Darwin Road Bedford
26 addresses across 3 postcodes (MK42), about 210 m long, classed as a local road. USRN 27300884.
- Sales: 3 recorded sales since 1995; in 2026 the median was £295,000 across 1 sale.
- Energy: 22 homes have an energy certificate (C: 19, D: 3).
- Flood: 1 address on its postcodes is in areas at high or medium risk of flooding from rivers, the sea or surface water.
- Council tax: Most homes around it are in council tax band B; Band D in Bedford costs £2,472 a year in 2026-27.
- Broadband: Gigabit broadband is available to 100% of premises.
- Transport: The nearest railway station is Bedford St Johns, about 800 m (0.5 miles) away in a straight line.
- Green space: The nearest park or garden is about 280 m away.
- Air: Background air pollution in 2024 was 9.6 µg/m³ of nitrogen dioxide and 7.3 of PM2.5, within UK legal limits.
- Height: Its addresses are 26 to 28 m above sea level.
- Noise: 1 of its 26 addresses is modelled at 55 dB or more from road traffic.
- Doctors: The nearest GP surgery is London Road Health Centre, about 550 m (0.3 miles) away.
- People: About 820 people lived in the census areas around it in 2021; 28% of households owned their home and 23% of adults held a degree or other higher qualification.
- Crime: 106 crimes were recorded within 250 m between September 2025 and August 2026, most often violence and sexual offences.
Sales on this street
| Year | Sales | Median price | Lowest | Highest |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 1 | £295,000 | £295,000 | £295,000 |
| 2022 | 1 | £298,000 | £298,000 | £298,000 |
| 2013 | 1 | £150,000 | £150,000 | £150,000 |
| Date | Address | Type | Price | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 13 Feb 2026 | 23 MK42 9LT | Semi-detached | £295,000 | |
| 6 Oct 2022 | 23 MK42 9LT | Semi-detached | £298,000 | |
| 18 Sep 2013 | 23 MK42 9LT | Semi-detached | £150,000 |
Energy performance certificates
22 homes with a current certificate; median floor area 81 m². Most common: House, semi-detached (7); House, mid-terrace (4); House, end-terrace (4). Built: 1950-1966 (17); 1930-1949 (4); 1900-1929 (1). Tenure at assessment: rented (social) (18); owner-occupied (2).
Each home's certificates and sales (4 addresses)
Council tax
What each band costs in Bedford in 2026-27: Band D £2,472 a year on average, including the police, fire and any county and parish charges.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £1,648 | £1,922 | £2,197 | £2,472 | £3,021 | £3,570 | £4,120 | £4,943 |
Homes by band in the neighbourhood around this street: most are in band B (65% of about 510 homes).
Planning and heritage
- Conservation area: no postcode centre in this street's postcodes is in one.
- Listed buildings on or by this street: none.
- Article 4 direction (removing permitted development rights): none recorded, though not every council has published theirs.
- Tree preservation orders: none recorded, though not every council has published theirs.
- Green belt: no.
Brownfield land registered for housing within 1 km (0.6 miles)
- Land at College Road & Muswell Road, Bedford: up to 7 homes, permissioned (440 m (0.3 miles))
- Land r/o The Bull, 259 London Road, Bedford: up to 7 homes, permissioned (710 m (0.4 miles))
- South of the river, Bedford: up to 913 homes, not permissioned (760 m (0.5 miles))
- Technology House, 239 Ampthill Road, Bedford: up to 18 homes, permissioned (810 m (0.5 miles))
- Technology House, 239 Ampthill Road, Bedford: up to 41 homes, permissioned (810 m (0.5 miles))
- South of the river, Bedford: up to 913 homes, not permissioned (840 m (0.5 miles))
- South of the river excluding Danfoss, Bedford, not permissioned (840 m (0.5 miles))
- St Johns Terrace, 1 Ampthill Street, Bedford: up to 6 homes, permissioned (860 m (0.5 miles))
Roadworks
No street works under way, planned or finished in the last three months on this street, in permits up to 30 September 2026.
Flood risk
Rivers, the sea or surface water: in this street's postcodes, 0 addresses are in areas at high risk, 1 at medium risk and 3 at low risk. Each address counts once, at the higher of its rivers-and-sea and surface-water risk.
