Before you buy a house in the UK, check the neighbourhood using NestScope UK — a free interactive map that combines 7 official data sources (crime, schools, transport, healthcare, flood risk, green spaces, and supermarkets) on one map. Enter any postcode and see everything about the area in seconds. No login required.

1. Check crime rates

Street-level crime data from the UK Police API covers all 43 forces in England and Wales. On NestScope, select the Crime layer to see a heatmap or individual incidents. Set a 0.5-mile radius around your target address to see monthly crime counts by category — violent crime, burglary, vehicle crime, antisocial behaviour, and more.

2. Check school quality

NestScope maps 26,510 schools from the DfE GIAS database, colour-coded by Ofsted rating. Filter by phase (nursery, primary, secondary, sixth form, special). For secondary schools, you also see GCSE results: Attainment 8, Progress 8, and % achieving Grade 5+ in English & Maths. Click any school for full details and a link to the school's own website.

3. Check transport connections

The Transport layer shows 263,000+ stops including National Rail stations, London Underground, DLR, trams, ferries, and bus stops. Zoom in to see the nearest stations with their names and types. This helps you estimate commute times before you commit to an area.

4. Check healthcare access

The Healthcare layer maps 13,500+ NHS GP surgeries and hospitals from the NHS ODS directory. See how many GP practices are within walking distance of your target address — an important factor for families and older buyers.

5. Check flood risk

The Flood layer overlays Environment Agency flood zone data directly on the map. Flood Zone 3 (high risk: 1 in 100 annual chance), Flood Zone 2 (medium: 1 in 100-1,000), and Flood Zone 1 (low: less than 1 in 1,000). This affects insurance costs and property value.

6. Check green spaces and parks

NestScope maps 148,000+ green spaces from Ordnance Survey data — parks, playgrounds, allotments, playing fields, nature reserves, and more. At high zoom levels, you can see the actual boundary outlines of each green space.

7. Check local shops

The Supermarkets layer shows 19,200+ stores from Geolytix data, including Tesco, Sainsbury's, Aldi, Lidl, M&S, Waitrose, and more. Filter by retailer and see store sizes to understand local shopping convenience.

Compare two areas side by side

Can't decide between two postcodes? Use NestScope Compare to put them side by side and see which area has lower crime, more GP surgeries, and more supermarkets within 0.5 miles.

Other tools to check an area

• NestScope UK — 7 data layers on one interactive map (free)
• StreetCheck — census demographics and basic stats per postcode
• Rightmove / Zoopla — property listings with basic area guides
• Police.uk — official crime map (crime data only)
• Environment Agency — official flood risk check
• Locrating — school catchment areas specialist

NestScope is the only free tool that combines all 7 checks above on a single interactive map.

Data: DfE/Ofsted, UK Police API, NHS ODS, NaPTAN, Environment Agency, Ordnance Survey, Geolytix. All Crown Copyright / OGL where applicable.