Neighbourhood · Bedford

Kempston West & South: house prices and how the area is changing

Official figures for the Kempston West & South neighbourhood of Bedford, England (ONS area Bedford 018). Headline figures assembled 29 October 2026. Postcodes MK42, MK43, MK45. Figures that read a point use the neighbourhood's centre, near MK42 7EY.

A middle-income neighbourhood, with signals pointing away from gentrification

Kempston West & South is a middle-income neighbourhood. But area signals point away from gentrification against Bedford (4 of 20 signals falling, none rising). Houses here typically resell for £304,000 and flats for £206,250 (median resale prices, 2023-2025). Recorded crime is higher than across Bedford (1.2 times the borough's rate), schools nearby are improving slower than the council's and the nearest railway station, Kempston Hardwick, is 2.2 km from the neighbourhood's centre.

The neighbourhood in brief, from the figures on this page. Summary updated 29 October 2026; source dates are shown below.

Typical house price

£304,000

Median resale price of houses in the neighbourhood, 2023-2025; +21% against 2017-2019.

Source: HM Land Registry Price Paid Data

Typical flat price

£206,250

Median resale price of flats in the neighbourhood, 2023-2025; +29% against 2017-2019.

Source: HM Land Registry Price Paid Data

Affluence today

Middle income

How well off the neighbourhood is now, from household income, home prices and deprivation.

Source: ONS, HM Land Registry, MHCLG Indices of Deprivation

Signs of gentrification

Moving the other way

Weighted balance -0.15; 0 of 20 signals up, 4 down, against the borough.

Source: Official statistics on prices, incomes, benefits, businesses, schools and more (a full report shows every signal)

Deprivation

Decile 3 of 10

English Indices of Deprivation 2025: 1 is the most deprived tenth of neighbourhoods, 10 the least. At the neighbourhood's centre; its 7 small areas range from decile 3 to 8.

Source: MHCLG English Indices of Deprivation 2025

Average household income

£60,200

ONS estimate for the neighbourhood (modelled, with a margin of error).

Source: Office for National Statistics

Recorded crime

1.2 times the borough's rate

Crimes recorded by the police over 12 months (not anti-social behaviour) per resident, against the borough. Crime per resident can overstate the risk in busy centres where many people work or visit.

Source: Police.uk

Schools getting better

Slower than the council's

Nearby state schools' latest Ofsted inspections and results, against the council's schools.

Source: Ofsted, Department for Education

Where Kempston West & South sits in Bedford

Typical house price: 7th lowest of 21 neighbourhoods in Bedford
Typical flat price: 4th highest of the 12 neighbourhoods in Bedford with enough flat sales for one
Average household income: joint 10th lowest of 21 neighbourhoods in Bedford

Ranked among the council's neighbourhoods by the figures on each one's own page, checked 29 October 2026: typical prices are HM Land Registry resale medians over the latest three-year window, household income the ONS's modelled estimate, with a margin of error, so neighbourhoods a place or two apart may not really differ.

Prices over time in Kempston West & South

Median resale price of houses each year here and across Bedford, 1995 to 2026 (HM Land Registry Price Paid Data: standard sales, new builds left out). Years with fewer than 10 sales here are left out. 2026 is the year so far (dashed).

Median resale price of flats each year here and across Bedford, 2002 to 2026 (HM Land Registry Price Paid Data: standard sales, new builds left out). Years with fewer than 10 sales here are left out. 2026 is the year so far (dashed).

Source: HM Land Registry Price Paid Data, held locally and checked 29 October 2026. Medians each year, not a valuation of any home.

How the area is changing, signal by signal

0 of 20 counted signals point towards rising affluence against Bedford, 4 the other way and 16 in line. A reading of official statistics against the borough, not a prediction; a full report shows every signal's figures and weight. Where this reading sits among every neighbourhood in England and Wales: the gentrification league table.

Falling behind the borough

Schools improving
Air quality
Catching up with neighbouring areas
Homes selling

Stations and schools nearby

Nearest station

Kempston Hardwick Railway station, 2.2 km from the neighbourhood's centre in a straight line. About 1.9 trains an hour leave between 07:00 and 19:00 on a weekday: West Midlands Railway or London Northwestern to Bletchley (about 33 min) and Bedford (about 11 min).

Station locations: NaPTAN (Department for Transport). Trains: Network Rail's timetable for Tuesday 6 October 2026, with the timetabled minutes of direct trains; timetabled, not live running. Distances from the neighbourhood's centre in a straight line, walked at 4.8 km/h; the real route is longer.

Nearest state schools

Nearest state primary school Balliol Primary School 280 m from the neighbourhood's centre. Ofsted: Good (Jul 2022).
Nearest state secondary school Kempston Academy 670 m from the neighbourhood's centre. Ofsted: Ungraded visit: Standards maintained (Oct 2024).

Schools: Department for Education, Get Information about Schools (20 October 2026); inspections: Ofsted's management information as at 30 September 2026, in Ofsted's own words. Straight-line distances; not a catchment or admissions assessment.

Questions about Kempston West & South

What is the typical house price in Kempston West & South?

£304,000. Median resale price of houses in the neighbourhood, 2023-2025; +21% against 2017-2019.

How does Kempston West & South compare with the rest of Bedford?

Typical house price: 7th lowest of 21 neighbourhoods in Bedford. Typical flat price: 4th highest of the 12 neighbourhoods in Bedford with enough flat sales for one. Average household income: joint 10th lowest of 21 neighbourhoods in Bedford.

Is Kempston West & South an affluent area?

Middle income. How well off the neighbourhood is now, from household income, home prices and deprivation.

Is Kempston West & South gentrifying?

Moving the other way. Weighted balance -0.15; 0 of 20 signals up, 4 down, against the borough.

What is the nearest station to Kempston West & South?

Kempston Hardwick. Railway station, 2.2 km from the neighbourhood's centre in a straight line. About 1.9 trains an hour leave between 07:00 and 19:00 on a weekday: West Midlands Railway or London Northwestern to Bletchley (about 33 min) and Bedford (about 11 min).

Which state schools are nearest to Kempston West & South?

Nearest state primary school. Balliol Primary School. 280 m from the neighbourhood's centre. Ofsted: Good (Jul 2022). Nearest state secondary school. Kempston Academy. 670 m from the neighbourhood's centre. Ofsted: Ungraded visit: Standards maintained (Oct 2024).

Each answer repeats a figure shown above, with its source there.

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Neighbourhood names: House of Commons Library, MSOA Names, Open Parliament Licence v3.0. Contains HM Land Registry data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. This data is licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Contains National Statistics data © Crown copyright and database right 2026. Contains public sector information (MHCLG, Police.uk, Ofsted, Department for Education) licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Station locations from NaPTAN (Department for Transport), Open Government Licence v3.0. Trains: contains information of Network Rail Infrastructure Limited licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Figures describe the area, not any home, and are not a valuation or a prediction.