# AL8

Postcode district covering Welwyn Garden City, Handside and Digswell Park, in Welwyn Hatfield.

AL8 is a postcode district covering Welwyn Garden City, Handside and Digswell Park, in Welwyn Hatfield. Median sale price £495,000 in 2025.

Postcode district. Code AL8. In: [Postcodes](https://openindex.co.uk/postcode) › [AL](https://openindex.co.uk/postcode/al)

Approximate outline worked out by Open Index from the ONS Postcode Directory: each census output area belongs to the district that holds most of its postcodes. People, homes, recorded crime and broadband add up those output areas. House sales count every sale with an AL8 postcode. [How census figures are added up](https://openindex.co.uk/sources/population)

## Key figures

- **Median sale price: £495,000** (2025). The median price paid for a home in AL8 was £495,000 in 2025. Joint 291st most expensive of 2,235. Source: Worked out by Open Index from HM Land Registry Price Paid Data. Published 28 September 2026. https://openindex.co.uk/postcode/al8#f-house-sales-median-price
- **Population: 13,830** (2021). AL8 had 13,830 usual residents at the census (ONS Census 2021). 940th least populated of 2,756. Source: Census 2021, England and Wales and Scotland's Census 2022 and Census 2021, Northern Ireland, 2021. Published 21 July 2026. https://openindex.co.uk/postcode/al8#f-population
- **People in radon Affected Area squares: 88%** (2022). About 88% of people in AL8 live in a 1 km square that the radon atlas marks as a radon Affected Area. UK 44%. Source: Worked out by Open Index from the UKHSA and BGS radon atlas and census output areas. Published 1 December 2022. https://openindex.co.uk/postcode/al8#f-radon-affected-share
- **Gigabit broadband coverage: 91.6%** (January 2026). In AL8, 91.6% of homes and businesses could get gigabit-capable broadband in January 2026 (Ofcom). UK 87.8%. Source: Connected Nations (Ofcom), January 2026. Published 13 May 2026. https://openindex.co.uk/postcode/al8#f-gigabit-coverage

## On the map

- [Radon Affected Area by postcode district](https://openindex.co.uk/map/radon-affected-areas?place=AL8) (Worked out by Open Index · 2022): About 88% of people in AL8 live in a 1 km square that the radon atlas marks as a radon Affected Area.
- [Sales per year by postcode district](https://openindex.co.uk/map/house-sales-per-year?place=AL8) (Worked out by Open Index · 2025): 174 homes were sold in AL8 in 2025.
- [Crime and ASB by postcode district](https://openindex.co.uk/map/recorded-crime?place=AL8) (Police recorded crime and outcomes (data.police.uk) · August 2026): Crime and anti-social behaviour for AL8.
- [Population by postcode district](https://openindex.co.uk/map/population?place=AL8) (Census 2021, England and Wales): AL8 had 13,830 usual residents at the census.

## How AL8 compares

Each postcode district against every other postcode district the measure covers.

| Measure | AL8 | Rank | Compared with |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Median sale price | £495,000 | 3rd cheapest | 10 postcode districts, AL · 2025 |
| Population | 13,830 | 3rd least populated | 10 postcode districts, AL · 2021 |
| People in radon Affected Area squares | 88% | joint 4th most people in radon Affected Areas | 10 postcode districts, AL · 2022 |
| Gigabit broadband coverage | 91.6% | 5th lowest | 10 postcode districts, AL · Jan 2026 |

## Is AL8 safe? What police records show

In the 12 months to August 2026, police recorded crimes and anti-social behaviour in AL8 at a rate of 140.0 per 1,000 people.
That compares with 87.3 per 1,000 people across the AL postcode area.
In August 2026 alone, 162 cases of crime and anti-social behaviour were recorded in AL8.
In the 12 months to August 2026, the most common types were anti-social behaviour (535), shoplifting (475) and violence and sexual offences (461).
A year earlier, the recorded crime rate in AL8 was 117.9 per 1,000 people.
Worked out by Open Index from police.uk crime records and ONS and NISRA population estimates.
Rates are per resident, so places that many people work in or visit, such as Westminster, the City of London and other city centres, have far higher rates than their residents alone would suggest.

## Deprivation in AL8, neighbourhood by neighbourhood

- Deprivation is ranked by neighbourhood, so AL8 has no single figure. Of its 9 neighbourhoods with a rank:
- Decile 6: 2 neighbourhoods
- Decile 7: 2 neighbourhoods
- Decile 9: 3 neighbourhoods
- Decile 10 (England’s least deprived 10%): 2 neighbourhoods

Source: English Indices of Deprivation 2025. Decile 1 is the most deprived tenth of neighbourhoods in England.

