly-tipper prosecuted· 3 Sept 2026
- Community and voluntary groups urged to apply for funding· 2 Sept 2026
- Council Reaffirms Position on Future of The Stag Community Arts Centre· 1 Sept 2026
Source: Sevenoaks Council
Population
120,511 residents in Sevenoaks · 326/km²
- Under 16: 20%
- 16–64: 59%
- 65+: 22%
Source: ONS Census 2021 (local authority)
Deprivation
Less deprived than the average in England
Ranked 253 of 317 English local authorities (1 = most deprived)
Source: English Indices of Deprivation 2019
Council tax
£2,522 a year · Band D, 2026-27
Most homes here are Band D (23% of 52,640)
Source: VOA council-tax stock · MHCLG band levels 2026-27
Schools
65 schools · 17,192 pupils
42 primary · 3 secondary · 20 other
Ofsted: 17 of 18 graded schools rated Good or Outstanding (94%)
48inspected under Ofsted’s 2024+ framework (graded by area, no single overall grade)
Secondary schools:
- Knole Academy
- Orchards Academy
- Trinity School
Source: DfE Get Information about Schools · Ofsted · Sevenoaks
Care & health services
1,672 CQC-registered services
- Care homes501
- GP practices221
- Dentists362
- Homecare agencies415
- Hospitals & hospices47
CQC ratings: 87% of rated services Good or Outstanding · 25 Inadequate
Source: Care Quality Commission · Kent
Heritage & planning
- Within the Green Belt
- 46 listed buildings within ~1.5 km
Source: planning.data.gov.uk (England)
Planning decisions
266 applications decided
89.5% granted · 238 granted, 28 refused
Source: MHCLG planning statistics (PS2) · 2026 Q1
Your MP
Tom Tugendhat
Conservative
Tonbridge
Recent votes:
- NoTerminally Ill Adults (End of Life) Bill: Second Reading
- NoClosure motion
- NoDraft Plant Health, Seeds, Seed Potatoes and Plant Propagating Material (Amendment) (Northern Ireland) Regulations 2026
- AyeHealth Bill: Report Stage: Amendment 1
Source: UK Parliament
Council control
Conservative (minority)
- Con 26
- LD 14
- Grn 4
- Ref 2
- Oth 8
Source: Open Council Data UK (CC BY-SA)
Amenities nearby
Local businesses
7,290 active business enterprises in the area
Source: ONS UK Business Counts (2025)
Jobs
5 jobs advertised
e.g. Sign Up as A Delivery Person - Earn With Uber Eats, Looking For Part-Time Opportunities? - Deliver with Uber Eats, Deliver with Uber Eats - Sign Up and Start Earning
Source: Adzuna
Local economy
£901 median full-time weekly pay
2.3% of residents aged 16–64 claim unemployment-related benefits
£39,738 disposable income per head (2024)
Source: ONS / Nomis (claimant count · ASHE) · ONS regional GDHI
Energy efficiency
38% of homes rated EPC C or above
Most common band: D · 48,205 certificates
9.6% of households were in fuel poverty (2023)
Source: MHCLG EPC statistics · DESNZ sub-regional fuel poverty
Grid electricity
10% low-carbon electricity
Imports 65% · Gas 25% · Wind 7% · Solar 2%
160 gCO₂/kWh · moderate intensity
Latest estimate for South East England · National Grid ESO
Health
Life expectancy: 84.7 yrs women · 82.6 yrs men
62% of adults overweight or obese
Source: OHID Fingertips · 2025
Wellbeing
- Life satisfaction7.7
- Feeling worthwhile8.1
- Happiness yesterday7.9
- Anxiety yesterday (lower is better)2.7
Average rating out of 10 · ONS personal well-being 2022-23
Local petitions
Open UK Parliament petitions most signed in Tonbridge:
- Do not ban social media for under 16s399 local signatures · 217,501 nationwide
- Hold a referendum to bring the water industry into public ownership385 local signatures · 163,883 nationwide
- Make a public animal abuser register & automatically ban ownership374 local signatures · 242,705 nationwide
- Ban anyone convicted of terrorism offences from standing for public office327 local signatures · 205,058 nationwide
- Review the evidence and fund the addition of SMA to the Newborn Screening Test290 local signatures · 151,287 nationwide
Source: petition.parliament.uk · as of 2026-08-06
Notable places nearby
Cowden · 0.0 kmCowden is a village and civil parish in the Sevenoaks District of Kent, England. The parish is located on the northern slopes of the Weald, south-west of Tonbridge, and lies close to the borders of both East Sussex an…
St Mary Magdalene, Cowden · 0.1 kmThe Church of St Mary Magdalene is a parish church in the village of Cowden, in the district of Sevenoaks, Kent, England. It is part of the Church of England and falls within the Diocese of Chichester, the only parish…
- London to Lewes Way · 0.9 km
The London to Lewes Way is a 71 kilometres (44 mi) - long Roman road between Watling Street at Peckham and Lewes in Sussex. The road passes through Beckenham and West Wickham, then crosses the North Downs above Titsey…
Cowden rail crash · 1.7 kmThe Cowden rail crash occurred on 15 October 1994, near Cowden Station in Kent (UK), when two trains collided head-on, killing five and injuring 13, after one of them had passed a signal at danger and entered a single…
Cowden railway station · 1.7 kmCowden railway station is on the Uckfield branch of the Oxted line in southern England and serves Cowden in Kent. It is 29 miles 26 chains from London Bridge. The station is managed by Southern.
Cowden Meadow · 1.8 kmCowden Meadow is a 1.1-hectare (2.7-acre) biological Site of Special Scientific Interest east of Cowden in Kent.
Source: Wikipedia (text under CC BY-SA)
Nearby towns
Compare Sevenoaks with nearby areas
Frequently asked questions
- Where is Cowden?
- Cowden is a town in Kent, England, in the Sevenoaks local authority.
- How deprived is Cowden?
- The Sevenoaks local authority, which includes Cowden, is less deprived than the average in England on the IoD2019.