Portswood vs Woolston
Two City of Southampton places side by side, from the same official sources. Which is better depends on what matters to you: PlaceFit lets you weight each measure and see which comes out ahead for you.
| Measure | Portswood | Woolston | Source and period |
|---|---|---|---|
| Parks, woods and public green space | 29.7% of the area is parks, woods or public green space | 17.6% of the area is parks, woods or public green space | OS Open Greenspace and OS Open Zoomstack woodland; latest release, 7 Oct 2026 |
| Countryside around | 5.8% of the area is countryside, not built up | 24.2% of the area is countryside, not built up | OS Open Zoomstack urban areas; latest release, 7 Oct 2026 |
| Parks and playgrounds nearby | 96 parks, playing fields and play areas | 99 parks, playing fields and play areas | OS Open Greenspace; latest release, 7 Oct 2026 |
| Peak drive to the nearest city or large town | 12 min at peak | 18 min at peak | OSRM routing on the OpenStreetMap road network; retrieved 24 Oct 2026 |
| Flood risk from rivers and the sea | 3.2% of nearby postcodes have homes at medium or high flood risk | 3.7% of nearby postcodes have homes at medium or high flood risk | Environment Agency Risk of Flooding from Rivers and Sea (postcodes); latest release, 2 Oct 2026 |
| Shops and everyday services | 36.5 shops and services per km² | 39.1 shops and services per km² | Overture Maps Places; latest release, 22 Oct 2026 |
| Nearest GP | 0.3 km to the nearest surgery | 0.4 km to the nearest surgery | NHS England GP practices and branch surgeries (ODS); latest release, 18 Oct 2026 |
| Fast broadband | About 98.19% of homes can get gigabit broadband | About 97.86% of homes can get gigabit broadband | Ofcom Connected Nations — fixed broadband; latest release, 1 Jul 2025 |
| Schools nearby | 36 schools in range | 30 schools in range | Get Information about Schools (GIAS); latest release, 19 Oct 2026 |
| Registered childcare nearby | 60 registered providers | 45 registered providers | Ofsted childcare providers and inspections management information; latest release, 30 Jun 2026 |
| Buses within a 10-minute walk | 29 bus stops within 800 m | 30 bus stops within 800 m | NaPTAN national public transport access nodes; latest release, 2 Oct 2026 |
| Mobile signal | 99.78% of the area gets 4G on all four networks | 99.78% of the area gets 4G on all four networks | Ofcom Connected Nations — mobile coverage; latest release, 1 Jan 2026 |
| Air quality | 6 declared air quality management areas | 6 declared air quality management areas | Planning Data platform (planning.data.gov.uk); retrieved 24 Oct 2026 |
| Recorded crime | 144 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year | 178 recorded crimes per 1,000 residents a year | data.police.uk street-level crime; September 2025 to August 2026 |