Nicolson Drive, Leighton Buzzard, LU7 4AR

People

Gender

In the UK, the overall gender distribution is approximately 49% male and 51% female. The local area around LU7 4AR is generally consistent with those figures, having a male population of 49.2%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Female	48.8%	50.8%	2.0%	51.0%	-0.2%
Male	51.2%	49.2%	-2.0%	49.0%	0.2%

Partnership Status

Across the UK, the average relationship status breakdown is roughly 44% married, 38% single, 9% divorced, 6% widowed, and 2% separated.

In the immediate vicinity of LU7 4AR there is a very large concentration of residents that are married - 58.3% of the resident population. In contrast, the average marriage rate across the census is about 44%.

Areas with a high percentage of married residents are typically suburban neighborhoods, towns with good schools and family-friendly amenities, and regions with affordable, spacious housing options. Additionally, such areas can be popular among retirees.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Single	26%	31.9%	5.9%	37.9%	-6.0%
Married: Opposite sex	65.6%	58.3%	-7.3%	44.2%	14.1%
Married: Same sex	0%	1%	1.0%	0.3%	0.7%
Separated	2.3%	0.5%	-1.8%	2.2%	-1.7%
Divorced	4.7%	6.4%	1.7%	9.1%	-2.7%
Widowed	1.4%	2%	0.6%	6.1%	-4.1%

Health

Across the UK, the average 48.4% rated their health as Very Good, 33.6% as Good, 12.7% as Fair, 4% as Bad, and 1.2% as Very Bad.

Population age significantly impacts residents' health. Additionally, socioeconomic status plays a crucial role: higher income levels and lower poverty rates are linked to better health outcomes. Affluent areas benefit from higher living standards, access to private healthcare, and healthier lifestyle choices.

This area has a high percentage of residents reporting their health as Good or Very Good (90.4%) compared to the average (82%). This typically indicates either a younger population or more affluent area.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Very good health	60.9%	53.8%	-7.1%	48.4%	5.4%
Good health	29.8%	36.6%	6.8%	33.6%	3.0%
Fair health	7.3%	8%	0.7%	12.7%	-4.7%
Bad health	1.4%	0.8%	-0.6%	4.0%	-3.2%
Very bad health	0.7%	0.8%	0.1%	1.2%	-0.4%

Education and Qualifications

During the 2021 census, the educational qualifications of residents across the UK were as follows: 18.2% had no qualifications, 9.6% had 1-4 GCSEs, 13.4% had 5 or more GCSEs and 1-2 A/AS Levels, 16.9% had 2 or more A Levels, 33.8% held a degree (or equivalent), and 5.4% had completed an apprenticeship.

In the area around LU7 4AR this area, 4.9% of residents have no qualifications. This is significantly lower than the UK average of 18.2%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No qualifications	3.7%	4.9%	1.2%	18.2%	-13.3%
1-4 GCSEs or Equivalent	8.4%	7.9%	-0.5%	9.6%	-1.7%
5 or more GCSEs, an A-Level or 1-2 AS Levels	23.3%	17.7%	-5.6%	13.4%	4.3%
Apprenticeship	4.2%	8.4%	4.2%	5.3%	3.1%
HNC, HND or 2+ A Levels	10.2%	24.6%	14.4%	16.9%	7.7%
Degree or Similar	45.6%	36%	-9.6%	33.8%	2.2%
Other	4.7%	0.5%	-4.2%	2.8%	-2.3%

Culture

Ethnic Group

In this area, the population is predominantly white, with 90.4% identifying as such, significantly higher than the UK average of 81.4%. This indicates a lower level of ethnic diversity compared to the broader UK population.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Chinese	0.7%	1.2%	0.5%	0.7%	0.5%
Indian	1.4%	1.9%	0.5%	3.1%	-1.2%
Other Asian	0.3%	0.4%	0.1%	1.6%	-1.2%
Black African	1%	1.2%	0.2%	2.5%	-1.3%
Black Caribbean	0.7%	0.8%	0.1%	1.0%	-0.2%
Other Black	0%	0.4%	0.4%	0.5%	-0.1%
Mixed White and Asian	0.3%	0%	-0.3%	0.8%	-0.8%
Mixed White and African	0%	0.4%	0.4%	0.4%	0.0%
Mixed White and Caribbean	0%	0.8%	0.8%	0.9%	-0.1%
Mixed Other	0.3%	1.9%	1.6%	0.8%	1.1%
White	95.2%	90.4%	-4.8%	81.4%	9.0%
Other	0%	0.8%	0.8%	1.6%	-0.8%