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 on this street is in flood zone 2 or 3.
| Postcode | Planning zone | Addresses at high / medium / low risk | Groundwater |
|---|---|---|---|
| MK42 9LU | not in 2 or 3 | 0 / 1 / 1 | unlikely |
| MK42 9LT | not in 2 or 3 | 0 / 0 / 0 | unlikely |
| MK42 9SA | not in 2 or 3 | 0 / 0 / 2 | unlikely |
Height above sea level
The street's 26 addresses are between 26 m and 28 m above sea level (27 m on average).
Broadband
| Postcode | Superfast (30 Mbit/s+) | Ultrafast (300 Mbit/s+) | Gigabit | Below 10 Mbit/s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MK42 9LT | 100% | 100% | 100% | 0% |
| MK42 9LU | 100% | 100% | 100% | 0% |
| MK42 9SA | 100% | 100% | 100% | 0% |
Getting around
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| Railway stations | Bedford St Johns 176,000 journeys in 2024–25 | 800 m (0.5 miles) |
| Bedford 3.8 million journeys in 2024–25 | 1.8 km (1.1 miles) | |
| Kempston Hardwick 9,780 journeys in 2024–25 | 4.3 km (2.7 miles) | |
| Bus stops | 7 stops within 400 m (0.2 miles), 34 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Brackley Road Cauldwell | 230 m |
| Bus or coach station | Bus Station Bedford | 1.7 km (1.1 miles) |
| Car parks | Prebend Street Car Park | 1.1 km (0.7 miles) |
| EV charging points | 10 within 1.6 km (1 mile); nearest MFG Charging Station | 630 m (0.4 miles) |
| Airport with scheduled flights | London Luton Airport LTN | 28.3 km (18 miles) |
Local services
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| GP surgeries | 1 practices within 1.6 km (1 mile); nearest London Road Health Centre | 550 m (0.3 miles) |
| Pharmacies | 5 pharmacies within 1.6 km (1 mile); nearest Lotus Pharmacy | 550 m (0.3 miles) |
| NHS dentists | 4 practices within 1.6 km (1 mile); nearest London Road Health Centre | 550 m (0.3 miles) |
| Hospital | Bedford Hospital | 890 m (0.6 miles) |
| Police station | Bedford Police Station | 1.7 km (1.1 miles) |
| Cash machines | 1 machines within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Nisa Cashzone | 550 m (0.3 miles) |
Parks and green space
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| Park or garden | 5 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Unnamed 1,490 m² | 280 m |
| Largest park within 800 m (0.5 miles) | Unnamed 3.5 ha | 710 m (0.4 miles) |
| Play area | 14 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Unnamed 630 m² | 90 m |
| Playing field | 2 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Unnamed 4.5 ha | 380 m |
| Allotments | 1 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Bunyan Allotments 8.9 ha | 770 m (0.5 miles) |
Within 800 m (0.5 miles): 5 parks and gardens, 4.3 hectares in all.
Landmarks
The nearest historic landmark is Bunyan's Mead, a listed building (Grade II*), 770 m (0.5 miles) south. 27 listed buildings are within 1 km (0.6 miles), 4 of them Grade I and 3 of them Grade II*.
| Name | What it is | From the middle of the street |
|---|---|---|
| Bunyan's Mead | Listed building, Grade II* | 770 m (0.5 miles) south |
| Moot Hall | Listed building, Grade II* | 810 m (0.5 miles) south-west |
| Parish Church Tower | Listed building, Grade I | 920 m (0.6 miles) south-west |
| Parish Church of St Mary and St Helena | Listed building, Grade I | 930 m (0.6 miles) south |
| Elstow Manor House (Remains of) | Scheduled monument | 950 m (0.6 miles) south |
| Bedford Castle motte and bailey | Scheduled monument | 1.5 km (0.9 miles) north |
| Medieval lime kiln off Castle Lane, Bedford | Scheduled monument | 1.5 km (0.9 miles) north |
| Bedford Park | Registered park or garden, Grade II | 2.8 km (1.7 miles) north |
| Garden at Three Gables | Registered park or garden, Grade II | 2.9 km (1.8 miles) north-west |
| Name | What it is | From the middle of the street |
|---|---|---|
| Rink Islands | Island | 1.3 km (0.8 miles) north |
| Castle Hill | Hill | 1.4 km (0.9 miles) north |
| Longholme Island | Island | 1.5 km (1 mile) north-east |
| Press Meadow | Wood | 1.8 km (1.1 miles) east |
| Priory Marina | Lake or reservoir | 1.9 km (1.2 miles) north-east |
| Priory Lake | Lake or reservoir | 2.1 km (1.3 miles) east |
Air quality
| Pollutant | Here | UK limit | WHO guideline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) | 9.6 | 40 | 10 |
| Fine particles (PM2.5) | 7.3 | 20 | 5 |
| Particles (PM10) | 11.9 | 40 | 15 |
All three are within the UK legal limits; PM2.5 is above the WHO guideline, as in most towns and cities.
