LU1 2BQ Luton
Live postcode, introduced December 1998. Ward: Central. Region: East of England.
Streets
- Castle Street, Luton: 2 addresses
- Gordon Street, Luton: 1 address
- Manchester Street, Luton: 1 address
Council tax
What each band costs in Luton in 2026-27: Band D £2,440 a year on average, including the police, fire and any county and parish charges.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £1,627 | £1,898 | £2,169 | £2,440 | £2,982 | £3,524 | £4,067 | £4,880 |
Homes by band in the neighbourhood around this postcode: most are in band A (83% of about 1,290 homes).
Planning and heritage
- Conservation area: yes, Town Centre Conservation Area 1 (council page). Extensions, demolition, some windows and doors, and work on trees need consent.
- Listed buildings within 100 m of this postcode: 2.
- Article 4 direction (removing permitted development rights): Luton Town Centre and Surrounds (2023).
- Tree preservation orders: none recorded, though not every council has published theirs.
- Green belt: no.
Listed buildings
- LUTON TOWN HALL, grade II
- War Memorial, grade II
Brownfield land registered for housing within 1.0 km
- 6 - 8 Gordon Street, permissioned (100 m)
- 4 Dunstable Place & 9 Upper George Street: up to 9 homes, not permissioned (100 m)
- Extension to The Mall, Luton LU1: up to 39 homes, not permissioned (100 m)
- 25 Wellington Street, Luton LU1 2QH: up to 6 homes, permissioned (110 m)
- Connaught House, 15-17 Upper George Street, Luton LU1 2RD: up to 17 homes, permissioned (120 m)
- Crown Life House, 41 - 43 Alma Street, permissioned (120 m)
- 61 George Street, permissioned (140 m)
- 7-11 King Street: up to 15 homes, not permissioned (150 m)
Flood risk
No address in this postcode is in an area at high, medium or low risk of flooding from rivers, the sea or surface water. The rest are in areas at very low risk: less than a 0.1% (1 in 1,000) chance a year.
Rivers and the sea alone: no home is in an area at risk.
High: 3.3% (1 in 30) or more chance of flooding a year. Medium: 1% to 3.3%. Low: 0.1% to 1%. Very low: under 0.1%. The rivers and sea figures allow for flood defences. Counts cover whole postcodes, which can include other streets.
Flood zone for planning: no postcode centre is in flood zone 2 or 3.
Height above sea level
The postcode's 4 addresses are between 109 m and 112 m above sea level (110 m on average).
Broadband
Superfast 100%, ultrafast 100%, gigabit 100% of premises; 0% cannot get 10 Mbit/s. Ofcom Connected Nations, data as at January 2026.
Getting around
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| Railway stations | Luton 3.7 million journeys in 2024–25 | 370 m |
| Luton Airport Parkway 4.7 million journeys in 2024–25 | 1.7 km | |
| Leagrave 1.5 million journeys in 2024–25 | 4.0 km | |
| Bus stops | 20 stops within 400 m, 75 within 800 m; nearest Galaxy Centre Luton Town Centre | 110 m |
| Bus or coach station | Luton Station Interchange Luton Town Centre | 280 m |
| Car parks | 11 within 800 m; nearest National Car Parks | 80 m |
| EV charging points | 13 within 1.6 km; nearest bp pulse Charging Station | 140 m |
| Airport with scheduled flights | London Luton Airport LTN | 3.5 km |
Local services
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| GP surgeries | 8 practices within 1.6 km; nearest The Town Centre Practice | 280 m |
| Pharmacies | 14 pharmacies within 1.6 km; nearest The Mall Pharmacy | 190 m |
| NHS dentists | 9 practices within 1.6 km; nearest 1A Peel Street [Dental Practice] | 100 m |
| Hospital | Luton And Dunstable University Hospital | 4.2 km |
| Police station | Luton Police Station | 280 m |
| Cash machines | 9 machines within 800 m; nearest Cash machine 176-180 Bute Street Mall Halifax | 100 m |
Parks and green space
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| Park or garden | 4 within 800 m; nearest Hat Gardens 1,520 m² | 180 m |
| Largest park within 800 m | Brantwood Park 2.3 ha | 550 m |
| Play area | 3 within 800 m; nearest Unnamed 1,040 m² | 560 m |
| Playing field | Manor Road Park 2.5 ha | 840 m |
| Allotments | Unnamed 5,510 m² | 1.1 km |
Within 800 m: 4 parks and gardens, 4.7 hectares in all.
Landmarks
The nearest historic landmark is Parish Church of St Mary, a listed building (Grade I), 550 m east. 64 listed buildings are within 1.0 km, 1 of them Grade I.
| Name | What it is | From the postcode's centre |
|---|---|---|
| Parish Church of St Mary | Listed building, Grade I | 550 m east |
| Wardown Park | Registered park or garden, Grade II | 1.5 km north |
| The Improvement Garden | Registered park or garden, Grade II* | 1.7 km south |
| Name | What it is | From the postcode's centre |
|---|---|---|
| Wardown Lake | Lake or reservoir | 1.5 km north |
| Farley Pond | Lake or reservoir | 1.9 km south-west |
| Lower Kidney Wood | Wood | 2.0 km south-east |
| Kidney Wood | Wood | 2.1 km south |
| Blossom Spring | Wood | 2.2 km west |
| Warden Hill | Hill | 4.7 km north |
Air quality
| Pollutant | Here | UK limit | WHO guideline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) | 14.4 | 40 | 10 |
| Fine particles (PM2.5) | 7.7 | 20 | 5 |
| Particles (PM10) | 12.5 | 40 | 15 |
All three are within the UK legal limits; nitrogen dioxide and PM2.5 are above the WHO guideline, as in most towns and cities.
Road, rail and aircraft noise
| Level | Road traffic | Railways | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|---|
| Under 55 | 4 | 4 | 4 |
None of the postcode's 4 addresses is modelled at 55 dB or more from road traffic, railways or aircraft.
People and work
Who lives here
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Median age | 27 | 40 |
| Children under 15 | 16% | 17% |
| Aged 65 and over | 1% | 18% |
Homes
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Owned (outright or with a mortgage) | 2% | 61% |
| Owned outright | under 1% | 33% |
| Shared ownership | 0% | 1% |
| Social rented | 30% | 17% |
| Private rented | 69% | 21% |
Work and commuting
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Adults (16 and over) in work | 47% | 57% |
| Unemployment (of those working or looking for work) | 24% | 6% |
| Retired (of adults) | 1% | 22% |
| Long-term sick or disabled (of adults) | 7% | 4% |
| Work mainly from home (of those in work) | 11% | 32% |
| Travel to work by car or van | 25% | 48% |
| By train, Underground, metro or tram | 2% | 4% |
| By any public transport, including bus | 40% | 8% |
| On foot or by bicycle | 18% | 10% |
| Work within 10 km of home (of those who travel to work) | 69% | 65% |
| Work 30 km or more away | 3% | 8% |
Education and languages
| Around this postcode | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Degree or other higher qualification, Level 4+ (of adults) | 35% | 34% |
| No qualifications | 18% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship as highest qualification | 5% | 5% |
| Main language English (aged 3 and over) | 55% | 91% |
| Cannot speak English well or at all | 8% | 2% |
Deprivation
The neighbourhood around this postcode is in decile 1 of 10 on the English Indices of Deprivation 2025, where 1 is the most deprived tenth of England's 33,755 neighbourhoods and 10 the least.
The full dossier for this postcode's main street is on Castle Street.