Bedfordshire

Located in the East of England, Bedfordshire is a county known for its rural scenery and attractive market towns. A place where you can find some excellent schools and universities, as well as great entertainment facilities – like theatres and cinemas. The population currently stands at just over half a million residents who enjoy living in this thriving community!

4.53
Average Location Score

Excellent

66%

Very Good

21%

Average

10%

Disappointing

3%

Very Poor

0%

Best places to live in Bedfordshire

HomeViews Top Rated Development ranking takes into account the Star Rating and HomeViews Transparency Rating of every development in the area

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Bedfordshire Countryside

Where is Bedfordshire?

Bedfordshire is a county in the East of England. It has a population of around half a million people and occupies an area of approximately 1,600 km2. It is bordered by Cambridgeshire to the East, Northamptonshire to the South and West, Hertfordshire to the south-west and London (Greater London) to the southwest.

Areas in Bedfordshire

Bedfordshire is famous for its historic county town, Bedford. There are also numerous towns in this area that are popular with home buyers, including Ampthill, Biggleswade, Leighton Buzzard and Sandy.

Bedford – Bedford is the county town of Bedfordshire and one of the most popular destinations in the area for those looking to buy a home. With its excellent range of local amenities, good schools and strong transport links, Bedford is perfect for those who want to be close to everything they need.

Ampthill – situated in the north of Bedfordshire, Ampthill is home to a large number of businesses, has a thriving community and is popular with home buyers looking for a town with plenty of amenities.

Park in Bedford

Biggleswade – located in the east of Bedfordshire, Biggleswade is a market town that is attracting an increasing number of home buyers because of its good transport links and range of local amenities, making it a popular commuter town for those looking for easy access to the larger towns and cities in the area.

Leighton Buzzard – situated in the south of Bedfordshire, Leighton Buzzard is a very popular location for homebuyers because of its excellent transport links to London and other major UK cities. As well as being close to Luton Airport, this town has an incredibly rich history in aviation which continues today with the presence of local engineering firm Marshall Aerospace and Defence Group.

Sandy – located in the north of Bedfordshire, Sandy is a market town that is home to a number of small businesses and independent retailers. It also has good transport links to both Luton Airport and Cambridge, making it an ideal location for those looking for easy access to both urban and rural areas.

Universities in Bedfordshire

Bedfordshire is home to The University of Bedfordshire, which is primarily based in Luton and Bedford. It offers a range of courses, most notably within the field of engineering and technology.

The Bedford campus of The University of Bedfordshire also offers a number of teacher training courses, making it an attractive choice for those looking to start their teaching career.

Top Schools in Bedfordshire

Bedford Marina

There are a number of excellent schools located throughout Bedfordshire, many of which have been awarded ‘outstanding’ ratings by Ofsted. The most notable schools include:

Ranelagh School for girls – located in Leighton Buzzard, the Ranelagh School for girls is a highly respected independent school that offers excellent academic results

The Priory School – located in Bedford, The Priory School is a co-educational comprehensive school that has been awarded an ‘outstanding’ rating by Ofsted for its provision of secondary education

Biddenham International School – also located in Bedford, Biddenham International School is a co-educational day and boarding school which offers an international curriculum with a focus on English, Maths and Science

Queens’ College for boys – located in Bedford, Queens’ College offers a traditional all-boys education with the option of boarding. The school has been ranked as one of the top 100 co-educational independent schools for GCSE results by the Sunday Times

Population of Bedfordshire

As of the 2019 census, Bedfordshire has a population of 669,338, mostly centred around the county’s main towns and cities, such as Bedford and Leighton Buzzard. Bedfordshire is the tenth most populous county in England.

Reviews in Bedfordshire

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We love our home!

Verified Resident
Verified Resident
Review Date Mar 2024

The estate is now growing but not only with occupants but also with shops and amenities, it’s great to see. Building work still continues to improve the estate, I look forward to seeing it finished one day!

