Postcode insights

MK42 8SZ

Hillgrounds Road

Kempston North

Interactive map showing MK42 8SZ and surrounding area

Detailed insights for MK42 8SZ

Overview

Postcode MK42 8SZ is located in an urban city, within the Kempston North ward of Bedford in the East of England region, and forms part of the Kempston North area. It has high deprivation and high crime levels, with around 85 crimes per 1,000 residents per year, in line with the East of England average of 82 per 1,000. The average income per household in Kempston North is £53,785 per year. The nearest station is Bedford, about 0.8 miles away. There are 6 primary and 2 secondary schools in the area. There are 3 parks nearby, the closest large park is Kempston Riverside Park.

Crime rate
8/10
Crimes per 1k residents
85
Deprivation level
8/10
Income level
4/10
Social housing
13.7%
Connectivity
N/A
Flood Risk
Medium
Noise Level
No noise

Deprivation level

8/10

Kempston North has a high level of deprivation, ranked at position 10,466 out of 32,844 areas in the United Kingdom, placing it within the top 32% most deprived areas in England.

Crime level

8/10

Kempston North has a high crime rate, with approximately 85 reported incidents per 1,000 population each year.

Social housing

13.7%

Approximately 13.7% of homes on this street are social housing provided by a local council or housing association. Across the surrounding area, around 25.3% of dwellings are socially rented.

Income level

4/10

The average income per household in Kempston North is £53,785 per year.

Noise Level

No noise

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

Flood risk

Medium

Kempston North near MK42 8SZ has medium flood risk (between 1% and 3.3% chance of a flood each year) from rivers and sea.

Transport

The nearest station is Bedford located about 0.8 miles away. There are 2 stations nearby.

Nearby public transport stations for MK42 8SZ
DistanceNameLinesDirections
0.8 mi

Bedford

N/A

Walking directions to Bedford
1 mi

Bedford St Johns

N/A

Walking directions to Bedford St Johns

Parks

Nearby parks and green spaces for MK42 8SZ
DistanceNameSizeDirections
0.3 miKempston Riverside ParkLargeWalking directions to Kempston Riverside Park
0.3 miAddison Howard ParkLargeWalking directions to Addison Howard Park
0.2 miThe SlipeLargeWalking directions to The Slipe

Area Profile

Population
441
Population density
1,502.9 per km²

Crime

Crime per 1,000 population

Violence and sexual offences
43.19(+37%)
Anti-social behaviour
20.6(+78%)
Drugs
9.97(+245%)
Criminal damage and arson
7.97(+26%)
Public order
5.32(+4%)
East of England average

Demographics

Ethnic groups

British
192
43.05%
Indian
97
21.75%
Other White
58
13%
Other
22
4.93%
Bangladeshi
16
3.59%
Total population: 446

Economics

Education (age 16+)

Level 4+ (Degree)
107
30.14%
No qualifications
82
23.1%
Level 1 (GCSEs 3-1)
43
12.11%
Level 2 (GCSEs 9-4)
42
11.83%
Level 3 (A level)
42
11.83%
Total 16+ residents: 355

Housing

Housing tenure

Owns outright
53
38.13%
Owns with a mortgage
50
35.97%
Other social rented
15
10.79%
Private landlord or letting agency
12
8.63%
Shared ownership
5
3.6%
Total households: 139

Property prices in Kempston North

Median price£330,975
Price per sq ft£386
Sales (last 12 months)42
Typical range (middle 50%)£278K – £380K

Based on 42 recent sales, the median property price is £330,975 (about £386 per square foot) in Kempston North area, with individual transactions ranging from £234,000 up to £630,000.

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 North over the last year.
TypeSalesMedian£/sq ft
Detached17£385,000£391
Semi-Detached9£345,000£363
Flats3£329,700£414
Terraced13£265,000£393

10-year price trendmedian sale price in Kempston North

Sale price

Ten year median sale price trend for each property type in Kempston North.
YearDetachedFlatsSemi-DetachedTerraced
2016£325,000£107,500£267,500£183,500
2017£293,750£190,000£262,500£230,000
2018£330,000£300,000£270,000
2019£310,000£272,500£210,000
2020£285,000£263,750£214,000
2021£352,500£261,250£231,750
2022£395,250£284,300£275,000
2023£407,000£317,450£297,500£277,500
2024£391,000£264,950£270,000£247,550
2025£382,500£329,950£332,500£258,000
2026£420,000£312,500
Ten year median sale price trend for each property type in Kempston North.

