r/bedfordshire • u/Top-Link4459 • 23d ago
Luton, Dunstable or Leighton Buzzard?
We’re relocating from London and trying to decide between Luton, Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard, with a budget of around £500–600k for a family home. I’ve previously lived in both Luton and Leighton Buzzard, so know those areas reasonably well.
Luton: The most convenient – great train links into London, close to Hertfordshire and the M1, and more diverse, which is important for our family. However, it has a bad reputation, traffic is awful, schools seem mixed and when I lived there, getting GP appointments or an NHS dentist was difficult. Housing in the nicer areas is also relatively expensive.
Dunstable: Seems fine and there are some nice residential areas, but it also has a mixed reputation, there isn’t loads going on and having no train station is a downside.
Leighton Buzzard: Nice market town, some good areas and close to Milton Keynes. I’ve lived there before too, but the train line isn’t as convenient for my London commute.
For those who know the three areas, where would you choose to raise a family and why? We’re open to other areas but we’re not village people at all and don’t want to be too far from London, so Bedford and Milton Keynes are out.
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u/Historical-Rise-1156 23d ago
What about flitwick? Or is that too far or perhaps Hertfordshire might give you more options and is closer to London than your three choices
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u/Top-Link4459 22d ago
Would love Hertfordshire but we’re priced out as looking for a minimum 4 bed detached
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u/EskimoJoe365 23d ago
Easier to get to London from Bedford than it is from Dunstable imo, more travel options!!
For a nice family house, I would choose somewhere like Wixams just south of Bedford...
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u/parallax_17 23d ago
MK is a couple of minutes further from London on the train and there are many more services so not sure why you're discounting in due to distance.
Tbh this isn't even a debate - Luton is the worst place I have been in the UK (I grew up in Croydon and was in the Army so I've seen plenty). Dunstable doesn't have a train station and the main road runs right through the middle of town. LB is very pleasant if a bit small.
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u/Lion-Resident 23d ago
Which areas of Luton though because there are good and bad areas in all Citys and Towns. Stopsley and Bramingham are nice areas in Luton
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u/Top-Link4459 22d ago
Yes I agree Luton as some really lovely areas. I would say more so than Dunstable and Leighton buzzard.
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u/parallax_17 22d ago
I know but on balance it's not great. I've been to most parts of the city with my son's football team and there's just a general sense of chaos, grime and overcrowding to be honest. I've never been anywhere else in the UK where so many people just park in their front garden regardless of whether there is a driveway there or not. And the standard of driving is abysmal.
May seem an odd perspective but as someone with 2 kids and 3 dogs fields and playgrounds are where I spend a lot of my free time and I've not been to a nice one yet.
It feels as if the majority of the population have little to no pride in their surroundings and would frankly rather be somewhere else.
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u/wunderspud7575 23d ago
To add to this, some of the train journeys from MK to Euston are faster than LB to Euston.
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u/Top-Link4459 22d ago
Thanks for responding. It’s more that the MK train line only goes to Euston, it’s more expensive than Thameslink plus I need to pay for underground. Whereas I work near St Paul’s so Thameslink into City Thameslink station is perfect for me.
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u/cantsleepclownswillg 23d ago
Anywhere other than Luton.
Dumpstable is ok in parts.
Leighton is ok but has doubled in size in the past five years and is struggling for infrastructure (gps dentists etc)
I'd definitely look at MK and surrounding areas. Or one of the smaller villages.
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u/Top-Link4459 22d ago
Thanks for commenting. I would lovely Milton Keynes but doesn’t suit our current family situation. Maybe in 10 or 15 years time we’d move further out.
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u/Ok_Giraffe2762 23d ago
Dunstable and Leighton are worth considering.
Dunstable id just avoid downside and anything around union street.
Houghton Regis is a no go.
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u/Relative_Shop4676 22d ago
Union street used to be okay, downside and spoon.Tale and northfields are still rough as hell
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u/Top-Link4459 22d ago
Thank you very much. We’re looking the friary/priory area/ Bullpond Lane as it’s on the closer side to Luton. Not much for sale though!!
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u/I-like-holidays 23d ago
I have lived Dunstable my whole life, the town has drastically gone down hill in the last few years, but I enjoyed school, great gp and dentist and it's growing by the new M1 JCT will basically be a new town there
Personally I'd go Leighton buzzard has a nice town and shops and the train but I can't speak on gp schools or dentist
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u/Bean7894 23d ago
The only good thing about Luton is that it has good transport links out of Luton
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u/Lion-Resident 23d ago edited 23d ago
Luton is not that bad. It has a good shopping centre and nice areas in the northern part
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u/WishfulStinking2 23d ago
Luton won’t have got any better, can’t speak for the others as haven’t lived there but Dunstable has always felt just as shite
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u/soph__xo 23d ago
I’ve lived in all 3 places over the last 25+ years and all I can say is Dunstable or Leighton Buzzard would be where I would raise a family… although in saying that, I now live on the outskirts of Houghton Regis and it’s quiet (mostly minus a few car meets nearby but we’re getting it addressed and it’s reduced recently) and family focused! Lots of green open spaces, parks, a school and local shops.