Country of Birth

In this area, 88.6% of the population were born in the United Kingdom, which is similar to the UK average of 83.2%.

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	93.1%	88.6%	-4.5%	83.2%	5.4%
European Union	1.4%	4.2%	2.8%	6.1%	-1.9%
Rest of Europe	1.4%	0.4%	-1.0%	0.8%	-0.4%
Africa	1.4%	2.7%	1.3%	2.7%	0.0%
Middle East and Asia	2.1%	2.7%	0.6%	5.6%	-2.9%
The Americas and the Caribbean	0.3%	1.5%	1.2%	1.3%	0.2%
Oceania	0.3%	0%	-0.3%	0.3%	-0.3%

Length of Residence

	2011	2021	10y change (pp)	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
Born in the UK	92.4%	88.3%	-4.1%	83.2%	5.1%
10+ Years	0.7%	7.2%	6.5%	9.8%	-2.6%
5-10 Years	1%	2.3%	1.3%	2.9%	-0.6%
2-5 Years	0%	0.8%	0.8%	2.2%	-1.4%
Less than 2 years	5.9%	1.5%	-4.4%	1.9%	-0.4%

Passport Held

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
United Kingdom	85.5%	76.7%	8.8%
Germany	1.1%	0.2%	0.9%
Portugal	1.1%	0.5%	0.6%
Poland	0.4%	1.3%	-0.9%
Romania	1.1%	0.9%	0.2%
Other EU countries	0.4%	1.5%	-1.1%
South and Eastern Africa	0.4%	0.2%	0.2%
North America and the Caribbean	0.4%	0.3%	0.1%
No passport held	9.5%	13.5%	-4.0%

Religion

	2021	UK Average	postcode vs UK (pp)
No religion	47.5%	37.2%	10.3%
Christian	46.4%	46.2%	0.2%
Buddhist	0.4%	0.5%	-0.1%
Jewish	0.4%	0.5%	-0.1%
Other religion	1.1%	0.6%	0.5%
Not answered	4.2%	6.0%	-1.8%

Safety

Is Nicolson Drive Street dangerous?

Over the last 12 months, the overall crime rate around Nicolson Drive was 23.4 per 1,000 residents, which is 74.0% lower than the Leighton-Linslade South average. The most reported crime type was Violence and sexual offences.

Nicolson Drive has the 10th lowest crime rate of 41 local areas in Leighton-Linslade South and the 192nd lowest crime rate of 871 local areas in Central Bedfordshire .

Violent and sexual offences accounted for around 15.6 crimes per 1,000 residents and have been rising year on year. Over the last decade, overall crime has fallen by about -82.4%.

🔎 See full breakdown of local crime, hotspots & trends

Affluence

Household Income

Households in this area have a higher level of wealth to the average household in England and Wales. 86% of analyzed areas in England and Wales have lower average household annual income than this area.

