BL5 3
BL5 3 is a postcode sector in Bolton, North West. All 357 of its live postcodes are in Bolton. It is in the Bolton West constituency and the Westhoughton North & Hunger Hill ward for most of its postcodes. In the open data we hold, the median home sold for about £200K in the last full year, gigabit broadband reaches 91.8% of premises and 7 rail, tube, tram or ferry stops are recorded within 2 km.
Where am I?
The place, administrativelyEvery postcode in this sector is in the same council area. Wards: Westhoughton North & Hunger Hill (81%) and Westhoughton South (18%). Postcode sectors are a Royal Mail construct and do not follow administrative boundaries.
Who runs this place?
Each authority and what it is responsible for- Planning applications
- Bin and recycling collection
- Council tax and business rates collection
- Housing and homelessness
- Licensing
- Environmental health
- Parks and leisure
- Local elections
- Schools and education
- Adult social care
- Children’s services
- Roads and highways
- Waste disposal
- Libraries
- Trading standards
- Public health
- Strategic transport
- Economic development
- Skills
- Fire and rescue
- Policing
- Planning and funding local NHS services
Who do I need to deal with as a business here?
For a business operating in BL5 3, the bodies likely to be relevant are:
- Planning authority: Bolton (worth checking with them about change of use, signage, extensions, new premises)
- Highways authority: Bolton (worth checking with them about access, parking, loading, road works)
- Licensing authority: Bolton (worth checking with them about alcohol, entertainment, food, street trading)
- Business rates: Bolton (worth checking with them about rateable value queries, reliefs)
- Environmental health: Bolton (worth checking with them about food hygiene, noise, waste)
- Economic development: Greater Manchester (worth checking with them about grants, skills, inward investment teams)
This is a starting point built from each authority's statutory responsibilities, not legal advice. Responsibilities are sometimes shared or delegated; confirm with the authority before relying on it.
What is this place like?
Official and open data for the sectorHousing
By property type
Blended across every home sold in the sector, so an area of flats reads lower than an area of houses. A standard 4.5x mortgage on the median price needs a household income of about £44,444; that is arithmetic on the price, not a measure of local earnings.
Search sold prices (HM Land Registry) →Source: HM Land Registry Price Paid Data, Open Government Licence v3. Data file refreshed 21 June 2026.
Broadband
Share of premises in the sector that can order each service. Availability, not speed actually delivered.
Check a specific address on the Ofcom checker →Source: Ofcom Connected Nations, Spring 2026, Open Government Licence v3. Data file refreshed 24 June 2026.
Transport
Source: NaPTAN, Department for Transport, Open Government Licence v3. Data file refreshed 23 June 2026. Distances are from the sector centroid. NaPTAN records stop points, so a large station with several entrances can count more than once.
Energy efficiency
Share of Energy Performance Certificates lodged for homes in this sector, by band. The median certificate is band B. Average energy efficiency score 86 out of 100. Based on 162 certificates. Homes never sold or let since 2008 may have no certificate.
Find an energy certificate (GOV.UK) →Source: Energy Performance of Buildings register (MHCLG), Open Government Licence v3. Data file refreshed 21 June 2026.
Schools
State-funded schools whose address is in this sector. Ofsted no longer publishes a single overall grade for schools in England and the DfE register this list comes from carries none, so read each school's latest inspection report directly.
School inspection reports (Ofsted) →Source: DfE Get Information About Schools, Open Government Licence v3. Data file refreshed 21 June 2026.
GP and dental practices
Counts of practices whose recorded address is in this sector, from OpenStreetMap. Whether a practice is taking new NHS patients is not in our data; check on NHS.uk.
Find a GP (NHS) → Find a dentist (NHS) →Source: OpenStreetMap contributors, ODbL. Data file refreshed 5 September 2026.
Solar potential
Modelled from long-run climate data for the sector centroid. Real output depends on roof orientation, shading and equipment.
Source: PVGIS, European Commission Joint Research Centre, European Commission. Data file refreshed 22 June 2026.
EV charging
Not available. No charge point is recorded in this sector in the registry data we hold, which is not proof there is none.
Source: National Chargepoint Registry, Open Government Licence v3. Data file refreshed 5 September 2026.
Flood risk
Not held on this page. Flood risk is assessed per address, not per postcode sector, and the official service is free.
Check long-term flood risk (Environment Agency) →What should I know?
Official links, sources and nearby historyOfficial links
Planning applications, bins, council tax, licensing and local services↗Find your local council (GOV.UK)
Confirm the council for a full postcode↗Check long-term flood risk (Environment Agency)
Per-address flood risk↗Find a GP (NHS)
Practices near a full postcode, with registration status↗School inspection reports (Ofsted)
Latest inspection report for any school↗Broadband and mobile checker (Ofcom)
Fixed and mobile availability at an address↗Your neighbourhood (police.uk)
Neighbourhood policing team and contact
Nearby on Wikipedia
Blue plaques nearby
Source notes
| Module | Source | Licence | Refreshed |
|---|---|---|---|
| Administrative geography | National Statistics Postcode Lookup (ONS) | Open Government Licence v3 | 5 September 2026 |
| Area names and council registry | ONS Open Geography Portal | Open Government Licence v3 | 5 September 2026 |
| Housing | HM Land Registry Price Paid Data | Open Government Licence v3 | 21 June 2026 |
| Schools | DfE Get Information About Schools | Open Government Licence v3 | 21 June 2026 |
| Broadband | Ofcom Connected Nations, Spring 2026 | Open Government Licence v3 | 24 June 2026 |
| Transport | NaPTAN, Department for Transport | Open Government Licence v3 | 23 June 2026 |
| Energy efficiency | Energy Performance of Buildings register (MHCLG) | Open Government Licence v3 | 21 June 2026 |
| Solar potential | PVGIS, European Commission Joint Research Centre | European Commission | 22 June 2026 |
| GP and dental practices | OpenStreetMap contributors | ODbL | 5 September 2026 |
| Post town | HM Land Registry Price Paid Data (post towns) | Open Government Licence v3 | 25 June 2026 |
AreaIQ Places brings together selected public and third-party geographic and administrative data. Coverage may be incomplete, delayed or unavailable for some locations. Always verify important information with the original authority or source. Figures describe the whole postcode sector, never a single address or street. Looking for BL5 3 on StreetCheck? This page is the free alternative.