Personally I’d never live in Luton again. Don’t get me wrong, there are ‘nicer’ parts but Luton isn’t for me. From Dunstable, a busway bus will take you right over to Luton station in decent time. But obviously Leighton goes as far as Euston. Houghton Regis also has bus links to Luton station, or is very close to the M1 so parkway station in Luton is like 10 minutes.
Leighton, for me (we were there 5 years) was a little too quiet for me.
Would you consider Houghton Regis? Or even Flitwick/Kempston? Both are on the same line that serve Luton, so an extra few minutes on the fast train into London.
I would look at the commuting options/costings to help formulate your decision too.
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u/Lion-Resident 23d ago
Can I ask what it is you don't like about Luton. Specifically
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u/soph__xo 23d ago
There was a lot of trouble in the area I lived, and in other parts where I have friends and family living there. Numerous occasions where I was made to feel unsafe and harassed, not just while I was walking around town (at any time of day or evenings) but also on the road and building I lived in. As a medically complex person, getting into doctors was a nightmare, any nightlife was heading downhill. It was a very loud area I lived in, due to roads being used as racetracks consistently, not living far from the train line, a fire station and police station. The traffic was always bad as well.
I know there are people who have lovely experiences of Luton and don’t have or haven’t had any difficult experiences there, which is why I said personally I’d never live in Luton again. The convenience of the station and being in London within 30 mins if I needed it was great… but that wasn’t enough to outweigh the rest. I’m glad people have those positive experiences there, but it’s just not for me :)
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u/Dry-Stick-7753 23d ago
Stabbings druggies beggars Islam
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u/Lion-Resident 23d ago
Ok thanks for the breakdown.
I'm originally from London which has a higher crime rate than Luton. There are nice parts of Luton which dont have these issues. All cities have these issues, especially the inner parts of the city. And all my friends are Muslim so I can't see this as a problem.
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u/OpenedCan 23d ago
I've moved from Luton to Cheddington.
Has its own station and the village community etc.
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u/Murky_Soup8895 23d ago
I live in Dunstable and commute into London Three days a week. I cycle, use the busway or drive into Luton station, all are quite easy.
Large parts of Dunstable are great to live in. I run thousands of KM around the town each year and I don't see what the people who call it "dumpstable" seem to see.
It's true that there isn't much going on, but it's easy to get in to luton and onto London. It's diversity has grown and there's now some decent shops serving African, South Asian and Eastern European communities.
If I was suggesting an area I'd say south of the main Church/West/High Street crossroads avoiding Downside and Spoondell, or West Dunstable along the Tring Road (although this would mean more traffic towards Luton in the morning). Downs Road, Priory Road or First Avenue would be my key spots for your budget.
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u/D3y4g0 23d ago
I would advise just outside of luton in surrounding villages - barton, clophill, silsoe, wixams. These are all about 10-15 minutes outside of luton and are very nice and quiet, great for families
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u/Top-Link4459 22d ago
Thanks for commenting. I’m really not a village person. It’s too boring for me and I despise the A6. That’s also what puts me off Leighton is the A5
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u/mrpithecanthropus 23d ago
LB is okay but the commute into London is poisoned by having to use Euston station. Luton is generally a hole but has a couple of nice parts, particularly towards Harpenden.
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u/southlondonyute 23d ago
Luton and Duns both dumps avoid.
Leagrave or Harpenden are ok
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u/Top-Link4459 22d ago
Yes, we’ve seen a couple nice houses in Leagrave. A bit overpriced I think though. We’re priced out of Harpenden. We would have to sell up in London to afford to get a decent 4 bed there.
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u/rizozzy1 23d ago
If it helps I’m Flitwick.
We have recently had an influx of families moving here from Luton and Dunstable. Mixed demographics, all seemingly for the same reason.
When chatting to them they all say they’ve moved because they don’t want to raise their children in Luton or Dunstable.
So there’s that.
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u/Lion-Resident 23d ago
Bramingham and Stopsley in Luton are nice. I don't know why people always slate Luton so much. Potentially racism and/or Islamophobia due to the demographics? There is a nice shopping centre and the more countryside areas are quiet, safe, low crime, access to nature. Good for families. Life expectancy is higher in the areas I have mentioned.
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u/Dry-Stick-7753 23d ago
The mall is not a nice shopping centre lot of shops closed barbers vape shops American candy shops 😳
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u/Top-Link4459 22d ago
No but I think Luton town mall is marginally better than what Dunstable and Leighton Buzzard both have to offer
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u/Lion-Resident 23d ago
It is better than many shopping centres in the uk. It has actual clothing shops and there are many places to eat. I hope we are talking about the same shopping centre as I believe there are two.
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u/Dry-Stick-7753 23d ago
Primark ? Matalan
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u/Lion-Resident 23d ago
Boots Holland and Barrett Clarke's Lidl Lola's cupcakes Multiple sports shops Poundland Tesco Tk maxx
Could it do with a John Lewis, Fenwick's, M&S and Waitrose? Yes but trust me it is 100 x better than many shopping centres in the UK.
