What it's like to live in Royston

Across the North Hertfordshire council area, 18.7% of homes are socially rented, a little above the England figure of 17.1%. Housing associations run most of that stock at 12.5%, with council housing making up 6.1%. Nearly two thirds of homes, 64.8%, are owned outright or with a mortgage, and 15.4% are privately rented, so social tenants are a sizeable but minority group.

Average weekly social rents in the district for 2024/25 were about £110 for a one bed, £133 for two beds and £143 for three. Settle Group is comfortably the largest social landlord with over 8,000 homes, followed by First Garden Cities Homes, Clarion, Hightown and Home Group.

The age profile across the district is close to the national picture, with slightly more people aged 45 to 64 and 65-plus than England as a whole, and fewer young adults. North Hertfordshire's housing register held 2,191 households at the end of March 2025, with 163 social homes let through the council in 2024-25, which gives a sense of how tight supply is.

Royston is well served for primary-age children. St Mary Roman Catholic Primary School is about 0.2 miles from the centre, with Studlands Rise First School, Tannery Drift School and Icknield Walk First School all within half a mile, and Roman Way Academy under a mile away. That's an unusual choice for a town of this size, and most families will have more than one option within pram-pushing distance.

For older children, King James Academy Royston is around 0.6 miles away, so secondary school can often be reached on foot. Bassingbourn Village College is about 2.5 miles over the border in Cambridgeshire, giving a second route for families who prefer it. Check admissions rules and catchments directly, as they change.

Beyond school, Priory Gardens is the park closest to the centre and is the obvious spot for a run-around. Royston Town Library and Royston Library are both nearby, with Melbourn Library in The Hub about three miles out. The Old Schoolhouse serves as a community venue in town, and Royston Picture Palace gives families a cinema without needing to travel.

Royston station is about half a mile from the town centre, which is a walk of ten minutes or so for most people. Having a station in a town this size is one of Royston's biggest practical advantages, and it is the main reason people put up with the town being small.

There's also a bus station right in the centre, roughly a couple of minutes from the high street. That makes bus travel straightforward if you don't drive, with services linking the town to surrounding villages. It's worth checking timetables for the exact routes and evening frequencies before you commit, as rural services can thin out after the working day.

For drivers, Royston's location near the Hertfordshire and Cambridgeshire boundary puts the main road network within easy reach. Within the town itself, walking is genuinely practical: the library, pharmacies, supermarket, park and cinema all cluster within a few hundred metres of each other, and the health centre and hospital aren't much further. Parking and fuel costs matter less here than in many towns of this size.

Royston Picture Palace is the town's cinema and sits right in the centre, which is a real bonus in a town this size. Priory Gardens is the green space closest to the high street, and it's the easiest option for a walk or a sit outside without getting in the car.

For eating and drinking, The Manor House and The Chalk Hare are both a couple of minutes from the centre, with Casablanca Pizzeria & Bar and Bar 11 nearby and the King James a short stroll further. The Attic covers the town's late-night side. It's a modest scene rather than a big one, but enough for a local night out.

Fitness options lean towards small independent studios: Serenity Pilates & Wellness Studio, The Pines Studio and Royston Complimentary Health Centre & Studio are all within walking distance of the middle of town, with Wilmotts Gym around a mile away and OVRLOAD Strength & Conditioning about three miles out. The libraries and The Old Schoolhouse round out the free and low-cost things to do.

Employment across the wider North Hertfordshire council area is strong by national standards. At the 2021 Census, 62.3% of adults were in work compared with 57.4% across England, and unemployment stood at 2.6% against 3.5% nationally. More recent benefit figures tell the same story, with 2.4% of working-age people claiming unemployment-related benefits in September 2026, against 4% for England.

That suggests a district where work is reasonably easy to find, though it also reflects the fact that many residents travel out to jobs rather than working locally. Royston's station and road links matter here: a good number of households will be commuting to larger centres.

Within Royston itself, the visible employers are the sort you'd expect in a small town: health services including Royston Hospital and Kneesworth House Hospital, schools, the supermarkets and the shops and pubs around the centre. If you need work close to home, those are the sectors to look at first. For anything more specialist, plan on travelling.