Postcode insights

MK40 2AJ

Chaucer Road

Harpur

Interactive map showing MK40 2AJ and surrounding area

Detailed insights for MK40 2AJ

Overview

Postcode MK40 2AJ is located in an urban city, within the Harpur ward of Bedford in the East of England region, and forms part of the Harpur area. It has high deprivation and very high crime levels, with around 118.6 crimes per 1,000 residents per year, roughly 1.4× the East of England average of 82 per 1,000. The average income per household in Harpur is £43,537 per year. The nearest station is Bedford, about 0.3 miles away. There are 8 primary and 2 secondary schools in the area.

Crime rate
9/10
Crimes per 1k residents
119
Deprivation level
8/10
Income level
1/10
Social housing
17.4%
Connectivity
N/A
Flood Risk
No risk
Noise Level
Medium

Deprivation level

8/10

Harpur has a high level of deprivation, ranked at position 7,008 out of 32,844 areas in the United Kingdom, placing it within the top 21% most deprived areas in England.

Crime level

9/10

Harpur has a very high crime rate, with approximately 118.6 reported incidents per 1,000 population each year.

Social housing

17.4%

Approximately 17.4% of homes on this street are social housing provided by a local council or housing association. Across the surrounding area, around 22.2% of dwellings are socially rented.

Income level

1/10

The average income per household in Harpur is £43,537 per year.

Noise Level

Medium

Medium noise level (60.0-64.9 dB) from rail, approximately 207 ft away from MK40 2AJ.

Flood risk

No risk

Harpur near MK40 2AJ has no flood risk (less than 0.1% chance of a flood each year) from rivers and sea.

Transport

The nearest station is Bedford located about 0.3 miles away. There are 2 stations nearby.

Nearby public transport stations for MK40 2AJ
DistanceNameLinesDirections
0.3 mi

Bedford

N/A

Walking directions to Bedford
1 mi

Bedford St Johns

N/A

Walking directions to Bedford St Johns

Parks

No parks nearby

Area Profile

Population
299
Population density
10,602.8 per km²

Crime

Crime per 1,000 population

Violence and sexual offences
68.62(+117%)
Anti-social behaviour
11.17(-3%)
Criminal damage and arson
9.57(+51%)
Public order
9.04(+77%)
Vehicle crime
7.45(+69%)
East of England average

Demographics

Ethnic groups

British
152
50.67%
Other White
49
16.33%
Bangladeshi
18
6%
Indian
16
5.33%
African
15
5%
Total population: 300

Economics

Education (age 16+)

Level 4+ (Degree)
129
50%
Level 3 (A level)
36
13.95%
No qualifications
32
12.4%
Level 2 (GCSEs 9-4)
22
8.53%
Level 1 (GCSEs 3-1)
18
6.98%
Total 16+ residents: 258

Housing

Housing tenure

Private landlord or letting agency
44
33.33%
Owns with a mortgage
36
27.27%
Owns outright
25
18.94%
Other social rented
17
12.88%
Social rents from council
6
4.55%
Total households: 132

Property prices in Harpur

Median price£278,000
Price per sq ft£331
Sales (last 12 months)91
Typical range (middle 50%)£191K – £360K

Based on 91 recent sales, the median property price is £278,000 (about £331 per square foot) in Harpur area, with individual transactions ranging from £77,500 up to £1,025,000.

Prices by property typelast 12 months

Median sale price, median price per square foot, sales count, and percentile information for each property type in Harpur over the last year.
TypeSalesMedian£/sq ft
Detached11£418,000£331
Semi-Detached20£345,000£336
Terraced27£290,000£342
Flats33£158,000£276

10-year price trendmedian sale price in Harpur

Sale price

Ten year median sale price trend for each property type in Harpur.
YearDetachedFlatsSemi-DetachedTerraced
2016£265,530£120,000£280,000£202,000
2017£275,000£128,498£450,000£235,000
2018£397,500£160,000£300,000£230,000
2019£266,500£140,000£300,000£265,250
2020£340,750£135,000£325,000£215,000
2021£305,000£169,000£325,000£262,500
2022£387,500£155,250£361,000£293,500
2023£345,000£149,250£359,750£295,000
2024£424,000£155,000£433,750£312,500
2025£401,525£157,000£337,500£281,500
2026£787,500£175,000£340,000£325,000
Ten year median sale price trend for each property type in Harpur.

Price per sq ft

Ten year median sale price per square foot trend for each property type in Harpur.
YearDetachedFlatsSemi-DetachedTerraced
2016£294£222£228£243
2017£297£258£291£272
2018£289£286£301£294
2019£276£250£281£281
2020£286£220£264£266
2021£265£292£296£287
2022£345£290£322£314
2023£331£253£320£322
2024£279£282£297£336
2025£330£254£319£336
2026£322£335£297£336
Ten year median sale price per square foot trend for each property type in Harpur.