Road and rail noise
| Level | Road traffic | Railways |
|---|---|---|
| 55 to 59 | 1 | 0 |
| Under 55 | 25 | 26 |
1 of the street's 26 addresses is modelled at 55 dB or more from road traffic, above the WHO guidelines.
Climate, daylight and earthquakes
Monthly temperatures and rainfall, sunrise and sunset through the year, and earthquakes recorded nearby since 1970 are much the same across the area, so they are worked out once for Bedford: see them on the Bedford page.
Nearest schools
| School | Phase | Ages | Distance | Inspection |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cherry Trees Nursery School | Nursery | 2–5 | 200 m | No published inspection |
| Shackleton Primary School | Primary | 4–11 | 220 m | Report card (Jan 2026): Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard; Achievement: Needs attention; Attendance and behaviour: Expected standard; Personal development and wellbeing: Expected standard; Inclusion: Expected standard; Leadership and governance: Expected standard; Early years: Expected standard; Safeguarding standards: Met |
| Peter Pan Nursery School | Nursery | 2–5 | 790 m (0.5 miles) | No published inspection |
| Cauldwell School | Primary | 4–11 | 790 m (0.5 miles) | Report card (Nov 2025): Curriculum and teaching: Expected standard; Achievement: Expected standard; Attendance and behaviour: Strong standard; Personal development and wellbeing: Strong standard; Inclusion: Strong standard; Leadership and governance: Expected standard; Early years: Needs attention; Safeguarding standards: Met |
| Bedford Academy | Secondary | 11–18 | 870 m (0.5 miles) | Good (Mar 2023, overall grade under the previous framework) |
| King's Oak Primary School | Primary | 1–11 | 890 m (0.6 miles) | Report card (May 2026): Curriculum and teaching: Strong standard; Achievement: Expected standard; Attendance and behaviour: Expected standard; Personal development and wellbeing: Strong standard; Inclusion: Strong standard; Leadership and governance: Strong standard; Early years: Strong standard; Safeguarding standards: Met |
| Elstow School | Primary | 4–11 | 1.1 km (0.7 miles) | No published inspection |
| Bedford Free School | Secondary | 11–16 | 1.1 km (0.7 miles) | Outstanding (Jan 2020, overall grade under the previous framework) |
| Bedford College | 16 plus | 16–99 | 1.2 km (0.8 miles) | No published inspection |
| Camestone School | Primary | 4–11 | 1.5 km (1 mile) | No published inspection |
| Daubeney Academy | Secondary | 11–16 | 1.8 km (1.1 miles) | No overall grade (Jul 2025, graded inspection without an overall judgement): Quality of education: Good; Behaviour and attitudes: Outstanding; Personal development: Outstanding; Leadership and management: Outstanding |
| Priory Primary School | Primary | 3–11 | 1.9 km (1.2 miles) | No overall grade (Nov 2024, graded inspection without an overall judgement): Quality of education: Good; Behaviour and attitudes: Good; Personal development: Good; Leadership and management: Good |
Food hygiene ratings nearby
| Business | Type | Distance | Rating | Rated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Joyes Chicken MK42 9NT | Takeaway/sandwich shop | 150 m | 4 Good | 1 Oct 2025 |
| Bedford Food And Wine MK42 9NT | Retailers - other | 150 m | 5 Very good | 7 Jan 2025 |
| Bedford Sweets & Snacks MK42 9LX | Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 170 m | 4 Good | 14 Aug 2025 |
| Texaco Service Station MK42 9NU | Retailers - other | 200 m | 5 Very good | 11 Mar 2019 |
| DVCC Recovery Bar MK42 9NZ | Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 220 m | Exempt | |
| MK Food & Wine MK42 9LP | Retailers - other | 230 m | 5 Very good | 14 Jan 2025 |
| Brackley Local Store MK42 9SL | Retailers - other | 250 m | 5 Very good | 28 Feb 2026 |
| Family Shop MK42 9LP | Retailers - other | 290 m | 5 Very good | 14 May 2026 |
| Alem-Cash & Carry Ltd MK42 9SU | Retailers - other | 380 m | 4 Good | 5 Dec 2019 |
| Lagos Lounge MK42 9SU | Restaurant/Cafe/Canteen | 380 m | 5 Very good | 18 Jul 2023 |
