The Birches Clophill, Central Bedfordshire
1 address across 1 postcode (MK45), about 70 m long, classed as a restricted local access road. USRN 25201109.
- Flood: No address on its postcodes is in an area 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 Central Bedfordshire costs £2,516 a year in 2026-27.
- Broadband: Gigabit broadband is available to 100% of premises.
- Transport: The nearest railway station is Flitwick, about 5.1 km (3.2 miles) away in a straight line.
- Green space: The nearest park or garden, Silsoe Millennium Green, is about 1.2 km (0.7 miles) away.
- Air: Background air pollution in 2024 was 7.1 µg/m³ of nitrogen dioxide and 7.0 of PM2.5, within UK legal limits.
- Height: It is about 53 m above sea level.
- Noise: 1 of its 1 addresses is modelled at 55 dB or more from road traffic.
- Doctors: The nearest GP surgery is Houghton Close Surgery, about 4.4 km (2.7 miles) away.
- People: About 430 people lived in the census areas around it in 2021; 63% of households owned their home and 48% of adults held a degree or other higher qualification.
- Crime: 5 crimes were recorded within 250 m between September 2025 and August 2026, most often anti-social behaviour.
Sales on this street
No sales recorded on this street since January 1995 under this street name.
Energy performance certificates
No certificates found for addresses on this street.
Council tax
What each band costs in Central Bedfordshire in 2026-27: Band D £2,516 a year on average, including the police, fire and any county and parish charges.
| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| £1,677 | £1,957 | £2,237 | £2,516 | £3,075 | £3,634 | £4,194 | £5,032 |
Homes by band in the neighbourhood around this street: most are in band B (23% of about 740 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.
Roadworks
No street works under way, planned or finished in the last three months on this street, in permits up to 31 October 2026.
Flood risk
Rivers, the sea or surface water: in this street's postcodes, 0 addresses are in areas at high risk, 0 at medium risk and 1 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 is in flood zone 2 or 3.
Height above sea level
The street's address is about 53 m above sea level.
Broadband
| Postcode | Superfast (30 Mbit/s+) | Ultrafast (300 Mbit/s+) | Gigabit | Below 10 Mbit/s |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| MK45 2AR | 100% | 100% | 100% | 0% |
Getting around
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| Railway stations | Flitwick 1.3 million journeys in 2024–25 | 5.1 km (3.2 miles) |
| Millbrook (Bedfordshire) 9,280 journeys in 2024–25 | 7.8 km (4.9 miles) | |
| Stewartby 85,000 journeys in 2024–25 | 8 km (5 miles) | |
| Bus stops | 5 stops within 400 m (0.2 miles), 7 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Pine View Park Maulden | 170 m |
| Bus or coach station | Transport Interchange Flitwick | 5.2 km (3.2 miles) |
| EV charging points | bp pulse Charging Station | 2.9 km (1.8 miles) |
| Airport with scheduled flights | London Luton Airport LTN | 17.2 km (11 miles) |
Local services
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| GP surgeries | Houghton Close Surgery | 4.4 km (2.7 miles) |
| Pharmacies | W Cheeseman & Son LTD | 4.4 km (2.8 miles) |
| NHS dentists | Saxby Dental Surgery | 4.6 km (2.8 miles) |
| Hospital | Steppingley Hospital | 5.9 km (3.7 miles) |
| Police station | Bedforshire Police Authority | 10.2 km (6.4 miles) |
Parks and green space
| Nearest | Distance | |
|---|---|---|
| Park or garden | Silsoe Millennium Green 5.4 ha | 1.2 km (0.7 miles) |
| Play area | 1 within 800 m (0.5 miles); nearest Unnamed 870 m² | 320 m |
| Playing field | Unnamed 1.6 ha | 1 km (0.6 miles) |
| Allotments | Unnamed 1.4 ha | 1.3 km (0.8 miles) |
Landmarks
The nearest historic landmark is Newbury Farm moated enclosures and their associated fishponds and leats, Silsoe, a scheduled monument, 1.3 km (0.8 miles) south. 25 listed buildings are within 1 km (0.6 miles).