Average Household Income
£58,000

Income Rank
9/10

Household Income in LU7 4AR, Local Authority and Region

Deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD) - 2/10 (very low )
Indices of multiple deprivation (IMD) is used to classify the relative deprivation (a measure of poverty) of the area. It considers the following domains:
Income Deprivation Domain - 2/10 (very low )
The Income Deprivation Domain measures the percentage of people in the population who are experiencing poverty due to having a low income. It includes both those who are unemployed and those who are employed but earn very little (and who satisfy the respective means tests).
Employment Deprivation Domain - 1/10 (very low )
The Employment Deprivation Domain measures the proportion of the working-age population in an area involuntarily excluded from the labour market. This includes people who would like to work but are unable to do so due to unemployment, sickness or disability, or caring responsibilities.
Education, Skills and Training Domain - 6/10 (average )
The Education, Skills, and Training Deprivation Domain measures the lack of education and skills in a local area. It has two parts: one for children and young people, and one for adults. The part for children and young people looks at their school achievements ('flow'), while the part for adults looks at the number of adults without qualifications ('stock').
Health Deprivation and Disability Domain - 1/10 (very low )
The Health Deprivation and Disability Domain measures the risk of early death and poor quality of life due to bad physical or mental health. It looks at illness, disability, and early death, but not at behaviors or environments that might affect future health.
Crime Domain - 5/10 (average )
The Crime Domain measures the risk of people and property being victims of crime in a local area.
Barriers to Housing and Services Domain - 8/10 (high )
The Barriers to Housing and Services Domain measures how easy or hard it is to access housing and local services. It has two parts: one looks at how close local services are, and the other looks at issues like how affordable housing is.
Living Environment Deprivation Domain - 2/10 (very low )
The Living Environment Deprivation Domain measures the quality of the local environment. It has two parts: the "indoors" part looks at housing quality, and the "outdoors" part looks at air quality and road traffic accidents.
Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) - 4/10 (below average )
The Income Deprivation Affecting Children Index (IDACI) measures how many children aged 0 to 15 live in low-income families. It is part of the Income Deprivation Domain, which looks at how many people in an area have low incomes. This includes both those who are unemployed and those who work but earn very little (and who satisfy the respective means tests).
Income Deprivation Affecting Older People Index (IDAOPI) - 1/10 (very low )
The Income Deprivation Affecting Older People Index (IDAOPI) measures the percentage of people aged 60 or older who have low income. It is part of the Income Deprivation Domain, which looks at how many people in an area have low income, including both unemployed people and those with low-paying jobs (and who satisfy the respective means tests).

Property Prices

Average property prices on Nicolson Drive are based on 70 property sales since the beginning of 1995. Estimated property prices are calculated by adjusting the last sale price by current House Price Index for South Bedfordshire.
StreetScan downloads house price data directly from the HM Land Registry and uses it to create these statistics.

House Prices for Nicolson Drive, Leighton Buzzard, LU7 4AR

Estimated Average Property Prices for LU7 4AR

Average Price
£487,340

Semi-Detached
no sales

Terraced
no sales

Detached
£487,340

Flats/Maisonettes
no sales

Other
no sales

Estimated Average Property Prices for Nicolson Drive

Average Price
£421,008

Semi-Detached
£408,317

Terraced
£342,369

Detached
£561,887

Flats/Maisonettes
£187,078

Other
no sales

Property Prices Comparison

Latest Property Sales on Nicolson DriveStreet

Address	Sale Price	Sale Date	Price Estimate 2025
122 Nicolson Drive, Leighton Buzzard, Central Bedfordshire Detached, an established residential building	£442,500	2024-08-23	£482,141
132 Nicolson Drive, Leighton Buzzard, Central Bedfordshire Detached, an established residential building	£492,500	2022-12-09	£515,671
122 Nicolson Drive, Leighton Buzzard, Central Bedfordshire Detached, an established residential building	£367,500	2021-04-19	£444,913
122 Nicolson Drive, Leighton Buzzard, Central Bedfordshire Detached, an established residential building	£280,500	2014-08-08	£467,947
130 Nicolson Drive, Leighton Buzzard, Central Bedfordshire Detached, an established residential building	£280,000	2014-04-17	£496,407

View All Property Sales and Other Statistics for LU7 4AR

Employment

LU7 4AR area has a low unemployment rate. According to Census 2021, 2% residents of this area were unemployed, while the average in the UK was 4.83%. A low level of unemployment in an area indicates a strong job market, where most people who are seeking work can find employment. This generally reflects a healthy economy in the area.