Price per sq ft

Ten year median sale price per square foot trend for each property type in Kempston North.
YearDetachedSemi-DetachedTerraced
2016£295£274£245
2017£255£291£301
2018£296£245£235
2019£278£287£311
2020£306£261£313
2021£318£289£290
2022£364£378£325
2023£367£338£327
2024£372£380£352
2025£372£370£393
2026£406£309
Ten year median sale price per square foot trend for each property type in Kempston North.

Price distribution by property typelast 12 months

Price distribution by property type for Kempston North in the last year.

Recent sales

There were 33 recent sold properties in the last 18 months near MK42 8SZ.

Recent sold properties in the last 18 months near MK42 8SZ
DateAddressTypeTenurePriceMap
16 Dec 20256, Canterbury Close, Bedford, MK42 8TUDetachedFreehold£252,000
27 Nov 2025275, Hillgrounds Road, Bedford, MK42 8THDetachedFreehold£550,000
13 Mar 2025295, Hillgrounds Road, Bedford, MK42 8THDetachedFreehold£600,000
24 Apr 20261, Prentice Gardens, Bedford, MK42 8TJDetachedFreehold£630,000
07 Nov 202521, Butler Way, Bedford, MK42 8TRDetachedFreehold£500,000

Schools

In the MK42 8SZ postcode area, located within Kempston North, there are 6 primary and 2 secondary schools in close proximity.

Nearby primary and secondary schools for MK42 8SZ
DistancePhaseNameTypeRating
0.3 miNot applicableSt John's SchoolAcademy special converter

Good

0.4 miNot applicableGrange AcademyAcademy special converter

Good

0.5 miPrimaryQueen's Park AcademyAcademy converter

Good

Local amenities

7 nearby supermarkets & convenience stores within mi of MK42 8SZ

Nearby supermarkets & convenience stores for MK42 8SZ
DistanceNameAddressDirections
0.2 miOne Stop241 Hillgrounds Road, Kempston, MK42 8TPWalking directions to One Stop
0.3 miQueens Park Supermarket48a Honey Hill Road, Bedford, MK40 4NWWalking directions to Queens Park Supermarket
0.4 miCostcutter90,92 Bedford Road, Kempston, MK42 8BGWalking directions to Costcutter
0.4 miBismillah Food2 Westbourne Road, Bedford, MK40 4LBWalking directions to Bismillah Food
0.4 miLambert36 Whitbread Avenue, Bedford, MK42 9DYWalking directions to Lambert

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

Local councillors

Sue Oliver

Kempston North - Elected 4 May 2023

Labour Party

Member of parliament

Mohammad Yasin

Bedford - Elected 4 Jul 2024

Labour Party

Geographic Information

DistrictBedfordE06000055
Parliamentary ConstituencyBedfordE14001084
WardKempston NorthE05014505
ParishKempstonE04011894
MSOA (Middle Layer Super Output Area)Kempston NorthE02003631
LSOA (Lower Layer Super Output Area)Bedford 016DE01017512
Police ForceBedfordshire
Postcode Introduced1992-08-01

Frequently asked questions about MK42 8SZ

Is MK42 8SZ (Kempston North) safe?

The area around MK42 8SZ records about 85 crimes per 1,000 residents per year, which is a high crime rate for England: it scores 8 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 criminal damage and arson.

What is the average house price near MK42 8SZ?

The median sale price around MK42 8SZ in Kempston North is £330,975 (about £386 per square foot) based on 42 registered sales according to HM Land Registry data.

What schools are near MK42 8SZ?

There are 12 schools close to MK42 8SZ, including St John's School (Good), Grange Academy (Good) and Queen's Park Academy (Good). Ratings are from the latest Ofsted inspections.

What is the nearest station to MK42 8SZ?

The closest station to MK42 8SZ is Bedford, about 1,249 m away.

How deprived is the area around MK42 8SZ?

MK42 8SZ scores 8 out of 10 on the deprivation scale, where 10 is the most deprived. Its neighbourhood ranks 10,466 of 32,844 in England on the official Index of Multiple Deprivation (rank 1 is the most deprived).

Who represents MK42 8SZ (Kempston North) in Parliament and on the local council?

The Member of Parliament for Bedford covering MK42 8SZ is Mohammad Yasin (Labour Party), elected at the 2024 general election. The area is represented by 1 local councillor: Sue Oliver (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.