London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Jul 25, 2026

London's best and worst connected neighbourhood have been named

London's best and worst connected neighbourhood have been named

Shadwell is the best connected place in the country - unlike part of Biggin Hill in Bromley which is the worst in the capital

London is home to the best connected community in England, according to a MyLondon analysis.

People living in a particular neighbourhood in Shadwell - between Watney Market and St Mary’s Cable Street - have the best access to schools, public transport, their GPs, hospitals and airports in all of England.

People living in that part of Shadwell are just minutes from schools - on average four minutes to a primary and five minutes to a secondary on foot or by public transport, and six and seven minutes respectively by car.

Getting to their GP will take three minutes on average by walking or public transport or six minutes by car and bike, while it’s 12 minutes to hospital by foot or public transport or nine minutes in a car.

For those planning to head further afield, London City airport is 35 minutes away by public transport or 21 minutes in the car, while the nearest hub station London Fenchurch Street is 19 and 12 minutes travel respectively.


So how does your neighbourhood rank?

But those living in the Melody Road area of Biggin Hill in Bromley are the capital’s worst connected.

By foot or public transport, it’s an average 16 minute journey to a primary school and 28 minutes to a secondary school. By car, that’s cut to 10 minutes and 13 minutes respectively.

A GP is 14 minutes away by walking or public transport, 10 minutes on a bike or nine minutes in a car, while it takes 40 minutes to get to hospital on public transport.

It is likely to take 85 minutes to Gatwick airport and 46 minutes to Bromley South on public transport, although in the car you could be at the airport in 41 minutes and Sevenoaks station in 29 minutes.

These analyses are gleaned from a study based on official figures, published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS).

The study ranks every one of 32,844 neighbourhoods in England based on how long the ONS says it takes an average person to reach primary and secondary schools, GP surgeries and food shops, plus major railway stations and major airports.

At the other end of the 'connectedness' scale is a sparsely-populated neighbourhood in Teignbridge, Devon – running from the villages of Poundsgate in the south to Moretonhampstead in the north.

According to the ONS data, the average resident of that area is 51 minutes away (on foot or on public transport) from the nearest primary school and nearly two hours from the nearest secondary school.

The nearest hospital takes at least two hours by public transport, and the nearest major airport or rail station (Bristol and Bristol Parkway respectively) are more than two hours away. By car you’re looking at over two hours to the airport, or 145 minutes to the station.


How does it work?

The ONS data breaks down England into neighbourhoods, or 'lower super output areas', which contain roughly the same number of people (around 1,500 in all).

That means neighbourhoods in densely-populated cities and towns tend to be much smaller, and average travel times to key services tend to be shorter.

Lightly-populated neighbourhoods are bigger and tend to fare much worse in the rankings.

The travel times show the average time it takes to get to key services for all people living in a particular neighbourhood.

'Major' airports are those with at least one per cent of UK air traffic, while 'major' rail stations are those which are considered, for official purposes, to be national or regional hubs.

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
War, Youth Revolt and the Global Struggle for Control
War, Power and the Rising Price of Political Decisions
High Street Sales Suffer Sharpest Summer Decline in Five Years
Wales Approves Higher Taxes on Second Homes and Long-Term Empty Properties
Environment Agency Imposes Record £150 Million Penalty on Water Companies
UK Competition Watchdog Blocks U.S. Takeover of Cambridge Chip Designer
Scotland Unveils Land Reform Bill to Expand Renewable Energy Projects
Northern Ireland Secures £500 Million Technology Investment for Belfast Cybersecurity Hub
NHS Rolls Out AI Triage System Across Major Hospitals in England
UK Strengthens North Sea Naval Cooperation With European Allies
UK Chancellor Commits £7 Billion to Accelerate Manchester-Leeds Rail Link
Bank of England Signals Interest Rate Cuts After Inflation Falls Below Target
Badenoch Rejects Grant Shapps' Bid to Return as Conservative Candidate
BAE Chief Warns Britain Has Underestimated the Risk of War
Burnham Rules Out New Scottish Independence Referendum in First Talks With Swinney
UK Government Strengthens Northern Economic Agenda Through Manchester Headquarters and Regional Partnerships
United Kingdom Opens New Furness Peninsula Coastal Route Under King Charles the Third England Coast Path
England Reduces Business Costs for Hospitality Sector Through New Relief Package
United Kingdom Allocates Seven Point Three Million Pounds for Zero-Emission Aviation Research
United Kingdom Begins Restoration Works on Portishead Railway Line After Six Decades Without Passenger Services
United States Tariff Measures Create New Trade Challenges for United Kingdom and European Union Businesses
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Meets Scottish and Welsh Leaders to Promote Regional Growth Cooperation
United Kingdom Government Announces Twenty Percent Business Rates Cut for Pubs, Clubs, and Music Venues
Prime Minister Andy Burnham Opens Manchester Government Headquarters to Shift Decision-Making Away From Westminster
United Kingdom Defence Ministry Says Armed Forces Ready After Iran Accuses London Over US Military Strikes
United Kingdom Inflation Falls to Two Point Six Percent as Prime Minister Andy Burnham Gains Economic Breathing Room
OpenAI Sued After ChatGPT Allegedly Discouraged Emergency Care Before Near-Fatal Embolism
Viral Video Raises Questions Over Twelve-Dollar Croissants at Manhattan Bakery
UK Balances Security Commitments With Economic Growth Priorities
Retail and Hospitality Sectors Navigate Consumer Caution and Tax Changes
Key Trends to Watch
British Land Appoints Joanne McNamara as New Chief Executive Officer
UK Government Names New Life Peers Including Former Military and Civil Service Leaders
Institute of Directors Urges Government Action on Employment Costs and Skills Shortages
IMF Raises UK 2026 Growth Forecast to One Percent
UK Retail Sales Growth Slows Sharply as Households Cut Discretionary Spending
UK Ten-Year Bond Yields Remain Above Five Percent as Government Faces Higher Debt Costs
UK Government Plans Earlier End to Low-Value Import Duty Exemption for Online Retail Parcels
Reform UK Leads Tight Westminster Voting Poll as Conservatives and Labour Remain Close
Royal Navy Carrier Strike Group Completes First Arctic and North Atlantic Mission Phase
Andy Burnham Government Cuts Business Rates for Pubs and Music Venues by Twenty Percent
UK Inflation Falls to Two Point Six Percent in June as Food and Fuel Prices Ease
Andy Burnham Becomes UK Prime Minister Facing Growth Challenges and Fiscal Pressure
UK Government Reviews Long-Term Balance Between Cost Relief, Industry Support, and Public Investment Priorities
BBC Could Receive Permanent Royal Charter Under Government Proposal
Northern Ireland Proposes End to Severe Weather Exemptions for Electricity Compensation Rules
Andy Burnham Holds Talks With UK Devolved Leaders on Regional Cooperation and Devolution
House of Lords Launches Inquiry Into Risks Facing UK Democratic Institutions
ScottishPower Renewables Plans Major Rebuild of Whitelee Wind Farm With Fewer Larger Turbines
UK and Italy Leaders Discuss Global Combat Air Programme and Future European Cooperation
×