Price distribution by property typelast 12 months

Price distribution by property type for Harpur in the last year.

Recent sales

There were 50+ recent sold properties in the last 18 months near MK40 2AJ.

Recent sold properties in the last 18 months near MK40 2AJ
DateAddressTypeTenurePriceMap
28 Nov 202530D, Chaucer Road, Bedford, MK40 2AJFlatsLeasehold£233,000
05 Mar 202614, Spenser Road, Bedford, MK40 2AZSemi-DetachedFreehold£615,000
15 Oct 2025Flat 1, 20, Spenser Road, Bedford, MK40 2AZFlatsLeasehold£158,500
21 Nov 20253A, Shakespeare Road, Bedford, MK40 2DZFlatsLeasehold£130,000
12 Sept 202598, Chaucer Road, Bedford, MK40 2APDetachedFreehold£620,000

Schools

In the MK40 2AJ postcode area, located within Harpur, there are 8 primary and 2 secondary schools in close proximity.

Nearby primary and secondary schools for MK40 2AJ
DistancePhaseNameTypeRating
0.2 miNot applicablePolam SchoolOther independent school

N/A

0.3 miNot applicableBedford Greenacre Independent SchoolOther independent school

N/A

0.3 miPrimaryLivingstone Primary SchoolFoundation school

Good

Local amenities

15 nearby supermarkets & convenience stores within mi of MK40 2AJ

Nearby supermarkets & convenience stores for MK40 2AJ
DistanceNameAddressDirections
0.2 miCostcutter104,106 Bromham Road, Bedford, MK40 2QHWalking directions to Costcutter
0.3 miComfort Supermarket5 North Parade, Bedford, MK40 1JFWalking directions to Comfort Supermarket
0.3 miGreyfriars Food and Wine3 North Parade, Bedford, MK40 1JFWalking directions to Greyfriars Food and Wine
0.4 miMathco56 Bromham Road, Bedford, MK40 2QGWalking directions to Mathco
0.4 miSainsbury's90 Clapham Road, Bedford, MK41 7PJWalking directions to Sainsbury's

Council Tax Bands

Annual council tax rates for Bedford district (2025-26).

Band A£1,567
Band B£1,829
Band C£2,090
Band D£2,351
Band E£2,873
Band F£3,396
Band G£3,918
Band H£4,702

Council tax bands are based on the value of your property. Most homes fall into bands A to D.

Local councillor and member of parliament

Elected local representatives for MK40 2AJ, including ward councillors and the local member of parliament.

Local councillors

Colleen Atkins

Harpur - Elected 4 May 2023

Labour Party

Zara Layne

Harpur - Elected 4 May 2023

Labour Party

Member of parliament

Mohammad Yasin

Bedford - Elected 4 Jul 2024

Labour Party

Geographic Information

DistrictBedfordE06000055
Parliamentary ConstituencyBedfordE14001084
WardHarpurE05014502
ParishBedford, unparished areaE43000273
MSOA (Middle Layer Super Output Area)HarpurE02003625
LSOA (Lower Layer Super Output Area)Bedford 010EE01017501
Police ForceBedfordshire
Postcode Introduced1980-01-01

Frequently asked questions about MK40 2AJ

Is MK40 2AJ (Harpur) safe?

The area around MK40 2AJ records about 119 crimes per 1,000 residents per year, which is a very high crime rate for England: it scores 9 out of 10 on the Area360 crime scale, where 10 is the highest crime level. Across East of England as a whole the rate is about 82 per 1,000. The most common offences locally are violence and sexual offences, anti-social behaviour and public order.

What is the average house price near MK40 2AJ?

The median sale price around MK40 2AJ in Harpur is £278,000 (about £331 per square foot) based on 91 registered sales according to HM Land Registry data.

What schools are near MK40 2AJ?

There are 17 schools close to MK40 2AJ, including Polam School, Bedford Greenacre Independent School and Livingstone Primary School (Good). Ratings are from the latest Ofsted inspections.

What is the nearest station to MK40 2AJ?

The closest station to MK40 2AJ is Bedford, about 511 m away.

How deprived is the area around MK40 2AJ?

MK40 2AJ scores 8 out of 10 on the deprivation scale, where 10 is the most deprived. Its neighbourhood ranks 7,008 of 32,844 in England on the official Index of Multiple Deprivation (rank 1 is the most deprived).

Who represents MK40 2AJ (Harpur) in Parliament and on the local council?

The Member of Parliament for Bedford covering MK40 2AJ is Mohammad Yasin (Labour Party), elected at the 2024 general election. The area is represented by 2 local councillors: Colleen Atkins (Labour Party) and Zara Layne (Labour Party).

Data Sources

All data is sourced from official UK government agencies and public datasets. Last updated: 16/07/2026. Read more about how our statistics are calculated.