Economic Activity

Full-Time Employee	106
Part-Time Employee	23
Self-Employed	21
Retired	17
Looking after home or family	12
Student (economically inactive)	11
Unemployed	5
Other	3
Full-Time Student (with or without job)	3
Long-Term Sick or disabled	3

Employment Industry

Wholesale and retail trade; repair of motor vehicles and motor cycles	27
Education	24
Manufacturing	20
Human health and social work activities	15
Public administration and defence; compulsory social security	14
Information and communication	12
Professional, scientific and technical activities	10
Accommodation and food service activities	10
Transport and storage	9
Financial and insurance activities	8
Administrative and support service activities	8
Other	5
Real estate activities	5
Construction	5

Schools

Primary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Leedon Lower School Highfield Road , LU7 3LZ	2out of 4	744 yd	Community school	No	Mixed	More About School
Clipstone Brook Lower School Brooklands Drive , LU7 3PG	3out of 4	1,256 yd	Community school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
Beaudesert Lower School Appenine Way , LU7 3DX	3out of 4	1,704 yd	Community school	No	Mixed	More About School
Pulford CofE VA Lower School Pulford Road , LU7 1AB	4out of 4	1,952 yd	Voluntary aided school	Yes	Mixed	More About School
The Rushmere Park Academy East Street , LU7 1EW	3out of 4	2,055 yd	Academy converter	Yes	Mixed	More About School

Secondary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Vandyke Upper School Vandyke Road , LU7 3DY	3out of 4	2,267 yd	Academy converter	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Cedars Upper School Mentmore Road , Linslade LU7 2AE	3out of 4	2,645 yd	Academy converter	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School

Middle deemed secondary

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Brooklands Middle School Brooklands Drive , LU7 3PF	3out of 4	1,022 yd	Academy converter	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School
Leighton Middle School Church Square , LU7 1EX	3out of 4	2,128 yd	Community school	No	Mixed	More About School
Gilbert Inglefield Academy Vandyke Road , LU7 3FU	3out of 4	2,160 yd	Academy converter	No	Mixed	More About School
Linslade School Mentmore Road , Linslade LU7 2PA	3out of 4	2,750 yd	Academy converter	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School

Not applicable

	Ofsted Overall Effectiveness	Distance	Establishment Type	Has Nursery Classes	Gender	More Info
Oak Bank School Sandy Lane , LU7 3BE	4out of 4	3,659 yd	Academy special converter	Not Applicable	Mixed	More About School

School statistics for this postcode are based on Ofsted rankings.

Food and Drink

Restaurants, Cafes, Canteens

Business Name	Address	Food hygiene rating	Distance
Astral Park Sports and Community Centre	Astral Park Sports and Community Centre, Johnson Drive		513 yd

Sport

Facility Name	Sport Objects	Distance
Astral Park Sports & Community Centre JOHNSON DRIVE	grass pitches	313 yd
Pages Field THE VYNES THE VYNES WESTON AVENUE	grass pitches	622 yd
Greenleas School (Kestrel Way Site) KESTREL WAY	grass pitches	793 yd
Pages Park Billington Road	grass pitches, tennis courts	959 yd

Broadband

Technology Aviability

Percentage of premises that have Superfast Broadband (30Mbit/s or greater) coverage from fixed broadband	100.0%
Percentage of premises that have Ultrafast Broadband (100Mbit/s or greater) coverage from fixed broadband	100.0%
Percentage of premises that have Ultrafast Broadband (300Mbit/s or greater) coverage from fixed broadband	100.0%
Percentage of premises that have coverage from a Gigabit capable service from fixed broadband	100.0%

Speed Aviability

Percentage of premises unable to receive 2Mbit/s	0.0%
Percentage of premises unable to receive 5Mbit/s	0.0%
Percentage of premises unable to receive 10Mbit/s	0.0%
Percentage of premises unable to receive 30Mbit/s	0.0%

Download Speed

Median download speed	200 Mbit/s
Average download speed	394.3 Mbit/s
Minimum download speed	1000 Mbit/s
Maximum download speed	1000 Mbit/s

Upload Speed

Median upload speed	20 Mbit/s
Average upload speed	27.1 Mbit/s
Maximum upload speed	50 Mbit/s

Broadband statistics are based on Ofcom's Communications Market Report (CMR) 2022.