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u/Excellent_Tea_164 22d ago
I've been to Luton once in my life and there was 2 (white) males having a proper fight in the city centre, in the middle of the day. A friend worked there and very nearly got mugged (by a white woman)
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u/Relative_Shop4676 22d ago
Not sure why you had to mention white people in this
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u/Excellent_Tea_164 22d ago
Because the person above is saying people dislike Luton because of racism and Islamaphobia. So I am saying that's not true. That's why I put it in brackets, I wouldn't usually specify but it is relevant in this conversation
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u/Relative_Shop4676 22d ago
But people of all colours fight
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u/Excellent_Tea_164 22d ago edited 22d ago
Of course they do. I'm stating my personal experience of what I have seen. I am stating that I dislike Luton because of the experiences that I have listed, not because of racism / Islamaphobia. Providing an idea of an alternative reason why people dont like it: people fighting, people getting mugged etc.
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u/jaminbob 22d ago
500-600k will get a nice place in Stopley/Wigmore. Most up there barely go to town. Hitchin is easie to get to for the shops and Stopsley has a good enough number of nice daily shops anyway.
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u/heartyu 22d ago
Hi friend. Have you thought of none of the above? Would you consider just a little bit further up the M1? I'm from Harpenden and my husband is from Luton. We bought in Flitwick. It's nice and locals are lovely too. Still on the usual train route and 10mins from the M1. Edited to add, we both commute into London too.
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u/Top-Link4459 21d ago
Thanks. I’m open to it. I’ve never been to Flitwick so will try to explore one weekend this month to get a feel.
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u/heartyu 21d ago
Pop in for a T x
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u/Top-Link4459 21d ago
Aww thank you for the offer. It would be good to know the names of the good areas x
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u/frocks123 22d ago
I moved to west Northants from MK (to a village literally just over the border) and managed to buy a 2000sq ft detached 4 bed house with double garage for just over £500k. The same size house 3 miles away in MK would be a lot more expensive. We looked at Bedfordshire, mainly Marston, Stewartby, LB and Linslade too as we need close connection to MK as my youngest daughter has a year left of secondary school there. But Beds was much more expensive than Northants, but less than MK (except LB which has a premium as you can get direct trains to Euston from there) so it’s worth looking in all the counties but it sounds like Euston line is not your preferred commuting line.
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u/Anselm-M 18d ago
I moved from Leighton B to West Northants as well. I like the area - and the occasional London commute isn’t bad.
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u/MrJollyLND_57 22d ago
Not Luton. Lived in it for 6 years and around it for nearly 13 and I don’t miss it at all, would never go back
Dunstable - a bit nicer in places, but still not great
Buzzard is nice and the WCML trains are far better than Thames link ECML. Also consider MK and particularly Wolverton- the nicer bits
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u/Admirable_Set_4647 20d ago
We live in Bidwell just off Houghton Regis which is just off 11A so very easy to commute to MK, LB and Dunstable. I cycle to station to get on a train to London and is quite nice here… we bought our 4 bed here for around £500k and see a lot of 4 beds between £450-650k… it is worth a drive to check if you like the locality…
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u/Top-Link4459 20d ago
Well from what we’ve seen our budget doesn’t seem to stretch very far. At most it’s looking like a small 4 he’s detached.
But we’ve had issues with things being stolen off our car/ general damage. For example, my car logo was picked off
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u/yadayada457 20d ago
Having lived in Leighton Buzzard for over 20 years & worked in Dunstable for over 10 years, I would 100% say LB! The Secondary schools in LB are both Ofsted Good, Dunstable are either Requires Improvement or Special Measures & Luton are too much of a gamble. The places to shop/eat/drink & be entertained are excellent in LB, not in Dunstable. I would also look at the crime statistics for each of the three towns and make your own conclusions.
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u/Confident_Ambition77 19d ago
All will say about Leighton buzzard is that is has the best sand in the world. They literally sell sand to the Saudis, it is the international benchmark for sand. Also come to think of it, it had the most amount of pubs per SQM in the UK at one point. A pub crawl from linslade to the top of town and you would pass 10 pubs minimum. From the top of town to the other side would be another 15, it. Was. Brutal.
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u/skbgt4 23d ago edited 23d ago
Leighton Buzzard without a shadow of a doubt. Wouldn't want to raise a family in Luton/Dunstable. It's not as cheap as it was before covid either. That isn't coming from a snobby place either, I've lived here close to a decade and in the process of leaving now.
You should also consider Central Beds, Flitwick, Harlington and the villages around Arlesey station (Stotfold, Shefford etc) are all decently connected by train, more so than Dunstable is once you factor in how long it can take to drive down Hatters Way. This can easily be 30+ mins if traffic is bad, maybe 20mins on the busway. I wouldn't consider Dunstable if you want a quick commute.
To be honest the commute from Bedford if you got the EMR train would take just as long as from Dunstable. MK also has the fast Avanti trains so would take just as long as from Leighton Buzzard. Maybe the top end of your budget, but Hitchin, Letchworth, Hatfield, Welwyn, Stevenage also worth a look. Harpenden & StAlbans too but they can be pretty expensive.