| Name | What it is | From the middle of the street |
|---|---|---|
| Newbury Farm moated enclosures and their associated fishponds and leats, Silsoe | Scheduled monument | 1.3 km (0.8 miles) south |
| Cainhoe Castle: a motte and bailey with associated moated site, fishponds and field system | Scheduled monument | 1.8 km (1.1 miles) east |
| Old St Mary's Church | Scheduled monument | 1.9 km (1.2 miles) north-east |
| Wrest Park | Registered park or garden, Grade I | 2.4 km (1.5 miles) south-east |
| Name | What it is | From the middle of the street |
|---|---|---|
| Simpsonshill Plantation | Wood | 310 m south |
| Warren Wood | Wood | 660 m (0.4 miles) east |
| Pennyfather's Moors | Wood | 840 m (0.5 miles) south-west |
| Readshill Plantation | Wood | 890 m (0.6 miles) north |
| Acre Pond | Lake or reservoir | 1.2 km (0.8 miles) south-east |
| Pine Hill | Hill | 1.7 km (1 mile) north-east |
Air quality
| Pollutant | Here | UK limit | WHO guideline |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nitrogen dioxide (NO2) | 7.1 | 40 | 10 |
| Fine particles (PM2.5) | 7.0 | 20 | 5 |
| Particles (PM10) | 11.8 | 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 75 dB or more | 1 | 0 |
| Under 55 | 0 | 1 |
1 of the street's 1 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 Central Bedfordshire: see them on the Central Bedfordshire page.
Nearest schools
| School | Phase | Ages | Distance | Inspection |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| St Mary's VA CofE Lower School Church of England | Primary | 2–9 | 1.2 km (0.8 miles) | Report card (Mar 2026): 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: Strong standard; Early years: Strong standard; Safeguarding standards: Met |
Food hygiene ratings nearby
| Business | Type | Distance | Rating | Rated |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| The Flying Horse MK45 4AD | Pub/bar/nightclub | 400 m (0.2 miles) | 5 Very good | 8 Sep 2026 |
| The Coop MK45 4AD | Retailers - supermarkets/hypermarkets | 400 m (0.2 miles) | 5 Very good | 4 Jun 2026 |
| Ascona Group Ltd MK45 4AP | Retailers - other | 430 m (0.3 miles) | 4 Good | 26 Nov 2024 |
| Fold Me Close MK45 2AE | Mobile caterer | 480 m (0.3 miles) | 5 Very good | 30 Oct 2025 |
| Cinnamon Pantry MK45 2AE | Retailers - other | 480 m (0.3 miles) | 5 Very good | 1 Jul 2026 |
Crime within 250 m
| Category | Crimes |
|---|---|
| Anti-social behaviour | 3 |
| Violence and sexual offences | 1 |
| Criminal damage and arson | 1 |
Most of these are attached to: On or near Sharp Close (3); On or near Woodland Gardens (2).
People and work
Who lives here
| Around this street | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Median age | 43 | 40 |
| Children under 15 | 16% | 17% |
| Aged 65 and over | 20% | 18% |
Homes
| Around this street | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Owned (outright or with a mortgage) | 63% | 61% |
| Owned outright | 30% | 33% |
| Shared ownership | 3% | 1% |
| Social rented | 13% | 17% |
| Private rented | 21% | 21% |
Work and commuting
| Around this street | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Adults (16 and over) in work | 63% | 57% |
| Unemployment (of those working or looking for work) | 4% | 6% |
| Retired (of adults) | 26% | 22% |
| Long-term sick or disabled (of adults) | 2% | 4% |
| Work mainly from home (of those in work) | 44% | 32% |
| Travel to work by car or van | 44% | 48% |
| By train, Underground, metro or tram | 3% | 4% |
| By any public transport, including bus | 4% | 8% |
| On foot or by bicycle | 7% | 10% |
| Work within 10 km (6 miles) of home (of those who travel to work) | 36% | 65% |
| Work 30 km (19 miles) or more away | 20% | 8% |
Education and languages
| Around this street | England | |
|---|---|---|
| Degree or other higher qualification, Level 4+ (of adults) | 48% | 34% |
| No qualifications | 9% | 18% |
| Apprenticeship as highest qualification | 3% | 5% |
| Main language English (aged 3 and over) | 100% | 91% |
| Cannot speak English well or at all | 0% | 2% |
Deprivation
The neighbourhood around this street is in decile 8 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
- MK45 2AR: 1 address of 52 in the postcode
Nearby streets
Chestnut Close · Acorn Close · Almond Crescent · Almond Crescent · The Beeches · Pennyfathers Close · Hedley Way · Hall End Close · Woodland Gardens · Sharp Close · Trilley Fields · Chequer Tree Way
All the streets in MK45 and across Central Bedfordshire.
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.