## Neighbourhoods in AL8

| Area | People (census) | Recorded crime per 1,000 | Deprivation decile | Gigabit broadband |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| [Welwyn Hatfield 002F](https://openindex.co.uk/welwyn-hatfield/neighbourhood/e01033313) | 1,548 | 40.3 per 1,000 | 9 | 89.6% |
| [Welwyn Hatfield 003A](https://openindex.co.uk/welwyn-hatfield/neighbourhood/e01023959) | 1,349 | 58.3 per 1,000 | 10 | 98.5% |
| [Welwyn Hatfield 003B](https://openindex.co.uk/welwyn-hatfield/neighbourhood/e01023960) | 1,643 | 79.2 per 1,000 | 7 | 99.0% |
| [Welwyn Hatfield 003C](https://openindex.co.uk/welwyn-hatfield/neighbourhood/e01023961) | 1,474 | 44.9 per 1,000 | 6 | 100.0% |
| [Welwyn Hatfield 003D](https://openindex.co.uk/welwyn-hatfield/neighbourhood/e01023962) | 1,505 | 37.0 per 1,000 | 9 | 98.7% |
| [Welwyn Hatfield 006A](https://openindex.co.uk/welwyn-hatfield/neighbourhood/e01023916) | 1,687 | 120.4 per 1,000 | 7 | 98.1% |
| [Welwyn Hatfield 006B](https://openindex.co.uk/welwyn-hatfield/neighbourhood/e01023917) | 1,758 | 49.9 per 1,000 | 9 | 99.9% |
| [Welwyn Hatfield 006C](https://openindex.co.uk/welwyn-hatfield/neighbourhood/e01023918) | 1,857 | 648.5 per 1,000 | 6 | 68.2% |
| [Welwyn Hatfield 006D](https://openindex.co.uk/welwyn-hatfield/neighbourhood/e01023919) | 1,629 | 16.5 per 1,000 | 10 | 99.5% |

## Your MP

- [Welwyn Hatfield](https://openindex.co.uk/constituency/welwyn-hatfield): Andrew Lewin (Labour), MP since July 2024.

As of 18 October 2026. Contains Parliamentary information licensed under the Open Parliament Licence v3.0. Source: UK Parliament, Members API.

## Middle areas in AL8

[Knightsfield](https://openindex.co.uk/welwyn-hatfield/knightsfield), [Welwyn Garden City Central & Handside](https://openindex.co.uk/welwyn-hatfield/welwyn-garden-city-central-and-handside)

## Postcode sectors in AL8

[AL8 6 (213 postcodes)](https://openindex.co.uk/postcode/al8-6), [AL8 7 (209 postcodes)](https://openindex.co.uk/postcode/al8-7)

## Council

[Welwyn Hatfield](https://openindex.co.uk/welwyn-hatfield)

## Towns in AL8

[Hatfield](https://openindex.co.uk/town/hatfield), [Welwyn Garden City](https://openindex.co.uk/town/welwyn-garden-city)

## Postcode districts next to AL8

[AL4](https://openindex.co.uk/postcode/al4), [AL6](https://openindex.co.uk/postcode/al6), [AL7](https://openindex.co.uk/postcode/al7), [AL9](https://openindex.co.uk/postcode/al9), [AL10](https://openindex.co.uk/postcode/al10)

## Nearest rail stations

[Welwyn Garden City (2.7 km from the middle)](https://openindex.co.uk/map/rail-stations?around=-0.2041,51.8010), [Hatfield (Herts) (3.8 km from the middle)](https://openindex.co.uk/map/rail-stations?around=-0.2156,51.7639), [Welwyn North (4.8 km from the middle)](https://openindex.co.uk/map/rail-stations?around=-0.1921,51.8235)

## More in the AL postcode area

[All AL postcode districts](https://openindex.co.uk/postcode/al), [Every UK postcode area](https://openindex.co.uk/postcode)

## AL8 in brief

AL8 is a postcode district covering Welwyn Garden City, Handside and Digswell Park, in Welwyn Hatfield.
About 13,965 people lived in AL8 in mid-2024 (worked out by Open Index from ONS small-area estimates); the median price paid for a home was £495,000 in 2025 across 174 sales (HM Land Registry) and police recorded crimes and anti-social behaviour at a rate of 140.0 per 1,000 people in the 12 months to August 2026 (police.uk).
The median price paid for a home in AL8 was £495,000 in 2025.
AL8 had 13,830 usual residents at the census.
About 88% of people in AL8 live in a 1 km square that the radon atlas marks as a radon Affected Area.
In AL8, 91.6% of homes and businesses could get gigabit-capable broadband in January 2026.

## About

- Type: Postcode district
- Code: AL8
- Postcode area: [AL](https://openindex.co.uk/postcode/al)
- Constituency: [Welwyn Hatfield †](https://openindex.co.uk/constituency/welwyn-hatfield)
- Council: [Welwyn Hatfield †](https://openindex.co.uk/welwyn-hatfield)
- Area: 18.21 km²
- People, mid-2024: 13,965*
- Neighbourhoods: 9
- Output areas: 48

* People: worked out by Open Index from neighbourhood estimates, shared out by where people lived at the census (by area in Northern Ireland). This area's edges do not follow neighbourhood edges, so the figure is close but not exact.
† Best fit: the constituency, council, region and nation this postcode district mostly lies in. Its edges do not follow theirs.

## Next door

[AL4](https://openindex.co.uk/postcode/al4), [AL10](https://openindex.co.uk/postcode/al10), [AL6](https://openindex.co.uk/postcode/al6), [AL7](https://openindex.co.uk/postcode/al7), [AL9](https://openindex.co.uk/postcode/al9)

## Latest updates for AL8

- August 2026 house prices published: HM Land Registry and partners · Oct 2026.
- September 2026 rent published: ONS private rents · Oct 2026.
- Dental practices updated: NHS England · Oct 2026.
- Schools updated: Ofsted · Oct 2026.

The same figures as JSON: https://openindex.co.uk/v1/places/AL8

## How to cite

Source: Open Index, openindex.co.uk. Link to this page, https://openindex.co.uk/postcode/al8, or to one figure with its anchor, https://openindex.co.uk/postcode/al8#f-house-sales-median-price.

Open Index's own text and the figures it works out are licensed under CC BY 4.0 (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). Source data keeps its publishers' licences, named with each figure. Give each figure's period and source with it.

Snapshot 2026.10.9. The HTML page: https://openindex.co.uk/postcode/al8