Postcode insights

MK40 2AU

Cowper Road

Harpur

Interactive map showing MK40 2AU and surrounding area

Detailed insights for MK40 2AU

Overview

Postcode MK40 2AU 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 151.4 crimes per 1,000 residents per year, roughly 1.8× 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 0.5 miles away. There are 7 primary and 1 secondary schools in the area.

Crime rate
10/10
Crimes per 1k residents
151
Deprivation level
7/10
Income level
1/10
Social housing
1%
Connectivity
N/A
Flood Risk
No risk
Noise Level
Moderate

Deprivation level

7/10

Harpur has a high level of deprivation, ranked at position 9,276 out of 32,844 areas in the United Kingdom, placing it within the top 28% most deprived areas in England.

Crime level

10/10

Harpur has a very high crime rate, with approximately 151.4 reported incidents per 1,000 population each year.

Social housing

1%

Approximately 1.0% 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

Moderate

Moderate noise level (65.0-69.9 dB) from rail, approximately 193 ft away from MK40 2AU.

Flood risk

No risk

Harpur near MK40 2AU 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 0.5 miles away. There are 1 stations nearby.

Nearby public transport stations for MK40 2AU
DistanceNameLinesDirections
0.5 mi

Bedford

N/A

Walking directions to Bedford

Parks

No parks nearby

Area Profile

Population
241
Population density
1,326.7 per km²

Crime

Crime per 1,000 population

Violence and sexual offences
60.14(+91%)
Anti-social behaviour
39.13(+238%)
Vehicle crime
19.57(+345%)
Shoplifting
18.84(+175%)
Other theft
18.12(+231%)
East of England average

Demographics

Ethnic groups

British
148
60.91%
Other White
44
18.11%
African
10
4.12%
Other
8
3.29%
Other Asian
6
2.47%
Total population: 243

Economics

Education (age 16+)

Level 4+ (Degree)
96
47.06%
Level 2 (GCSEs 9-4)
31
15.2%
Level 3 (A level)
28
13.73%
No qualifications
18
8.82%
Level 1 (GCSEs 3-1)
17
8.33%
Total 16+ residents: 204

Housing

Housing tenure

Owns outright
38
36.89%
Owns with a mortgage
38
36.89%
Private landlord or letting agency
25
24.27%
Shared ownership
1
0.97%
Other social rented
1
0.97%
Total households: 103

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 42 recent sold properties in the last 18 months near MK40 2AU.

Recent sold properties in the last 18 months near MK40 2AU
DateAddressTypeTenurePriceMap
20 Jan 20268, Byron Crescent, Bedford, MK40 2BDSemi-DetachedFreehold£390,000
25 Mar 202570, Spenser Road, Bedford, MK40 2BBSemi-DetachedFreehold£350,000
12 Sept 2025Flat 2, 47, Spenser Road, Bedford, MK40 2BESemi-DetachedFreehold£350,000
28 Mar 20253, Milne Row, Bedford, MK40 2TDTerracedFreehold£239,000
12 Sept 202598, Chaucer Road, Bedford, MK40 2APDetachedFreehold£620,000

Schools

In the MK40 2AU postcode area, located within Harpur, there are 7 primary and 1 secondary schools in close proximity.

Nearby primary and secondary schools for MK40 2AU
DistancePhaseNameTypeRating
0.1 miNot applicableBedford Greenacre Independent SchoolOther independent school

N/A

0.3 miPrimaryGreat Ouse Primary AcademyFree schools

Good

0.4 miNot applicableBedford Modern SchoolOther independent school

N/A

Local amenities

3 nearby supermarkets & convenience stores within mi of MK40 2AU

Nearby supermarkets & convenience stores for MK40 2AU
DistanceNameAddressDirections
0.2 miSainsbury's90 Clapham Road, Bedford, MK41 7PJWalking directions to Sainsbury's
0.2 miAldi98 Clapham Road, Bedford, MK41 7PJWalking directions to Aldi
0.4 miCostcutter104,106 Bromham Road, Bedford, MK40 2QHWalking directions to Costcutter

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 2AU, 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 010CE01017499
Police ForceBedfordshire
Postcode Introduced1980-01-01

Frequently asked questions about MK40 2AU

Is MK40 2AU (Harpur) safe?

The area around MK40 2AU records about 151 crimes per 1,000 residents per year, which is a very high crime rate for England: it scores 10 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 2AU?

The median sale price around MK40 2AU 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 2AU?

There are 13 schools close to MK40 2AU, including Bedford Greenacre Independent School, Great Ouse Primary Academy (Good) and Bedford Modern School. Ratings are from the latest Ofsted inspections.

What is the nearest station to MK40 2AU?

The closest station to MK40 2AU is Bedford, about 871 m away.

How deprived is the area around MK40 2AU?

MK40 2AU scores 7 out of 10 on the deprivation scale, where 10 is the most deprived. Its neighbourhood ranks 9,276 of 32,844 in England on the official Index of Multiple Deprivation (rank 1 is the most deprived).

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

The Member of Parliament for Bedford covering MK40 2AU 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).

Nearby Postcodes

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.