Postcode insights

MK42 8NU

Birchdale Avenue

Kempston Central & East

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Interactive map showing MK42 8NU and surrounding area

Detailed insights for MK42 8NU

Overview

Postcode MK42 8NU is located in an urban city, within the Kempston Central & East ward of Bedford in the East of England region, and forms part of the Kempston Central & East area. It has average deprivation and average crime levels, with around 50.3 crimes per 1,000 residents per year, about 39% below the East of England average of 82 per 1,000. The average income per household in Kempston Central & East is £52,761 per year. The nearest station is Bedford St Johns, about 1 miles away. There are 7 primary and 1 secondary schools in the area. There are 4 parks nearby, the closest large park is Kempston Riverside Park.

Crime rate
5/10
Crimes per 1k residents
50
Deprivation level
5/10
Income level
4/10
Social housing
6.7%
Connectivity
N/A
Flood Risk
No risk
Noise Level
No noise

Deprivation level

5/10

Kempston Central & East has an average level of deprivation, ranked at position 19,052 out of 32,844 areas in the United Kingdom, placing it within the bottom 42% least deprived areas in England.

Crime level

5/10

Kempston Central & East has an average crime rate, with approximately 50.3 reported incidents per 1,000 population each year.

Social housing

6.7%

Approximately 6.7% of homes on this street are social housing provided by a local council or housing association. Across the surrounding area, around 12.2% of dwellings are socially rented.

Income level

4/10

The average income per household in Kempston Central & East is £52,761 per year.

Noise Level

No noise

No significant noise sources from railways or roads near MK42 8NU.

Flood risk

No risk

Kempston Central & East near MK42 8NU has no flood risk (less than 0.1% chance of a flood each year) from rivers and sea.

Transport

The nearest station is Bedford St Johns located about 1 miles away. There are 1 stations nearby.

Nearby public transport stations for MK42 8NU
DistanceNameLinesDirections
1 mi

Bedford St Johns

N/A

Walking directions to Bedford St Johns

Parks

Nearby parks and green spaces for MK42 8NU
DistanceNameSizeDirections
0.5 miKempston Riverside ParkLargeWalking directions to Kempston Riverside Park
0.3 miAddison Howard ParkLargeWalking directions to Addison Howard Park
0.2 miWood ParkSmallWalking directions to Wood Park

Area Profile

Population
340
Population density
7,538.8 per km²

Crime

Crime per 1,000 population

Violence and sexual offences
30.19(-4%)
Anti-social behaviour
10.06(-13%)
Vehicle crime
5.75(+31%)
Criminal damage and arson
5.03(-21%)
Other theft
2.88(-47%)
East of England average

Demographics

Ethnic groups

British
190
56.72%
Indian
57
17.01%
Other White
32
9.55%
Other
18
5.37%
Pakistani
11
3.28%
Total population: 335

Economics

Education (age 16+)

Level 4+ (Degree)
95
34.17%
Level 3 (A level)
48
17.27%
No qualifications
45
16.19%
Level 1 (GCSEs 3-1)
34
12.23%
Level 2 (GCSEs 9-4)
34
12.23%
Total 16+ residents: 278

Housing

Housing tenure

Owns with a mortgage
53
39.55%
Owns outright
48
35.82%
Private landlord or letting agency
23
17.16%
Other social rented
9
6.72%
Other forms of private rent
1
0.75%
Total households: 134

Property prices in Kempston Central & East

Median price£288,750
Price per sq ft£327
Sales (last 12 months)64
Typical range (middle 50%)£246K – £328K

Based on 64 recent sales, the median property price is £288,750 (about £327 per square foot) in Kempston Central & East area, with individual transactions ranging from £127,000 up to £480,000.

Prices by property typelast 12 months

Median sale price, median price per square foot, sales count, and percentile information for each property type in Kempston Central & East over the last year.
TypeSalesMedian£/sq ft
Detached10£395,000£288
Semi-Detached22£295,000£331
Terraced27£260,000£340
Flats5£155,000£290

10-year price trendmedian sale price in Kempston Central & East

Sale price

Ten year median sale price trend for each property type in Kempston Central & East.
YearDetachedFlatsSemi-DetachedTerraced
2016£234,250£113,500£229,000£190,000
2017£258,500£126,000£242,250£203,000
2018£318,000£122,500£251,000£212,000
2019£275,000£131,000£233,000£206,500
2020£311,500£135,000£239,500£210,000
2021£340,000£130,000£261,500£220,000
2022£361,000£145,000£300,000£250,000
2023£325,000£135,000£307,000£257,000
2024£360,000£135,000£290,000£256,000
2025£370,000£130,250£295,000£256,000
2026£355,000£155,000£365,000£267,500
Ten year median sale price trend for each property type in Kempston Central & East.

