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Would I like living here? What stands out, a day in the life, schools in reach, journey times, shops and leisure, and places with the same character.
Compared with all 7,264 neighbourhoods in England and Wales (council well-being: all councils). Open a tab below for the detail.
| Willen & Downhead Park | Milton Keynes | England and Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crimes per 1,000 residents a year | 62 | 107 | 99 |
| In good or very good health | 81% | 85% | 82% |
| Households with dependent children | 22% | 35% | 29% |
| Aged 65 and over | 25% | 14% | 19% |
| Degree or higher | 37% | 36% | 34% |
| Nitrogen dioxide (µg/m³) | 9.9 | 8.9 | 10.1 |
Ranked against your own priorities instead: Find places or Where could I live?
Answer a few questions in Where could I live? and this will use your own priorities. Until then, try a perspective.
Working out the fit…
The same scores as Find places: each priority against all 7,264 neighbourhoods in England and Wales.
Plenty of people here don't commute at all: 40% of working residents mostly worked from home at the 2021 census.
The nearest station is Milton Keynes Central, a drive away (4.1 km), with 6.1m journeys a year; its busiest route is to London Euston.
The nearest bus stop is Willen Roundabout West, 200 m away, with a bus about every 29 minutes on weekdays (routes 2, 2A, 601); 8 departures an hour from the 4 stops within a 5-minute walk.
Plenty of jobs are close by: somewhere with 5,000 or more jobs (a town centre, business park or big hospital) is about 14 minutes away by public transport or on foot.
Central London is 74 km away as the crow flies.
The nearest primary school is Willen Primary School, a few minutes' walk (250 m); 73% met the expected standard.
None of the state primaries within 2 km has Ofsted's top rating.
The nearest secondary is E-Act Ousedale School, 2.1 km away; Attainment 8: 49.4 · 11.2% of GCSEs at 8–9.
Few families with young children: only 13% of residents are under 15.
Near the middle of the neighbourhood, the closest supermarket is Sainsbury's, 150 m away; Camphill Communities Bakery (500 m) for top-ups.
The nearest GP surgery is NPMC @ Willen (150 m), with Willen Pharmacy the closest pharmacy (200 m).
For a haircut, Cisorium is 1.0 km away.
The nearest full A&E is Milton Keynes Hospital, 3.9 km away, rated good by the CQC.
At its trust, 51% of major A&E patients were seen within 4 hours in September 2026 (the NHS standard is 95%), and 59% of people waiting for planned treatment had waited under 18 weeks (typical wait 15 weeks).
It's quiet in the evenings: only 9 restaurants, cafés and pubs in the neighbourhood itself.
Mercedes Benz Financial Services UK Ltd (Baxter Storey) is the closest café or restaurant (300 m), and The Ship Ashore the nearest pub (150 m).
It's a low-crime area: about 62 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year, below most of the country.
Detached houses make up 44% of homes.
The typical home here was built in 1983-1992.
The nearest park is Canal Broadwalk, 450 m away; for exercise, David Lloyd Health Club (1.0 km).
Air quality is around the national middle (nitrogen dioxide 9.9 µg/m³).
| School | Stage | Distance | Latest results |
|---|---|---|---|
| Willen Primary School | Primary | 250 m | 73% met the expected standard |
| Brooksward School | Primary | 1.1 km | 76% met the expected standard |
| St Monica's Catholic Primary School | Primary | 1.2 km | 60% met the expected standard |
| Downs Barn School | Primary | 1.4 km | – |
| Giffard Park Primary School | Primary | 1.6 km | 52% met the expected standard |
| E-Act Ousedale School | Secondary | 2.1 km | Attainment 8: 49.4 · 11.2% of GCSEs at 8–9 |
| Stantonbury School | Secondary | 2.6 km | Attainment 8: 32.8 · 3.6% of GCSEs at 8–9 |
| Oakgrove School | Secondary | 3.1 km | Attainment 8: 54.7 · 17.3% of GCSEs at 8–9 |
| The Milton Keynes Academy | Secondary | 3.6 km | Attainment 8: 40.8 · 6.9% of GCSEs at 8–9 |
| Brooklands Academy | Secondary | 3.9 km | – |
| Willow Park School | Independent | 1.9 km | – |
| The Webber Independent School | Independent | 2.1 km | 28.6% of GCSEs at 8–9 |
| Broughton Manor Preparatory School |
| Willen & Downhead Park | Milton Keynes | England and Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rush hour to central London, public transport | 97 min | 105 min | 163 min |
| Rush hour to the nearest big city centre | 34 min | 43 min | 93 min |
| Minutes to a town centre | 20 min | 20 min | 20 min |
| Distance to the nearest station | 4.1 km | 2.9 km | 2.8 km |
| Buses an hour within a 5-minute walk | 8 | 8 | 21 |
| Commute by train or Tube | 1% | 1% | 4% |
| Work mainly from home | 40% | 36% | 30% |
| Households without a car | 17% | 17% | 23% |
DfT journey time statistics, our rush-hour journey times, NaPTAN, ORR, Census 2021.
| Willen & Downhead Park | Milton Keynes | England and Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Restaurants and cafés | 8 | 8 | 10 |
| Pubs and bars | 1 | 2 | 4 |
| Independent cafés, takeaways and shops | 88% | 77% | 85% |
| Named parks within 2 km | 14 | 11 | 5 |
| Postcodes within 400 m of a public park | 89% | 86% | 55% |
| Gyms, pools and sports centres within 2 km | 4 | 4 | 4 |
| Public swimming pools within 5 km | 3 | 2 | 2 |
| Cinemas, theatres and libraries within 5 km | 10 | 8 | 8 |
FSA, OpenStreetMap (ODbL), Sport England (CC BY).
Matched on character, not price: age mix, education, tenure, home types, how people travel, deprivation, crime, places to eat and distance to London. "Alike" is 100 for an identical profile and 0 for no closer than a typical area.
For holidays, London Luton is 33 km away.
Most households own their home, 16% rent privately.
It's an older community: 25% are 65 or over.
The nearest university is Open University, 4.4 km away (TEF Gold).
Written from the figures on this page: Census 2021, DfT journey times (2019), NaPTAN/ORR, Ofsted, CQC, FSA, police.uk and planning registers.
| Independent |
| 2.9 km |
| – |
| Willen & Downhead Park | Milton Keynes | England and Wales | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Top-rated state primaries within 2 km | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Top-rated state secondaries within 6 km | 0 | 1 | 1 |
| Good or outstanding nurseries within 2 km | 4 | 8 | 7 |
| Grammar schools within 15 km | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Minutes to a primary school | 9 min | 8 min | 9 min |
| Minutes to a secondary school | 21 min | 18 min | 18 min |
DfE performance tables and Ofsted.
How the neighbourhoods around it compare on crime, schools, journeys, parks and price.
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Rank every neighbourhood in England and Wales on what matters to you (a commute, schools, budget, quiet, the coast) in Find places, or answer a few questions in Where could I live?. Compare Willen & Downhead Park with somewhere else.
| To | Public transport | Car |
|---|---|---|
| Central London (Bank) | 1 h 37 | 75 min |
| Milton Keynes city centre | 34 min | 10 min |
| Luton airport | 3 h 16 | 33 min |
From the middle of the neighbourhood, leaving on a weekday between 8 and 9am (the typical journey across that hour, including walking and waiting). Buses, trams and the Tube from the Bus Open Data Service, trains from the National Rail timetable; car times assume free-flowing traffic on OpenStreetMap road speeds, so rush-hour driving is often slower. The city and airport are the nearest by car. Contains OpenStreetMap data (ODbL).