| Meltis Sports and Social Club MK42 9FS | Pub/bar/nightclub | 380 m | 5 Very good | 23 Mar 2019 |
| Chirico Bakery MK42 9JD | Manufacturers/packers | 410 m (0.3 miles) | 5 Very good | 25 Sep 2018 |
| Paneficio Chirico Bakery MK42 9JD | Takeaway/sandwich shop | 410 m (0.3 miles) | 4 Good | 7 Aug 2024 |
| Vegan Wholesaler Ltd MK42 0NY | Importers/Exporters | 440 m (0.3 miles) | 5 Very good | 18 Mar 2026 |
| Costcutter MK42 9UD | Retailers - other | 470 m (0.3 miles) | 5 Very good | 19 Jul 2016 |
Crime within 250 m
| Category | Crimes |
|---|---|
| Violence and sexual offences | 53 |
| Anti-social behaviour | 14 |
| Vehicle crime | 8 |
| Criminal damage and arson | 6 |
| Drugs | 6 |
| Other theft | 6 |
| Burglary | 5 |
| Public order | 4 |
| Robbery | 1 |
| Shoplifting | 1 |
| Other crime | 1 |
| Possession of weapons | 1 |
Most of these are attached to: On or near Kennedy Road (15); On or near Conquest Road (13); On or near Faraday Road (12); On or near Newton Road (11); On or near Elstow Road (9).
People and work
Who lives here
| Around this street | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Median age | 32 | 40 |
| Children under 15 | 23% | 17% |
| Aged 65 and over | 8% | 18% |
Homes
| Around this street | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Owned (outright or with a mortgage) | 28% | 61% |
| Owned outright | 11% | 33% |
| Shared ownership | under 1% | 1% |
| Social rented | 56% | 17% |
| Private rented | 15% | 21% |
Work and commuting
| Around this street | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Adults (16 and over) in work | 55% | 57% |
| Unemployment (of those working or looking for work) | 6% | 6% |
| Retired (of adults) | 11% | 22% |
| Long-term sick or disabled (of adults) | 8% | 4% |
| Work mainly from home (of those in work) | 15% | 32% |
| Travel to work by car or van | 56% | 48% |
| By train, Underground, metro or tram | 2% | 4% |
| By any public transport, including bus | 5% | 8% |
| On foot or by bicycle | 17% | 10% |
| Work within 10 km (6 miles) of home (of those who travel to work) | 64% | 65% |
| Work 30 km (19 miles) or more away | 7% | 8% |
Education and languages
| Around this street | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Degree or other higher qualification, Level 4+ (of adults) | 23% | 34% |
| No qualifications | 25% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship as highest qualification | 4% | 5% |
| Main language English (aged 3 and over) | 77% | 91% |
| Cannot speak English well or at all | 6% | 2% |
Deprivation
The neighbourhood around this street is in decile 2 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.
What has changed
Nothing new since the change feed started on 30 October 2026. New sales and energy certificates, and hygiene ratings, school inspections and flood figures nearby, will be listed here as the sources update.
Postcodes on this street
Nearby streets
Beechdale Road · Faraday Square · Lancaster Avenue · Pearcey Road · Kelvin Avenue · Faraday Road · Kennedy Road · Brackley Road · Hawkins Road · Newton Road · Kent Avenue · Gloucester Road
What this page cannot tell you
- Whether a particular house is at risk of flooding, subsiding or anything else: the flood map is a model of areas and there is no property-level data here.
- What a home is worth now: sales are historic prices for the homes that happened to sell.
- How safe the street is: crime points are moved to anonymised locations and many crimes are never reported.
- Whether you would get a place at a school: distances are straight lines, not catchments.
- Who lives on the street now: census figures describe the small areas around it in March 2021, during a lockdown.
- How long a journey takes or how often anything runs: transport distances are straight lines to the nearest stops.
- Whether a GP practice is taking new patients, or a dentist new NHS patients.
- How loud a home is inside, or noise from industry, neighbours or smaller airfields: noise figures are models of road, rail and air traffic outside.
How each figure on this page is matched to the street and worked out: methodology.