Price per sq ft

Ten year median sale price per square foot trend for each property type in Kempston Central & East.
YearDetachedFlatsSemi-DetachedTerraced
2016£279£221£246£234
2017£285£253£251£277
2018£281£223£265£278
2019£313£213£256£265
2020£301£220£260£261
2021£300£242£294£274
2022£354£255£325£309
2023£357£276£309£320
2024£339£222£323£319
2025£324£226£320£348
2026£243£327£320£321
Ten year median sale price per square foot trend for each property type in Kempston Central & East.

Price distribution by property typelast 12 months

Price distribution by property type for Kempston Central & East in the last year.

Recent sales

There were 50+ recent sold properties in the last 18 months near MK42 8NU.

Recent sold properties in the last 18 months near MK42 8NU
DateAddressTypeTenurePriceMap
04 Nov 20252, Birchdale Avenue, Bedford, MK42 8NUDetachedFreehold£450,000
12 Feb 20259, Birchdale Avenue, Bedford, MK42 8NUSemi-DetachedFreehold£312,000
27 Nov 202523, Ashdale Avenue, Bedford, MK42 8NTSemi-DetachedFreehold£386,000
21 Apr 202619, Westdale Walk, Bedford, MK42 8NXTerracedFreehold£280,000
14 Nov 202551, Westdale Walk, Bedford, MK42 8NXTerracedFreehold£290,500

Schools

In the MK42 8NU postcode area, located within Kempston Central & East, there are 7 primary and 1 secondary schools in close proximity.

Nearby primary and secondary schools for MK42 8NU
DistancePhaseNameTypeRating
0.1 miPrimaryCamestone SchoolCommunity school

Good

0.4 miNot applicableGrange AcademyAcademy special converter

Good

0.4 miSecondaryDaubeney AcademyAcademy converter

Requires improvement

Local amenities

5 nearby supermarkets & convenience stores within mi of MK42 8NU

Nearby supermarkets & convenience stores for MK42 8NU
DistanceNameAddressDirections
0.2 miCostcutter90,92 Bedford Road, Kempston, MK42 8BGWalking directions to Costcutter
0.2 miKempston News102 Bedford Road, Kempston, MK42 8BGWalking directions to Kempston News
0.3 miTesco Express205-207 Bedford Road, Kempston, MK42 8DDWalking directions to Tesco Express
0.4 miMorrisons DailyOrchard Street, Kempston, MK42 7PRWalking directions to Morrisons Daily
0.5 miMorrisonsAmpthill Road, Bedford, MK42 9JPWalking directions to Morrisons

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 MK42 8NU, including ward councillors and the local member of parliament.

Local councillors

Caroline Lisa White

Kempston Central & East - Elected 4 May 2023

Labour Party

Mohammed Nawaz

Kempston Central & East - Elected 4 May 2023

Labour Party

Member of parliament

Mohammad Yasin

Bedford - Elected 4 Jul 2024

Labour Party

Geographic Information

DistrictBedfordE06000055
Parliamentary ConstituencyBedfordE14001084
ParishKempstonE04011894
MSOA (Middle Layer Super Output Area)Kempston Central & EastE02003632
LSOA (Lower Layer Super Output Area)Bedford 017CE01017507
Police ForceBedfordshire
Postcode Introduced1980-01-01

Frequently asked questions about MK42 8NU

Is MK42 8NU (Kempston Central & East) safe?

The area around MK42 8NU records about 50 crimes per 1,000 residents per year, which is a average crime rate for England: it scores 5 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, criminal damage and arson and anti-social behaviour.

What is the average house price near MK42 8NU?

The median sale price around MK42 8NU in Kempston Central & East is £288,750 (about £327 per square foot) based on 64 registered sales according to HM Land Registry data.

What schools are near MK42 8NU?

There are 13 schools close to MK42 8NU, including Camestone School (Good), Grange Academy (Good) and Daubeney Academy (Requires improvement). Ratings are from the latest Ofsted inspections.

What is the nearest station to MK42 8NU?

The closest station to MK42 8NU is Bedford St Johns, about 1,580 m away.

How deprived is the area around MK42 8NU?

MK42 8NU scores 5 out of 10 on the deprivation scale, where 10 is the most deprived. Its neighbourhood ranks 19,052 of 32,844 in England on the official Index of Multiple Deprivation (rank 1 is the most deprived).

Who represents MK42 8NU (Kempston Central & East) in Parliament and on the local council?

The Member of Parliament for Bedford covering MK42 8NU is Mohammad Yasin (Labour Party), elected at the 2024 general election. The area is represented by 2 local councillors: Caroline Lisa White (Labour Party) and Mohammed Nawaz (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.