Town

Living in Plains: Liveability Score 48/100

Last updated 7 August 2026

Plains scores 48/100 overall, across 7 scored categories. Measured against other towns, lifestyle stands out most: 59/100 where the typical UK town scores 21/100. Furthest below the national norm is economic health, at 24/100 against a town median of 67/100.

Among the 8 scored places sharing the ML6 postcode district, Plains ranks 6th. Against the wider ML6 district average of 64/100, that is 16 points below. Its lifestyle score runs 18 points below the ML6 district's 77/100. Wider context for the surrounding area: ML6 postcode district.

48
OUT OF 100
Below Avg
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.

Plains scores 48 but individual postcodes tell the full story

See the exact score for any postcode, side by side with Plains.
Or compare:
ML6 0AA ML6 1AW ML6 6AA ML6 7AA ML6 8AA ML6 9AA ML6

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
79
Air Quality NO₂ 6.3 · PM2.5 4.8 · PM10 8.7 µg/m³
79
Green Space 78
Parks Adequate 4
Sports Pitches Adequate 2
Allotments Some 1
Golf Courses Some 1
Tennis Courts None
Bowling Greens None
Playgrounds None

Services

Schools
42
2 schools in area · 14 within 4km
2Good
  • Plains Primary SchoolPrimary · inspected 2016
    Good
  • St David's 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
26
A&E departmentsCumberland Infirmary77.8 mi
Community Paramedic Service87.9 mi
Hexham General Hospital95.5 mi
Hospital waitsNorth Cumbria Integrated Care NHS Foundation Trust71.1 mi
Routine referral (median)12 wks
Treated within 18 weeks64.3%
A&E seen within 4 hrs62.6%
Nearest GP surgeryAdam Avenue Practice2.2 mi
GP capacity1,577 patients per GP

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

Broadband
74
Full fibre (FTTP)65%
available across North Lanarkshire
Gigabit-capable · incl. cable
91.2%
Ultrafast (300+ Mbps)
91.2%
Superfast (30+ Mbps)
96.2%
Ofcom Connected Nations · 72 postcodes · full fibre at local-authority level

Economy & Bills

Economic Health
24
Employment rate63.1%
Above the Great Britain average of 57.3% of residents aged 16+
Economic activity (16+)
Employed62.7%Unemployed3.5%Retired14.9%Student4.3%Other inactive14.8%
Occupation mix
Professional & managerial33.5%Skilled & technical31.3%Routine & elementary35.2%
Degree-level (Level 4+) qualifications23.5%
Home ownership63.4%
Among the most-deprived 20% of areas in Scotland
Census 2021/22 (Great Britain) · deprivation: IoD 2025 / SIMD
Bills
62
Council tax

Council tax data not yet available for this area.

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
38
Drumgelloch 1.2 mi
Caldercruix 1.7 mi
Airdrie 2.3 mi
J6 M8 2.9 mi
J6A M8 3.7 mi
J7 M8 4 mi

Lifestyle

Lifestyle
59
Pubs & Bars None
Restaurants & Cafes None
Supermarkets & Convenience None
Retail Shopping Some 1
Takeaways Some 1
Fitness None

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House Prices

Not published for Scotland

Sold-price data isn't available for Plains. 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

Moffat Mills 54 1.3 mi away ⇄
Caldercruix 40 1.8 mi away ⇄
Airdrie 67 1.9 mi away ⇄
Wattston 45 2.1 mi away ⇄
Glenmavis 55 2.8 mi away ⇄
Calderbank 58 3.0 mi away ⇄
Chapelhall 57 3.1 mi away ⇄
Salsburgh 36 3.5 mi away ⇄
Coatbridge 67 4.2 mi away ⇄
Holytown 62 4.2 mi away ⇄
Newarthill 54 4.6 mi away ⇄
Glenboig 48 4.8 mi away ⇄

Frequently asked questions

Is Plains a nice place to live?

Plains has some challenges compared to many UK areas. Our liveability score for Plains is 48/100, placing it among a below-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 Plains?

Among the top-rated schools in Plains are Plains Primary School and St David's Primary School, rated Good by Ofsted. There are 2 rated schools in Plains in total.

Postcode districts in Plains

ML6 64 ⇄

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