Lees
Lees, in Oldham. What stands out most here is deprivation decile: at 1 it is in the most deprived tenth of England, measured across this neighbourhood (LSOA, about 1,500 people).
Planning designations: Conservation area — the centre postcode. These cover the centre point, not necessarily the whole area.
Recorded crimes: 2 — within about a mile of the centre. Street-level offences reported in August 2026. A count, not a rate — the police publish no population for this area, so it cannot be compared with a bigger or smaller place.
Rivers and sea flood risk: not in an at-risk band — the centre postcode. England only, indicative, by 50 m cell, rivers and sea only. It says nothing about surface water.
GP practices used by this neighbourhood: 45 — this neighbourhood (LSOA, about 1,500 people). Most use Leesbrook Surgery (35%). Where neighbours are registered — not a catchment, and not a guarantee of a place.
We could not show these: census. They either did not answer or are not published for this area — a gap in our data, not a finding about this place.
Rankings and orderings on this page are ours; every figure belongs to the publisher named beside it.
Is Lees a nice place to live?
That depends on what you need from a place, so we don't give Lees a score. These are the official figures people usually weigh, for the neighbourhood around its centre, compared with England wherever the comparison is fair.
Is Lees safe?
On the government's crime measure (the Indices of Deprivation 2025), the neighbourhood at the centre of Lees is in decile 1 of 10 — among the fifth of England's neighbourhoods with the most crime. Decile 1 is the tenth of neighbourhoods with the most crime, decile 10 the tenth with the least. Police recorded 2 street-level crimes within about a mile of the centre in August 2026: a count, not a rate, so it does not compare places of different sizes.
What does it cost to live in Lees?
Homes sold for a median of £185,000 over the last year (80 homes sold in Lees, HM Land Registry). That is the middle of what happened to sell, not a valuation.
Is Lees good for families?
There are 85 open schools within 3 miles of the centre (74 primary, 11 secondary). The nearest is St Thomas' Leesfield CofE Primary School, 0.1 miles away; each school's own Ofsted report is linked further down this page. On the government's education and skills measure, which counts the qualifications of children and adults who live there, the neighbourhood is in decile 2 of 10 — among the fifth of England's neighbourhoods with the fewest qualifications and skills.
Health and doctors in Lees
On the government's health measure, which counts early deaths, illness and disability, the neighbourhood is in decile 1 of 10 — among the fifth of England's neighbourhoods with the poorest health. People in this neighbourhood are registered with 45 GP practices; most use Leesbrook Surgery (35%). The nearest acute hospital is Royal Oldham Hospital, 2.3 miles away in a straight line.
What is the neighbourhood like?
Overall, the neighbourhood is in decile 1 of 10 on the Index of Multiple Deprivation, where 1 is England's most deprived tenth and 10 the least. It describes the area, never the people in it. For living environment, which counts the condition of homes, air quality and road accidents, it is in decile 4 of 10 — a poorer living environment than the middle of England. The centre is not in a rivers-and-sea flood risk band (Environment Agency; surface water is a separate risk). Planning designations at the centre: Conservation area.
The figures describe the neighbourhood around the centre (OL4 5AA), not every street in Lees. For your own street, look up your postcode on the StreetOwl dashboard.
The figures
Figures are shown against their own scale, or against the England figure beside them. These are a reading aid, not a rating — StreetOwl does not score places.
| Measure | Here | England | What it covers, and who publishes it |
|---|---|---|---|
| Deprivation decile (1 = England's most deprived tenth) | 1in the most deprived tenth of England | 5.5 | this neighbourhood (LSOA, about 1,500 people) Indices of Deprivation 2025, MHCLG 1 = the most deprived tenth of England, 10 = the least. It describes the neighbourhood, never the people in it. |
| Planning designations | Conservation area | — | the centre postcode planning.data.gov.uk these cover the centre point, not necessarily the whole area. |
| Recorded crimes | 2 | — | within about a mile of the centre police.uk street-level offences reported in August 2026. A count, not a rate — the police publish no population for this area, so it cannot be compared with a bigger or smaller place. |
| Rivers and sea flood risk | not in an at-risk band | — | the centre postcode Environment Agency NaFRA2 England only, indicative, by 50 m cell, rivers and sea only. It says nothing about surface water. |
| GP practices used by this neighbourhood | 45 | — | this neighbourhood (LSOA, about 1,500 people) NHS England, patients registered at a GP practice Most use Leesbrook Surgery (35%). Where neighbours are registered — not a catchment, and not a guarantee of a place. |
| Miles to the nearest acute hospital | 2.3 | — | straight-line distance from the centre NHS England, with NHS ODS site locations Royal Oldham Hospital, run by Northern Care Alliance NHS Foundation Trust. Straight-line, not a journey time, and the nearest site is not always the one you would be taken to. |
| Major infrastructure projects nearby | 2 | — | centred within 9 miles of the centre Planning Inspectorate NSIP register Airports, power stations, reservoirs, major roads and the like. Each project is recorded at a single point, so one counted here may be centred some way off. |
| Planning applications nearby | 9 | — | within 600 m of the centre Council planning registers via PlanIt recently listed on the council's own register. A count of applications, not of approvals. |
| Median sold price, last 12 months | £185,000 | — | 80 homes sold in Lees HM Land Registry Price Paid Data Houses, flats and bungalows only — shops and land are excluded. A median of what happened to sell, which a year heavy on large houses will lift. Not a valuation. |
| Renewable energy schemes nearby | 5 | — | within 1.9 miles of the centre DESNZ Renewable Energy Planning Database 2.9 MW of it already operating. Wind, solar, hydro and battery schemes of roughly 150 kW and above. Counts schemes refused or withdrawn too, so it is what has been proposed here, not what is running. |
| Schools within 3 miles | 85 | — | within 3 miles of the centre DfE Get Information About Schools 74 primary, 11 secondary. Open schools only. Each school listed below links to its own Ofsted report; the Schools tile on the dashboard shows each school's latest inspection for a postcode. |
Schools nearest the centre
Ofsted stopped publishing an overall grade in the register we hold, so each school below links to its own Ofsted report page, where the current judgement is.
| School | Phase | Distance |
|---|---|---|
| St Thomas' Leesfield CofE Primary School | Primary | 0.1 miles |
| St Edwards Roman Catholic Primary, a Voluntary Academy | Primary | 0.3 miles |
| Hey-with-Zion Primary School | Primary | 0.3 miles |
| Oasis Academy Leesbrook | Secondary | 0.4 miles |
| Springhead Infant and Nursery School | Primary | 0.5 miles |
| St Agnes CofE Primary School | Primary | 0.6 miles |
| Oasis Academy Clarksfield | Primary | 0.6 miles |
| St Hugh's CofE Primary School | Primary | 0.7 miles |
See it live
This page is a snapshot. StreetOwl’s dashboard shows the same data for any postcode, updated continuously — flood warnings, planning applications, sold prices, schools, air quality and the rest.
See live data for OL4 5AA →Live transport across Greater Manchester →Every figure on this page belongs to the publisher named beside it and is reproduced under the Open Government Licence where that licence applies. The ordering of the figures, and the choice of which to lead with, are ours.
Figures describe the geography stated against them — a neighbourhood, a council or a point — and not the whole of Lees. Built 2026-10-31.