Please review your development:

We love our simple life home, we’ve had issues in the past however they have all be resolved and I can’t complain about the management now! We love our street, it’s quiet and amazingly safe for our children to play out on. We are just a stone throw from some lovely parks and a big field which is perfect for our large family!

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

I wish I’d known it would take 3 years to get a local shop and I wish I’d known the school which was planned would be cancelled however I wouldn’t change where we live. We have adapted

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

The work gets carried out eventually but we understand the process they have to go through

5
Facilities
5
Design
5
Location
5
Value
4
Management
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Manager Response

Thank you for your review of Milard Grange Kellie! We’re so pleased to hear you’re enjoying your development and home with Simple Life.

Don’t do it.

Review Date Feb 2024

This is a completely honest review.
I lived here for just over 3 years (the reason it was just over was because they forgot to even contact me when my tenancy ran out after my second year and I’d forgotten so I ended up living there and paying for four months without a contract).

Firstly – the staff are useless. One particular staff member who works here has an appalling attitude.

The maintenance guys are nice & Jamie is lovely on the front desk.

Every tenant who has been there since I began my tenancy has left all for the same reasons.

Do not get parcels delivered here, they may be stolen.

Do not leave your bike here, it may be stolen.

I left 31st January and was still waiting for appliance issues to be fixed from things I raised in august – I assume because I was leaving they did not want to bother.

Head office are horrific. They’re so rude the majority of them.

The flats are BOILING. My specific one measured up to 43 degrees in summer and they supplied me with a useless little fan as an apology. It was so hot my picture frames fell off the walls.

The dishwasher just didn’t clean anything.

They decided after my 2nd year to raise my rent from £773 to £895 and I was backed into a corner.

Switch2 are abysmal – on last count I emailed them 38 times with pictures of my meter readings & trying to book someone to come out and look at my meters as they were trying to charge me £500 A MONTH for electric, I did not use heating as I was sweating 24/7 in the flat.

Don’t actually do it to yourself.

Please review your development:

The building is cheap, you seem to be paying for the running of the lifts & lights throughout the building on your individual accounts.

The stairs were always filthy, there was rubbish always strewn around. There’s a smaller lift on the side of the building which was out of order more than it was actually working.

The communal gym is the size of a bedroom.

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

I wish I’d have not done it.
Aside from meeting one or two nice neighbours, the place is a complete joke.

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

I had people from head office basically laugh and shout at me down the phone once when I refused to pay my rent because they had not listened or responded to a single email.

1
Facilities
1
Design
5
Location
1
Value
1
Management
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Overall … it is good .

Review Date Jun 2023

Parking , bin collection – excellent
Range of local shops and transport links – need to be improved.

Please review your development:

I am one of the residents of Millard grange LU5 new build areas .We are happy with property design , facilities and building and property management . We got our owned parking lots which are very convenient as we do not need to find parking spaces like other areas .

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

My overall experience in buying Millard grange new home is good .

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

It takes a couple of days to get response . But they come and fix on schedule date .

4
Facilities
4
Design
4
Location
4
Value
5
Management
User submitted image of Milard Grange, LU5
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Excellent

Verified Resident
Verified Resident
Review Date Jun 2023

It is a nice place to live in . The only downside is that we haven’t got a local shop yet and road surface is not done properly.

Please review your development:

Very good development, good management facilities can be better like shops, kids play area and sport field and finishing road surface properly.
I don’t know what elese to say , just thank you and hope things will be improved in near future.
Thank you

Please share one thing (or more) which you wish you had known before you moved in:

How nice is it to live in a brand new build house.

How has the building management responded to any problems or issues you have raised:

No problem raised yet as I am quite new in this development

3
Facilities
4
Design
4
Location
4
Value
3
Management
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Manager Response

Thank you for your wonderful review Benjamin! We’re delighted to hear that you’re happy with your home at Milard Grange!

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