Town

Living in Loanhead: Liveability Score 55/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Loanhead comes out at 55/100 on the 8 categories we can score here. Its biggest lead over the typical UK town is transport: 60/100 against a national town median of 21/100. Furthest below the national norm is economic health, at 45/100 against a town median of 67/100.

That makes it the 2nd highest-scoring of the 3 places in the EH20 postcode district. Notably, nothing falls below 40/100. Most UK towns have at least one category in the 30s or worse. That puts Loanhead in the top quarter of the UK towns and villages we score. The same breakdown for the wider area is on the EH20 postcode district.

55
OUT OF 100
Average
Score for:

Settlement area

The built-up area boundary and the postcodes its score is averaged from, each shaded by its own score. Clustered pins are other settlements. Tap one to view or compare it, or zoom in to reveal more.

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Each postcode is coloured by its own overall score on the default weighting. Scores are filled in as postcodes get searched on the site, so a blue dot just means that postcode hasn't been scored yet.

Loanhead scores 55 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Loanhead.
Or compare:
EH20 0AE EH20 9AA EH20

Score breakdown

Safety & Environment

Safety
—

Crime is scored from the last 12 months of police street-level data. Police Scotland does not publish this, and there is no Scottish equivalent of the Police UK open data service, so crime has been left out of the score for this area. This is a gap in published data, not a sign of low crime.

Environment
77
Air Quality NO₂ 6.7 · PM2.5 4.8 · PM10 8.7 µg/m³
79
Green Space 73
Parks Ample 10
Sports Pitches Ample 7
Allotments None
Golf Courses Some 1
Tennis Courts None
Bowling Greens Adequate 2
Playgrounds Adequate 5

Services

Schools
40
3 schools in area · 18 within 4km
3Good
  • Bilston Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2018
    Good
  • Loanhead Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2020
    Good
  • Paradykes Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2018
    Good

Score reflects proximity-weighted access to rated schools within 4km: areas with more nearby schools score higher regardless of settlement boundary.

Healthcare
55
A&E departmentsCommunity Paramedic Service62.1 mi
Cumberland Infirmary67.9 mi
Hexham General Hospital75 mi
Hospital waitsThe Newcastle Upon Tyne Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust45.4 mi
Routine referral (median)9 wks
Treated within 18 weeks72.5%
A&E seen within 4 hrs78.5%
1 GP surgery in area 9 within 4km
GP capacity1,324 patients per GP

A&E, dentist and pharmacy data, and CQC ratings, are currently available for England only, not Scotland.

Broadband
50
Full fibre (FTTP)91.8%
available across Midlothian
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
88.1%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
88.1%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
100%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 184 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
45
Employment rate64%
Above the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed63.9%Unemployed2%Retired23%Student2.4%Other inactive8.8%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial38.2%Skilled & technical33.1%Routine & elementary28.7%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications31.1%
Home ownership71.5%
Around the Scotland average for deprivation
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
76
Council tax Midlothian · 2025-26
A £1,111
B £1,296
C £1,481
D £1,666
E £2,189
F £2,707
G £3,263
H £4,082
Energy South Scotland region
Typical bill regional £1,641/yr
Ofgem price cap, GB average · Apr–Jun 2026
Typical home efficiency local EPC band C
Water Scottish Water
Average bill regional £456/yr
Combined water & sewerage · GB average £520

Transport

Transport
60
Eskbank 2.9 mi
Newtongrange 3.6 mi
Shawfair 3.7 mi
J1 M8 6.9 mi
J2 M8 9.5 mi
J1 M9 10.2 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
54
Pubs & Bars Adequate 3
Restaurants & Cafes Adequate 11
Supermarkets & Convenience Ample 9
Retail Shopping Ample 52
Takeaways Ample 15
Fitness Adequate 4

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House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for Loanhead. HM Land Registry's Price Paid dataset covers England and Wales only. Scottish sales are recorded separately by Registers of Scotland, which we don't yet include. This is a gap in the data we hold, not a sign of an inactive market.

Nearby places

Bilston (Midlothian) 54 1.1 mi away ⇄
Roslin 52 1.5 mi away ⇄
Bonnyrigg 63 2.0 mi away ⇄
Bush 54 2.0 mi away ⇄
Rosewell 48 2.1 mi away ⇄
Danderhall 62 3.0 mi away ⇄
Dalkeith 58 3.7 mi away ⇄
Penicuik 59 3.9 mi away ⇄
Gorebridge and Mayfield 55 4.3 mi away ⇄
Edinburgh 76 4.7 mi away ⇄
Whitecraig 45 5.5 mi away ⇄
Musselburgh 63 5.8 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Loanhead a nice place to live?

Loanhead is a decent place to live for many people. Our liveability score for Loanhead is 55/100, placing it among an average areas in the UK across nine categories: safety, schools, healthcare, environment, transport, broadband, lifestyle, economic health, and bills.

What are the best schools in Loanhead?

Among the top-rated schools in Loanhead are Bilston Primary School, Loanhead Primary School and Paradykes Primary School, rated Good by Ofsted. There are 3 rated schools in Loanhead in total.

Postcode districts in Loanhead

EH20 57 ⇄

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