Postcode insights

MK45 3BS

Gales Place

Shortstown

Interactive map showing MK45 3BS and surrounding area

Detailed insights for MK45 3BS

Overview

Postcode MK45 3BS is located in a rural village, within the Shortstown ward of Bedford in the East of England region, and forms part of the Wilstead & Shortstown area. It has average deprivation and high crime levels, with around 80.4 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 Wilstead & Shortstown is £65,428 per year. The nearest station is Bedford St Johns, about 3.4 miles away. There are 1 primary and no secondary schools in the area.

Crime rate
8/10
Crimes per 1k residents
80
Deprivation level
6/10
Income level
7/10
Social housing
29.5%
Connectivity
N/A
Flood Risk
No risk
Noise Level
No noise

Deprivation level

6/10

Wilstead & Shortstown has an average level of deprivation, ranked at position 16,138 out of 32,844 areas in the United Kingdom, placing it within the top 49% most deprived areas in England.

Crime level

8/10

Wilstead & Shortstown has a high crime rate, with approximately 80.4 reported incidents per 1,000 population each year.

Social housing

29.5%

Approximately 29.5% of homes on this street are social housing provided by a local council or housing association. Across the surrounding area, around 15.2% of dwellings are socially rented.

Income level

7/10

The average income per household in Wilstead & Shortstown is £65,428 per year.

Noise Level

No noise

No significant noise sources from railways or roads near MK45 3BS.

Flood risk

No risk

Wilstead & Shortstown near MK45 3BS 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 3.4 miles away. There are no other stations nearby.

Parks

No parks nearby

Area Profile

Population
331
Population density
78.6 per km²

Crime

Crime per 1,000 population

Violence and sexual offences
40.66(+29%)
Anti-social behaviour
24.22(+109%)
Other theft
8.65(+58%)
Public order
8.65(+69%)
Burglary
7.79(+180%)
East of England average

Demographics

Ethnic groups

British
275
83.08%
Other White
26
7.85%
White and Black Caribbean (mixed)
8
2.42%
African
5
1.51%
Caribbean
5
1.51%
Total population: 331

Economics

Education (age 16+)

Level 4+ (Degree)
63
22.83%
No qualifications
62
22.46%
Level 2 (GCSEs 9-4)
48
17.39%
Level 3 (A level)
44
15.94%
Level 1 (GCSEs 3-1)
27
9.78%
Total 16+ residents: 276

Housing

Housing tenure

Owns outright
39
28.06%
Owns with a mortgage
36
25.9%
Other social rented
35
25.18%
Private landlord or letting agency
13
9.35%
Shared ownership
7
5.04%
Total households: 139

Property prices in Shortstown

Median price£325,000
Price per sq ft£351
Sales (last 12 months)83
Typical range (middle 50%)£240K – £381K

Based on 83 recent sales, the median property price is £325,000 (about £351 per square foot) in Shortstown area, with individual transactions ranging from £140,000 up to £925,000.

Prices by property typelast 12 months

Median sale price, median price per square foot, sales count, and percentile information for each property type in Shortstown over the last year.
TypeSalesMedian£/sq ft
Detached21£445,000£339
Semi-Detached26£341,500£355
Terraced22£278,500£373
Flats14£193,750£319

10-year price trendmedian sale price in Shortstown

Sale price

Ten year median sale price trend for each property type in Shortstown.
YearDetachedFlatsSemi-DetachedTerraced
2016£309,995£184,995£277,495£225,000
2017£324,998£147,995£288,995£224,995
2018£375,000£171,000£296,498£245,000
2019£343,995£166,000£286,248£238,500
2020£417,498£165,000£286,250£224,000
2021£395,000£171,000£305,000£260,000
2022£413,125£190,000£327,500£272,500
2023£450,000£200,000£325,000£252,500
2024£445,000£171,000£340,000£276,250
2025£425,000£197,500£345,000£300,000
2026£472,500£190,000£382,000£237,000
Ten year median sale price trend for each property type in Shortstown.

Price per sq ft

Ten year median sale price per square foot trend for each property type in Shortstown.
YearDetachedFlatsSemi-DetachedTerraced
2016£285£253£276£243
2017£284£299£299£280
2018£273£246£306£294
2019£296£250£301£277
2020£282£248£316£302
2021£305£272£326£311
2022£322£279£364£353
2023£347£303£371£310
2024£355£270£367£342
2025£364£279£362£364
2026£346£324£323£385
Ten year median sale price per square foot trend for each property type in Shortstown.

Price distribution by property typelast 12 months

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

Recent sales

There were 18 recent sold properties in the last 18 months near MK45 3BS.

Recent sold properties in the last 18 months near MK45 3BS
DateAddressTypeTenurePriceMap
31 Oct 20253, Gales Place, Bedford, MK45 3BSSemi-DetachedFreehold£305,000
08 May 202519, Wood Lane, Bedford, MK45 3AJSemi-DetachedFreehold£306,000
13 Feb 202520, Wood Lane, Bedford, MK45 3AJSemi-DetachedFreehold£405,000
29 Sept 202513, Manor Way, Bedford, MK45 3AHSemi-DetachedFreehold£380,000
30 Jun 20258, Manor Way, Bedford, MK45 3AHSemi-DetachedFreehold£285,000

Schools

In the MK45 3BS postcode area, located within Wilstead & Shortstown, there are 1 primary and 0 secondary schools in close proximity.

Nearby primary and secondary schools for MK45 3BS
DistancePhaseNameTypeRating
0.3 miPrimaryCotton End Forest SchoolCommunity school

Requires improvement

Local amenities

No Supermarkets & Convenience Stores nearby

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 MK45 3BS, including ward councillors and the local member of parliament.

Local councillors

Leigh James Coombs

Shortstown - Elected 4 May 2023

Liberal Democrats

Sarah Gallagher

Shortstown - Elected 4 May 2023

Conservative

Member of parliament

Richard Fuller

North Bedfordshire - Elected 4 Jul 2024

Conservative

Geographic Information

DistrictBedfordE06000055
Parliamentary ConstituencyNorth BedfordshireE14001384
WardShortstownE05014515
ParishCotton EndE04012995
MSOA (Middle Layer Super Output Area)Wilstead & ShortstownE02007010
LSOA (Lower Layer Super Output Area)Bedford 021DE01034429
Police ForceBedfordshire
Postcode Introduced2008-03-01

Frequently asked questions about MK45 3BS

Is MK45 3BS (Wilstead & Shortstown) safe?

The area around MK45 3BS records about 80 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 shoplifting.

What is the average house price near MK45 3BS?

The median sale price around MK45 3BS in Wilstead & Shortstown is £325,000 (about £351 per square foot) based on 83 registered sales according to HM Land Registry data.

What schools are near MK45 3BS?

There is 1 school close to MK45 3BS, including Cotton End Forest School (Requires improvement). Ratings are from the latest Ofsted inspections.

How deprived is the area around MK45 3BS?

MK45 3BS scores 6 out of 10 on the deprivation scale, where 10 is the most deprived. Its neighbourhood ranks 16,138 of 32,844 in England on the official Index of Multiple Deprivation (rank 1 is the most deprived).

Who represents MK45 3BS (Wilstead & Shortstown) in Parliament and on the local council?

The Member of Parliament for North Bedfordshire covering MK45 3BS is Richard Fuller (Conservative and Unionist Party), elected at the 2024 general election. The area is represented by 2 local councillors: Leigh James Coombs (Liberal Democrats) and Sarah Gallagher (Conservative and Unionist 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.